Embattled VW Refreshes Passat Sedan

As Volkswagen stumbles its way through the embarrassing disclosure that it rigged millions of diesel-powered vehicles for years to bypass emission controls, the German brand could not pick a worse time for the media launch of the refreshed ’16 Passat midsize sedan.

Built at a 5-year-old plant in Chattanooga, TN, the Passat is the midsize sedan VW hoped would compete ably with the Toyota Camry, Honda Accord, Ford Fusion and Nissan Altima. Instead, the Passat was outsold more than 5-to-1 by the best-selling Camry through August.

Sales of the ’15 Passat have dropped 16.4% through August in a segment down 4% in the first half, according to sales data for WardsAuto’s Lower Middle car sector. In its segment, the Passat places eighth out of 12 vehicles in the sales race.

VW is intent on turning the tide for the Passat, jazzing up its appearance with a new hood, front fenders, grille, front and rear bumpers, trunklid and taillights, although sheet metal carries over on the roof, doors and bodyside panels.

Inside, the Passat gets extensive upgrades, including a new instrument panel with two large gauges and a center stack that incorporates VW’s latest modular infotainment system. The interior also employs upgraded materials, a new steering wheel and refined chrome and piano-black trim.

Options include heated rear seats and an Easy-Open keyless trunk that can be opened by waving a foot under the rear bumper.

New Passat gets VW’s latest modular infotainment system.

The MIB II infotainment system features standard touchscreens on all models. Capacitive touch sensing enables gesture controls such as swiping and pinch-zooming for quick response to commands. Also standard are USB ports and Bluetooth connectivity for devices such as smartphones.

Three major smartphone integration platforms are available – Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and MirrorLink – allowing seamless integration with most devices.

Rear-view cameras are standard on all ’16 Passats, as is Automatic Post-Collision Braking, which applies brakes after a primary collision is detected by the airbag sensors, helping reduce residual kinetic energy and minimize additional damage.

Controversial Diesel Among Powertrain Offerings

Other available safety equipment includes adaptive cruise control, forward-collision warning, autonomous emergency braking, blindspot monitor with rear traffic alert, lane-departure warning and Parking Steering Assistant.

Three engines are offered, all of them carryover, including the 3.6L naturally aspirated VR6 V-6 and the 1.8L direct-injected turbocharged TSI 4-cyl., which integrates a revised alternator and an air-conditioning compressor that can be decoupled. The 1.8L has won Ward’s 10 Best Engines trophies the past two years.

Also available is the 2.0L TDI turbodiesel 4-cyl., which is part of a massive investigation of more than 11 million vehicles believed to have pollution controls intentionally rigged for shutoff when not connected to a diagnostic port for emissions testing.

When the ’16 Passat goes on sale this fall, VW expects the problem to be corrected and the diesel vehicles to pass certification.

As for ’15 models with the same engine, dealers are not allowed to sell them until the automaker comes up with a retrofit solution that satisfies the EPA.

VW executives at the media event this week in New York could not say how many diesel vehicles currently are in inventory at U.S. dealerships. Diesels account for 20% of VW sales overall, but the diesel take-rate for the Passat runs closer to 30%.

Prices for the ’16 Passat start at $22,440, same as the previous vehicle, when equipped with a 6-speed automatic transmission.

WardsAuto forecast data says the next-generation fully re-engineered Passat will migrate to VW’s MQB modular platform and will go into production in 2018.

– with Herb Shuldiner in New York

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