2015 Passat On Way To Dealers In Europe
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The all-new, Euro-spec 2015 Volkswagen Passat is at long last coming to dealers across Europe. Unveiled in July, and making its motor show debut in Paris, the popular sedan will go on sale in Germany mid-November, with other European markets to follow over the next few weeks.
According to VW’s press release, the 2015 Passat has sold a staggering 22 million units since its initial offering in 1973. This makes it nearly as popular as Taylor Swift, though much better composed.
But this new, eighth-generation Volkswagen Passat is a somewhat different animal from earlier iterations. It is based on VW’s new MQB architecture and its engines are all-new to the car, including a four-cylinder diesel making in excess of 230 horses. There is also a plug-in hybrid version, dubbed the Passat GTE.
The weight of the 2015 Passat has dropped by up to 185 pounds, depending on equipment and powertrain, while the new engines are, according to Volkswagen, up to 20 percent more fuel-efficient. That should result in a much more favorable bottom-line for customers, while a better driving experience to boot.
All-in, ten engines and three equipment levels are available, for a total of 30 different flavors (you follow my math?). That’s an awesome number of variations for a mainstream car.
Unfortunately, North American midsize sedan buyers won’t have a chance to buy the eighth-generation Passat, since America, Canada, and Mexico (and China) get the larger, dumbed-down Chattanooga-built Passat. Let’s hope that the disparity in the nameplate will be a temporary affair, and VW finally realizes that America is worthy of its global midsizer.