Inside of the Volkswagen Passat
Interior Rating
The VW Passat’s interior feels high in quality and is packed with tech, while the space and practicality on offer are beyond reproach. Annoyingly, though, there are some fairly seismic ergonomic issues - most notably with the overly complex infotainment system - which let the side down.
Volkswagen Passat 2024: Practicality
Even with a pair of gangly adults ensconced in the front seats, rear legroom is generous enough that passengers of similar proportions can sit comfortably in the back without fear of their knees coming into contact with the seats in front. Headroom is very generous, too, and with two people in the back, things feel very luxurious indeed: seriously, you’d have to be a Harlem Globetrotter to struggle for space in this thing.
Things are a bit tighter when you squeeze a third person across the rear bench, but there is enough shoulder room to allow it, and in reasonable comfort: not a given, even in this kind of car. Whoever finds themselves in the middle will have to sit with feet either side of a bulky transmission tunnel, though.
And now for the really important bit where any estate car is concerned: the boot. Predictably, the Passat’s is gargantuan, with a loadspace of 690 litres with the moveable boot floor in its lower position. Move it to its higher position, and the load lip at the entrance to the boot is effectively levelled off, which combined with the huge, wide opening, gives unhindered access to the space.
Setting the boot floor as such also levels off the step to the rear seatbacks when you fold them down, leaving you with a level - if still slightly sloped, because the seatbacks lie at a slight angle - extended loadbay.
The seats are folded by pulling catches either in the boot or on the seats themselves, but they only fold down in a 60/40 split, which isn’t as versatile as the 40/20/40 split you get in some rival family cars. That said, a powered tailgate and powered load cover is standard across the range, which is a handy touch.
Do bear in mind, though, that the story isn’t quite so rosy where the plug-in hybrids are concerned as these lose quite a significant chunk of boot space to their extra hardware. Still the 530-litre space should still be plenty for most families.
The latest VW Passat has grown significantly compared with previous Volkswagen Passat Estates, being 4917mm long, 1849 wide (excluding door mirrors) and 1497 tall: that’s 144mm longer and 20mm wider than its predecessor.
The new car also has a wheelbase of 2841mm, an increase of 50mm, so there’s plenty of space between the axles.
Volkswagen Passat 2024: Quality and finish
Volkswagen’s cars usually occupy a sort of middle-ground for quality: they often feel posher than most mainstream competitors, but don’t quite match up to premium-badged opposition when it comes to outright swankiness. That’s a theme continued by the VW Passat.
All the materials and trims in your direct eyeline look and feel impressively high-grade while the thoughtful use of colours and patterns make things look reasonably interesting. The large digital screens, with their glossy finish, also help inject a certain level of poshness.
Look below your immediate eyeline, in places like the footwells and the lower parts of the doors though and you’ll find materials and finishes that don’t quite live up to the same standard. There’s not the same feeling of uniform plushness that you get in an Audi or BMW.
That’s the norm with most mainstream cars, though and the deficit in quality isn’t enough to undermine the overall feeling of sophistication. This is still a very pleasant car in which to spend time.
Volkswagen Passat 2024: Infotainment
All versions of the Volkswagen Passat come as standard with the same infotainment setup. You get a 10.25-inch digital screen behind the steering wheel to serve as your instrument panel and a large 12.9-inch touchscreen in the middle of the dashboard to take care of your entertainment and myriad other functions.
If that central screen doesn’t have enough wow-factor for you, then you can replace it with a massive 15.0-inch item as a cost option.
Firstly, the positives. The whole thing looks great, with crystal-clear, funky-looking graphics and properly slick animations and screen transitions. The screen is super-sensitive, so it responds quickly and consistently to the actions of your finger. All the major functionality you’d want is present and correct, with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, DAB radio, Bluetooth, voice control and wireless phone charging.
Now for the not-so-positives, because there are some problems. Remember a little earlier when we said that the central screen operates myriad functions? Well, we weren’t joking.
Volkswagen has purged the VW Passat of physical buttons and dials, to the point where there’s almost nothing left. Almost every one of the car’s functions - of which there are lots - have to be controlled through the touchscreen. And using a touchscreen on-the-move is inherently more distracting.
Not only that, but despite the generous size of the screen, it looks cluttered and confusing due simply to the sheer amount of icons, tiles and shortcuts on display.
You’ll also encounter a wide variety of menus and submenus, most of which aren’t very logically arranged and many of which are anchored by ambiguously designed icons, so it’s not immediately clear what sort of functions they apply to.
The whole thing is horrendously bamboozling and the result is that performing the simplest of tasks is far too difficult and time consuming, diverting too much of your attention away from the road.
And do you want to know the real kicker? Well, as you squint and jab at the screen, trying in vain to perform a would-be simple task, the car’s driver attention detection system clocks the fact that your eyes have been diverted from the road for too long, whereupon you get a rollocking from the car, whose poorly designed infotainment system caused the issue in the first place. Who knew a car was capable of gaslighting.
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Child seats that fit a Volkswagen Passat
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