Volkswagen Passat Saloon (05-10) - Review

The Passat's excellent ride and low noise levels mean occupants will feel well insulated from the outside world on the move. The seats are excellent and offer good support as well as high comfort levels and there's plenty of cabin space too - rear passengers get decent head and legroom. Air conditioning is standard across the range and in true Volkswagen tradition, most of the materials that come into direct contact with the occupants feel like premium car fittings.

Although there's no hatchback version, the Passat still makes the most of what it has. The rear seats fold to increase load capacity, while the boot offers up to 485 litres of luggage space with them in place and it's easy to use thanks to a wide load area and low boot lip. The glove compartment can store A4-sized documents and is air conditioned, while the optional CD autochanger is hidden in a drop-down compartment in the glovebox so it doesn't steal valuable space. The electronic parking brake means there is more space for storage between the front seats, while Volkswagen has also allocated room for an umbrella in the driver's side door compartment. There is no key for ignition, instead a keyfob is inserted into the dashboard and pushed again to start or stop the engine. Full keyless entry can also be specified.

Volkswagen has taken upmarket features from the Phaeton and Touareg to help give the Passat a luxury car feel. The centre console stretches from the transmission tunnel to the dashboard and an electronic parking brake (which brakes all four wheels and can be used in an emergency to slow the car) is activated by a dashboard button and releases automatically when the driver is ready to move. Drivers can choose from wood or metallic trim on higher specification models and the car can be selected with one of two handsfree phone kits, one of which is Bluetooth enabled. Overall quality is excellent while the driving position is spot-on with plenty of adjustment in the seat and steering column.