Volkswagen's new Passat has won the prestigious car of the year title in Europe. The German family saloon was awarded 340 points by the panel of internatioal motoring journalists, well ahead of its nearest rival the Citroën C4 Cactus with 248 points and the Mercedes-Benz Class on 221 points.
Other finalists in this year’s competition were the Ford Mondeo (203 points), Nssan Qashqai (160 points), BMW 2 Series Active Tourer (154 points) and the Renault Twingo (124 points).
Announcing the result at the Geneva motor show, on the eve of its first press day, the jury president Hakan Matson said that after 41 years on the market, the Passat has become the symbol of success for the Volkswagen brand - the most popular model in its current range.
“This formula for success is carried forward in the new 2015 Passat, a car that sits comfortably between the premium and mainstream market segments. This is a completely new model built on VW’s acclaimed MQB platform, yet it retains the unmistakable exterior design that underlines its continuity with the Passat heritage,” he said.
“The CotY 2015 winner is a typical VW in that it delivers quality and functionality in every aspect. It’s more lightweight than the outgoing model while at the same time improving in terms of body stiffness. It is more compact in terms of its footprint on the road than many competitors in its segment, yet it’s very roomy inside and offers the biggest luggage space in the class, especially when it comes to the Variant - or estate - version.”
“In terms of powertrains, the Passat range features a wide array of impressive fuel efficient engines and VW’s continual focus on innovation is exemplified in the new plug-in hybrid Passat, the GTE, due for market in the coming months.” This car offers a range of 50km in electric mode with fully charged batteries alongside a combination of petrol-electric hybrid power when the batteries work together with the 156 hp 1.4 petrol engine, creating a overall power output of 218 hp and outstanding homologated fuel consumption of just 1.6 litres per 100km (177mpg ) and emissions of just 37 g/km.” The GTE Passat will go on sale in Ireland towards the end of this year with prices yet to be confirmed.
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