Volkswagen Passat

Stalwart family hauler goes estate-only, with choice of petrol and plug-in hybrid powertrains There is no longer-serving Volkswagen model than this one: the trust Volkswagen Passat. Having made hay in the days when, some thirty years ago and more, mid-sized saloons ruled the sales charts, it has now survived into it ninth full model generation; albeit now being a more niche product than ever it used to be.While older ones were originally classic three-box saloons with estate-car derivatives, only then to become 'liftback' five-doors, this Passat comes to you exclusively as a biggish family estate car. Other markets don’t care for them, but here in Europe the estate car remains very popular; and in many cases where rival models of similar size are offered in a choice of saloon and estate bodies, it's the latter that sells the stronger.Still, this ninth generation has had quite a different genesis from previous iterations. It was developed alongside the Skoda Superb, with the project actually led by Skoda. It’s not the first time the Passat has been very closely related to another Volkswagen Group car: a number of earlier generations were based on the Audi A4.The Superb got the full five stars when we road tested it in diesel form in 2025, so it’s a good place for VW to start. The question is whether the Passat can still justify its existence next to its Czech cousin.