Volkswagen Passat 2013 News

Buying a used car is difficult enough in normal times.

US owners of VW cars with diesel engines that can cheat emissions tests have already been given $500, but local owners still have no compensation.

Three weeks after the global scandal broke, Australian owners of VW diesel cars finally know if their car is affected or not.

There are now more than 11 million Volkswagen diesel cars -- and possibly 50,000 in Australia -- caught up in the software cheat that secretly tricked emissions testing equipment.

A vote by 75 motoring journalists from 22 countries has awarded the compact prestige car the World Car of the Year award for 2015.It finished on top of a 24-car field and eventually beat the two other finalists, the Ford Mustang and Volkswagen Passat.The other big prizes for 2015, Green Car of the Year and Performance Car of the Year, went to the plug-in hybrid BMW i8 and the Mercedes-AMG GT coupe.The winners were announced at the New York Motor Show today at an event hosted by Bridgestone Corporation and Autoneum at the culmination of a six-month voting process.The C-Class delivers levels of refinement, luxury, safety, ride and handling that challenge best-in-class.The awards are in their 11th year and previous winners include the Audi A6, BMW 3 Series, Lexus LS460 and Volkswagen Golf, Polo and Up.To be eligible for the overall World Car award, candidate cars must have become available for sale on at least two continents between January 1, 2014 and May 31, 2015.The WCOTY wins by Mercedes-Benz follow its victories in the Green Car contest in 2007 with the E320 Bluetec and 2012 with the S 250 CDI BlueEFFICIENCY and its Luxury Car success with the S Class in 2014.“We are extremely delighted of winning the honour of World Car of the Year,” says the chairman of Daimler, Dr Dieter Zetsche.The WCOTY victory follows a similar success for the C-Class in the CarsGuide Car of the Year award.The WCOTY judging panel says: “Taking its design and technological cues from the S-Class, the C-Class employs an all-new aluminium/steel hybrid platform and updated rear-drive powertrains that delivers levels of refinement, luxury, safety, ride and handling that challenge best-in-class.” WORLD CAR OF THE YEAR AWARDS 2015Overall winner: Mercedes-Benz C-ClassGreen Car: BMW i8Performance Car: Mercedes-AMG GTLuxury Car: Mercedes-Benz S CoupeDesign: Citroen CactusPREVIOUS WORLD COTY WINNERS:2014: Audi A32013: Volkswagen Golf2012: Volkswagen Up2011: Nissan Leaf2010: Volkswagen Polo2009: Volkswagen Golf2008: Mazda22007: Lexus LS4602006: BMW 3 Series2005: Audi A6

Four models in the Volkswagen range have recently received an engine upgrade with a power and torque increase. The Passat Sedan, Passat Wagon, Passat Alltrack and the CC with 2.0-litre common rail turbo diesel engine now come with 130kW (+5kW) of power and 380Nm (+30Nm) of torque, and now carry 130TDI badging. This change also results in a fuel consumption change on some of the models. The Passat Wagon and CC see reduced fuel consumption figures of 5.4 litres/100km (-0.3l) while the Passat Sedan now consumes 5.6 llitres/100km (-0.1l). Pricing has increased by $500 for most of these diesel variants, with the Passat Highline sedan now $44,990, Highline wagon at $46,490, and CC at $55,490. The Passat Alltrack remains at $47,790.  

Volkswagen has come close. It is now the eighth most popular brand in Australia - from a list of 48 players - with almost 5 per cent of the market. Though the figure seems small, consider that five years ago it had 2.6 per cent of the market and that today it more than doubles the sales of the next most popular European, Mercedes-Benz, which has a 2 per cent share of the market.  Now, Volkswagen spreads its product range wider, poised soon to launch its cute, highly efficient and sub-$15,000 city car, the Up. It is to present its Passat Alltrack - an all-wheel-drive Subaru chaser - and the new-generation Beetle, while trimming its Touareg SUV range back to a diesel-only selection and preparing a new Golf for the world market. The latest product niche is a wagon that takes on Australia’s crossover darling, Subaru. At the same time, the Volkswagen Passat Alltrack takes a swipe at a similar product from family owned Audi - the yet-to-be released $70,000 A4 Allroad. The Alltrack arrives 40 years after Subaru launched the all-wheel drive wagon and singularly changed the way we drive today. It is expected to cost around $49,000 - which is a one third discount on the Audi - and its turbo diesel and automatic transmission specifications take on the Subaru Outback (which is yet to launch an auto diesel) and the Volvo XC70 D5, which costs from $64,000. The Alltrack is a different kettle to the Passat V6 4Motion, a $56,000 road-going sports-oriented wagon.  In fact, it gets the same off-road package -  electronic drive traction and braking aids, a steel under body and extra 30mm ride height - as the sister Touareg and Tiguan SUVs. Except for the Passat’s extended front and rear overhang, it is as capable off the road as these two. But it is biased towards the street. Compared with the Touareg and Tiguan, it is more luxury-oriented, more comfortable and handles the bitumen with far more confidence. Driven in Austria and Switzerland at its international launch in March, the Alltrack cleverly melds off-road purpose with on-road convenience. Its external size offers excellent cabin room, a huge boot and the expected high level of versatility in an SUV. The dashboard escapes much of the all-black plastic of some VW models with contrasting colours and soft-feel plastics. Driven in mud and snow, I commented that though the all-wheel-drive system - Volkswagen calls it 4Motion - has been around for a few years, it remains simple and effective. It delivers about 10 per cent power to the rear wheels on bitumen but seeks out traction and is flexible enough to put up to 100 per cent to the rear wheels. The sole engine at its launch in Europe was the 125kW/350Nm 2-litre turbo-diesel that’s common to a string of VW, Skoda and Audi product. The box is a six-speed DSG with paddle shifts for manual operation. Tested in snow, the all-wheel drive system constantly sends power to the wheels with traction. It works very well, but enthusiastic off-road owners will find the car’s flaws are its 165mm ground clearance and its comparatively long 941mm/1120mm front/rear overhangs. The Alltrack will tow up to 2000kg and is appealing to people towing boats, horse floats and caravans.  

With its raised ride height, 4MOTION four-wheel drive and rugged body enhancements, it will take you places the standard Passat wouldn't dare.  Based on the versatile Passat Estate, the Passat Alltrack's 4MOTION four-wheel drive and raised ride height give it greater agility off-road, while body enhancements provide some protection from scrapes when covering rough terrain. These features endow Passat Alltrack with the practicality of an estate car and much of the versatility of a conventional SUV, while a high standard specification level adds more than a touch of luxury. Just one trim level is likely to be offered here - with all the bells and whistles.  There will be a choice of two drivetrains: a 2.0-litre TDI with six-speed manual gearbox and a 2.0-litre TDI  125kW with six-speed DSG transmission.  Standard equipment includes Alcantara upholstery, dual zone electronic climate control, RNS 315 touchscreen satellite navigation, DAB radio, MDI iPod connectivity, Bluetooth telephone preparation, cruise control, front and rear parking sensors, tyre pressure monitoring system and 18-inch Canyon alloy wheels. A Driver Alert System that monitors the driver's responses to raise awareness of fatigue is also standard, as is ESP. Options include climate seats with massage function, high beam assist which automatically controls dipping of the headlights, side scan lane change assist, which monitors the vehicle's blind spot and adaptive chassis control.  City emergency braking function is also a likely option along with park assist, rear-view camera and an electrically deployed towbar. The Passat Alltrack has a generous towing capacity of 2,000 kg (braked).  

The newcomer will be revealed at the Tokyo Motor Show in less than a month - possibly wearing a CrossTrak badge - on the home ground of its target, the Subaru Outback. Subaru has been a consistent winner with its high-rider Outback and Forester wagons and Volkswagen is going down the same track, says a German insider at the Los Angeles Auto Show. He promises a vehicle that is also similar in style to the latest Skoda Yeti from Volkswagen Group, as Volkswagen continues work on a series of crossover cars based on the Up and Polo. Volkswagen will have a couple of big advantages over Subaru with its newcomer, as it has an automatic transmission to trump its rival's CVT system and can also supply a diesel engine with more than just the manual shift in the Outback. It could also, at least potentially, have more cabin space and standard luxury. But Volkswagen is unlikely to challenge the pricetag of the Outback, which starts at $38,490 with a 2.5-litre petrol engine. Its starting sticker is likely to be in the mid-$40,000 range, rising sharply to $60,000 for a fully-equipped car.

Where manufacturers have previously pursued one environmental solution, most are now embracing multiple strategies to the high-profile problem.GM chairman and CEO Rick Wagoner best summed up the industry's new multi-pronged environmental strategy as energy diversity.He referred to alternate energy sources such as electricity, ethanol, biofuels, compressed natural gas, hydrogen and combinations of these working happily together in the same vehicle.Wagoner says GM will also continue to seek improved efficiency from internal combustion petrol and diesel engines and expand its commitment to electric power.GM will introduce a test fleet of 100 hydrogen-powered Chevrolet Equinox fuel cell vehicles in the US this year and 10 in Europe, he says.Other car companies working on alternate powertrain solutions, such as Kia, also pledged to introduce test fleets, particularly for government evaluation.The first of GM's new energy strategies to be introduced in Australia could be the extension of the Saab Biopower range from the 9-5 to the 9-3 model range, including vehicles running on 100 per cent biofuel.GM has also developed a new cleaner turbo diesel V6 engine which could power the new Holden VE Commodore.Wagoner confirmed that the 184kW 2.9-litre Italian-made engine would be compatible with the VE chassis, but he could not confirm its application in the Australian market. A GM Holden spokesman says the company will consider the engine.Mercedes-Benz has started its push to clean up diesel emissions with a detox system called BlueTec. It is claimed to reduce nitrous-oxides (NOX) from the exhaust by up to 90 per cent compared with previous diesels.The German firm has introduced BlueTec in its upper-luxury E320 sedan in the US market and will follow that up with three more models next year. The E320 and the follow-up R320 people mover, ML320 SUV and GL320 4WD will be released in Europe in 2008 and are expected here later in 2008 or early 2009.Volkswagen showed a Passat and a Polo with the technology, the latter capable of a low 102g of CO2 and greatly reduced NOX.Japanese makers are aggressively pushing hybrids. They are led in this by Lexus, which announced it is making more hybrids combining electric motors with petrol engine models than conventional petrol-fuelled vehicles.Geneva launched the Lexus LS600h luxury saloon that it claims has the power of a V12 with the economy of a V6. It has a V8 petrol engine combined with an electric motor to deliver 327kW. Yet Lexus claims the lavishly-equipped saloon will get an average fuel consumption of only 9.5-l/100km while having a CO2 emission level of less than 220g.Toyota showed a hybrid concept sedan, the Hybrid X, that is more a styling exercise than a mechanical marvel. Then there is the Toyota FT-HS hybrid sports car that combines a 3.5-litre petrol V6 with an electric motor; a car that doesn't ignore performance or style.But while Europe is going diesel and Japan is leaning towards hybrids, there is some blurring of technologies.Honda announced a NOX-depleting system similar to BlueTec and says it will be fitted to its diesel-powered cars. It plans to launch its new diesels within three years, first in the US and later in Europe and Australia.At the same time, Honda says it will make its fuel-cell electric car available to selected buyers by next year, making it likely to be the world's first car maker to make a production fuel cell passenger car.The new Honda, which uses hydrogen gas and air to produce electricity to power electric motors, is based on its long-standing FCX concept vehicle.To keep its feet in all camps, Honda plans to introduce a small-car hybrid that is currently in concept form.The Small Hybrid Sport shows that even hybrids can be fun and sexy.Subaru unveiled its 2-litre turbo-diesel engine that will go into European models later this year but won't come to Australia until at least late 2008. It is Subaru's first diesel and has been devised to improve sales in diesel-crazy Europe.Meanwhile, BMW and DaimlerChrysler have announced they will join forces to create a new hybrid system for the premium car segment.Both companies plan on introducing the new technology into rear-wheel-drive models within the next three years.A BMW spokesman says the technologies will be tailored to fit the specific character of the different vehicles.And, two battery city cars were among the show oddities, including the Zebra which was painted like animal fur.