Fuel consumption: Volkswagen Passat Variant 1.4 TSI (B8 / MY2016)

Model (Code / Model Year): Volkswagen Passat Variant 1.4 TSI Comfortline (B8 / MY2016)

Engine: four-cylinder petrol engine (1395cm³)  / engine code: VW EA211Transmission: 6-speed manual transmissionPerformance: 150hp (110kW) / 250nm0 to 100km/h: 8,6 secTop speed: 218km/h (136mp/h)Weight: 1.429 kgFuel tank (US gallons): 66 liter (17,44 US gallons)

The video below shows the approximate fuel consumption at different (constant) speeds. However, I drove this particular car for 1.300 kilometer on regular driving in different driving conditions. This resulted in a calculated fuel consumption during this trip averaged out at 7.41l / 100km.

In the video I did a test of the consumption at different speeds. Aim of this test is not to give an exact specification of the fuel consumption of this car, but to show an approximation of the fuel consumption under real life circumstances. As the result also depends on tyres, size of the rims, road condition, weather and equipment that may alter the exact weight of the car, your personal experience may differ from mine.

Video update: Volkswagen Passat Variant 1.4 TSI (B8 / MY2016)

Model (Code / Model Year): Volkswagen Passat Variant 1.4 TSI Comfortline (B8 / MY2016)

Engine: four-cylinder petrol engine (1395cm³)  / engine code: VW EA211Transmission: 6-speed manual transmissionPerformance: 150hp (110kW) / 250nm0 to 100km/h: 8,6 secTop speed: 218km/h (136mp/h)Weight: 1.429 kgFuel tank (US gallons): 66 liter (17,44 US gallons)
Exterior colour: Reflex silver, metallic
Upholstery: Cloth "Weave" Titan black

Interior trim: Diamond Silver
Wheels: 16-inch alloy wheels "Sepang"

Car review: Volkswagen Passat 1.4 TSI Variant Comfortline

Technical Data

Model (Code / Model Year): Volkswagen Passat 1.4 TSI Variant Comfortline (B7 / 2012)

Engine: OM 642 DE 30 LA / 1390 cm³ / R4 / petrol
Transmission: 6-speed manual transmission
Paintwork + Interior + interior trim + wheels: Black Oak Brown metallic paint + Cloth black "Matera" + Trim iridium printed + 16-inch alloy wheels "Alicante"

Optional Equipment:

• Comfortline package:
  Chrome front bumper strips / Chrome front bumper strips / 
  Multifunction steering wheel (3 spoke)
  ParkPilot - Parking sensors front and rear
  Driver alert system
  Radio RCD 310 Radio/MP3 compatible CD player
  
  €665,00 RNS 315 touch-screen navigation
  €0,00 Front seats with lumbar adjustment 
  €0,00 Exterior badge deletion (only engine badge)
  €290,00 Tinted glass 65% from B pillar backwards
  €0,00 Air conditioning, 'Climatic' semi-automatic control
  €0,00 Rain sensor 
  €0,00 Daytime running lights with coming home function

Performance: 112hp (83kW) / 200nm
0 to 100km/h: 10,3sec
Top speed: 205km/h (128mp/h)
Fuel consumption in liter / 100km (U.S. miles per gallon): 8,5 liter / 100 kilometer (27,67 mpg / US) (click the link for the fuel consumption test)
Price (Germany): €29.960,00

In 1973 Volkswagen introduced its first Passat, while the 6th generation Passat (B7 / type 3C) has been brought to the European market in 2010. Altough the new Passat shares its platform with its predecessor, almost none of the visible parts remained unchanged. Apart from the slightly enlarged wheel base, the drag coefficient has also been reduced.

The estate, called "Variant", represents about 70% of all Passat sales in Germany, while the Passat also is the most popular company car on the German market. 

1. Exterior

Volkswagen has initiated congruent design among its several models, and the Passat is not exception. The chrome grille can also be found on other VW models, while the rest of the car is has been styled in a neutral way, in order to attract a broad customer base. 

In order to individualize the car, Volkswagen offers the Trendline / Comfortline / Highline package, each sporting a slightly different design. This particular car has been equipped with the Comfortline package, sporting extra chrome strips along the bumpers and windows, 16-inch alloy wheels "Alicante" as well as some extra options.

2. Engine, transmission and handling

In order to reduce CO2-emissions, downsizing has proved to be a very popular strategy among many car manufacturers. Thus Volkswagen has fitted this Passat with a 4-cylinder 1390cm³ petrol turbocharged engine (TSI = Turbocharged Stratified Injection). 

During most driving conditions in cities, local roads etc. the engine performance is fine. Only when driving at speeds above 100km/h the acceleration becomes noticably slower. When considering the fuel consumption, it becomes obvious that the engine is optimized to perform well in the lower rev ranges, when the turbocharges has to work in the higher ranges the fuel consumption increases significantly.

Volkswagen offers both a 6-speed manual transmission and 7-speed DSG automatic gearbox on the Passat, while this particular car was fitted with the manual transmission. Shifting the gears is very smooth, yet it feels neutral, as the gearbox lacks the sharpness of a BMW manual gearbox.  But just as with the design and gearbox, this handling has the same neutral setup, which is the key to its succes in attracting a large customer base.

Volkswagen Passat 1.4 TSI petrol engine

3. Interior, multimedia and communication

The interior of the Passat is very bland but its layout is very logical, the driver is able to find and reach to every operation in a logical way. Seats adjustments can be made from the normal point of views, while the seat comfort is sufficient for most journeys. 

One of the features that make the Passat stand out is its storage space, not only does it have a very large booth (larger then for example an Audi A4, BMW 3-series or Mercedes Benz C-class), another treat it the easy folding down of the rear seats by utilizing two good accesible handles. There is also ample storage space for the driver. Beneath the center armrest there is a large compartment for big items (wallet, phone etc.), while the cupholders are located in front of the center armrest including some small storage space behind it.

RNS 315 navigation system with a SD-card (blue) on the left.

Another feature that sets the Passat apart from its non-Volkswagen group competitors is the RNS 315 touch-screen navigation system (the RNS 510 system being its larger counterpart). The interface of the RNS 315 system is ok, after a short period of time one is getting used to it and able to find all relevant information in the system. What does bother me is the touch-screen system, when making adjustments while driving it might be hard to hit the right spot, causing some nuisance to the driver. Luckily some operations can also performed by using the multifunction steering wheel, like changing the music track while being in the navigation mode.

Two major operations that are performed in the communication department are is the bluetooth connectivity and being able to play your own music through the cars entertainment system. Bluetooth connectivity is an option on the Passat, and unfortunately it was not checked when this car was ordered.
In order to play music Volkswagen offers several options on the Passat. Using a CD, however that disables the satnav in the way that it is not able to calculate new routes, using an SD-card in the slot next to the satnav (see picture) or use the optional media interface. Unfortunately this car was not equipped with the media interface, hence I used a SD-card to play music, which worked fine.


4.Optional Equipment

Unfortunately this Passat was only equipped with a minimum level of options, most of which have been discussed in the section before. Although it lacked so many options, there only where three which have been missed while driving this car. First there is the cruise control, it is a great option to improve comfort on longer journeys while it also helps to reduce fuel consumption somewhat. Another spot of bother it the bluetooth, as many countries nowadays make hands-free calling mandatory, every car should come equipped with this option.

When travelling with two persons that prefer different climate control settings, a dual zone climate control is a very good feature. Having travelled with two persons with different wishes, it became apperent that the one-zone system has its limitations. But the standard climate control (with one zone) is sufficient when driving alone.

One-zone climate control

Final thoughts:

"Neutral" en "practical" is the best way to describe the Volkswagen Passat. In order to attract market share in this class, these two characteristics are key to its succes. The Passat is not a particularly exciting car, but it is good value for its money. Lots of space, nice options to make a comfortable journey (altough this one missed a few), they all make this a good car.

There is still a small spot of bother, the engine is somewhat too small for what is quite a heavy car. I would rather like a diesel engine that provides a bit more punch (more torques / nM), but is more fuel efficient.

But if you add the missing options (cruise control, dual zone climate control, bluetooth) and combine it with a diesel engine, that will give you the perfect travel companion for every family. 

Volkswagen Passat 1.4 TSI Variant Comfortline media:

• Volkswagen Passat Variant pictures
• Volkswagen Passat Variant videos

Video update: Volkswagen Passat 1.4 TSI Variant

A short while ago, pictures of a Volkswagen Passat 1.4 TSI Comfortline had been posted. This Volkswagen has been equipped with the Comfortline package and a 1.4 TSI 4-cylinder petrol engine with 122hp. Today the attention turned its spotlight on the videos of this 2012 Volkswagen Passat 1.4 TSI Variant Comfortline.

Volkswagen Passat 1.4 TSI Variant walkaround - Exterior and interior shots of the car

Volkswagen Passat 1.4 TSI Variant Fuel Consumption Test - testing the fuel consumption under real life conditions

Volkswagen Passat 1.4 TSI Variant Flatout - Putting the pedal to the metal on the German Autobahn

  

Fuel Consumption: Mercedes Benz C180 / VW Passat 1.4 TSI / BMW 520d Touring

As the fuel prices continue to rise, the fuel consumption of a car is becoming a more important part of the operating cost of a car. On an early morning drive to work, during a general rush hour, I tried to see what fuel consumption could be achieved by driving as economically as possible.

This includes accelerating modestly, not driving at speeds above 120km/h (75mp/h), trying to anticipate stops by letting the car roll instead of braking and using cruise control as much as possible. The onboard computer was set to 0 before departing, the driving profile is segmented according to the type of road and the breakdown of each is displayed in the caption of the picture.

Possible some drivers are able to still lower this consumption, when the traffic congestion (lots of stopping and accelerating again) is taken out of the equation, it is probable that it will further reduce consumption. On the other hand, the onboard computer usually displays a lower consumption then really took place, but still I hope that these pictures will give you an impression of the fuel consumption of these cars.

Volkswagen Passat 1.4 TSI Variant (122hp / MY2012 / 6-speed manual gearbox / petrol)

Driving profile: 40% highway 50% secondary road / 10% inner city

Mercedes Benz C180 (156hp / MY2012 / 7G-tronic automatic transmission / petrol)

Driving profile: 80% highway / 15% secondary road / 5% inner city

The fuel consumption of the Mercedes Benz C180 seems to be too high, this can be caused by a defect of unknown origin. Possibly the tires did not have the right pressure, resulting in a higher fuel consumption compared to normal circumstances.

BMW 520d Touring (184hp / MY2012 / 8-speed automatic gearbox / diesel)

Driving profile: 50% highway / 35% secondary road / 15% inner city

BMW 520d Touring: the screen shows the fuel consumption during the last hour. On the left an increase due to city driving and switching from "eco pro" to "comfort" mode can be seen. On the right side the consumption driving at speeds of 80 to 100km/h while using cruise control resulted in a lower consumption.

Over a longer period (last time since resetting the onboard computer), the fuel consumption was 6,8l / 100km. Important, this was calculated over a longer trip as the one presented above, hence the difference.

After filling up the car, the onboard computer displays a range of 1218 kilometers (760  miles)

Previous Fuel Consumption reports: 

• Audi A4 2.0 TDI / Audi A6 3.0 TDI / Mercedes Benz E220 CDI
• BMW 530d xDrive / Mercedes Benz C220 CDI

Picture update: Volkswagen Passat 1.4 TSI Variant

In 1973 Volkswagen introduced its first Passat, while the 6th generation Passat (B7 / type 3C) has been brought to the European market in 2010. The estate, called "Variant", represents about 70% of all Passat sales in Germany, while the Passat also is the most popular company car on the German market. 


€28.325,00 Volkswagen Passat Variant Comfortline 1,4 TSI 90 kW (122 hp) 6-speed manual

Engine specifications:

Engine: OM 642 DE 30 LA / 1390 cm³ / R4 / petrol

Power: 122hp at 200 Nm

Top speed: 205km/h

Acceleration 0 - 100km/h: 10,3s 

Comfortline package:
Chrome front bumper strips / Chrome front bumper strips / 
Multifunction steering wheel (3 spoke)
ParkPilot - Parking sensors front and rear
Driver alert system
Radio RCD 310 Radio/MP3 compatible CD player

Other equipment:
€570,00 Black Oak Brown Metallic
€110,00 7J x 16 alloy wheels "Alicante"
€0,00 Cloth Black "Matera"
€0,00 Interior Trim Iridium printed

€665,00 RNS 315 touch-screen navigation
€0,00 Front seats with lumbar adjustment 
€0,00 Exterior badge deletion (only engine badge)
€290,00 Tinted glass 65% from B pillar backwards
€0,00 Air conditioning, 'Climatic' semi-automatic control
€0,00 Rain sensor 
€0,00 Daytime running lights with coming home function

Total price: €29.960,00

Prices are for the German market, June 2012

Some pro's and con's on this particular Volkswagen Passat 1.4 TSI Variant Comfortline:

Pro:

• At normal speeds, good fuel consumption
• Lots of storage space
• Good interior finish for a car in this class
• Large storage space in the back
• Easy folding down of rear seats by good accesible handles

Con:

• High fuel consumption when driving faster
• At higher speeds audible wind noise
• Lack of dual zone climate control
• Lack of bluetooth connection

For the complete folder of the Volkswagen Passat 1.4 TSI Variant Comfortline, please click here.