2011 Volkswagen Passat sedan spied

By George Skentzos | May 12th, 2010

These are the first spy shots of the new generation Volkswagen Passat sedan which is set to receive a major face lift and a few hand-me-downs from the Passat CC.

The new Volkswagen Passat will be the next model in line to receive the new VW family face which already features on the new Golf, Touareg and recently launched Polo.

While disguised beneath heavy camouflage, the trademark styling of the next generation Volkswagens means very little is left to the imagination, employing the same sharp head light design and wider, blacked-out grille as its newest stable mates.

We also expect LED running lights in the new head lamps, with the restyled tail lamps also featuring LED technology.

The updated interior is expected to be borrowed from the Passat CC with better quality material and more chrome.

As has become the norm for manufacturers in the pursuit of economy, the new Passat is expected to shed a few kilos through the use of lighter materials.

Shak

Love the roofline and the turbine styled wheels. Lets just hope the Passat can pull off the VW family face as well as the Polo.
Steve-Poyza

Those wheels are taken straight off the Passat CC.
Sick of Muscle Cars

Can anyone tell me how expensive or inexpensive it is to maintain a VW cars vs say a Falcon or any other Japanese or Korean car in general barring the fuel expenses. I have a falcon and Im looking to buy a new sedan Im not sure. Im ok upto a budget of 60K

Thanks in advance !!

Able

I’d imagine it’d be abit more than an Aussie car but around equal to a Japanese car (ok so the services cost more, but they’re half as often). Anything from the VW Group stable is very fuel efficient, high quality, built well and good value, especially compared to Aussie and Jap rivals. They’re all very good packages (and I mean from the VW, Audi and Skoda Aus stables) and look at all of the VW Group brands too (For me the Passat Highline 125TDI or Superb Elegance – which is getting standard leather and sat-nav I’ve been told soon – 125TDI are both great packages).

This new Passat looks pretty alright, even with the tarps!

Pedro

Cost of parts is the problem, they wear out brakes very quickly and cost a fortune to replace

Simon

Rubbish!
My Passat has done 52,000Km. I’m selling it so just got a road worthy done. The mechanic asked if I had recently changed the brake pads but they are original. He was surprised and commented that BWMs with the same Ks would have had new pads fitted by now.

Mal

62,000 on my Passat and still with the original brake pads. The only parts that have needed replacing was a faulty park brake switch (covered by warranty) and a glow plug (about $100.)

Golfschwein

It’s not true about the brakes. My Golf’s original pads and rotors were replaced at 69,000 kms, not bad considering I live just outside the Perth city centre and a far cry from doomsayers’ claims on here that the job needs doing in the thirty-thousands.

My dealer quoted $2,000 but I negotiated it to $1,035 after telling him that the Midases and Ultratunes do it for less than $1,000. A friend asked me if I should be thrilled or insulted and the answer is a bit of both, but mostly thrilled.

As usual, it comes down to how you drive your car. If you’re a Brake Pedal Dabbing Nervous Nellie who dabs the brake pedal incessantly at the sight of a slight bend in the road or because the driver in the lane next to you does it for no reason (and oh lordy, this town’s full of these people), you deserve every millimetre of your premature brake wear.

Just buy and enjoy, I say.

Andre

Not sure of the relative country of origin for ours sold here, but Volkswagen products usually perform rather poorly in he quality surveys (JD Powers etc).

Golfschwein

“I am doing a survey”.

Yer, roight.

http://caradvice.com.au DUBBED

Cost of service is $150 for your first and then $250 every service after that ! prices stay the same and u get a car wash inside and out . The only different price is the 60,000km and is $600. Mind you your service is every 15.000km or when the mdf tells you to. my mdf told me i need a service at 18,600km so u get alot of km’ out of it .

Jabba the Hut

Well that’s still cheaper than the service costs of my nissan. My 40,000 (first major) was quoted at over $800.00 .I went elsewhere.

My run of the mill 10,000 k services were $180.00.

The claim that brakes wear quickly needs to be qualified. Any car will go through brakes quickly if the driver demands that they do. I can’t see these being different to any other vehicle and the pads are no doubt made in the same factory as everybody else’s.
Simon

The diesel is dearer to service but that is typical of any long service interval diesel. They use an extra high grade oil which costs a lot. As mentioned by Dubbed, I get 15,000Km between services so the extra oil cost is offset by longer service intervals.

http://www.lukehimself.net Luke

I have to say that Japanese and European cars generally have more expensive parts than Aussie cars but it doesn’t really matter – you have to replace parts less and they’re of much better quality than the local cars.

http://internode.on.net Old Pete

I have owned a V6 4Motion for nigh on 4 years. Servicing is around $400 – $500. Last service (3 years) also required brakes and was a doozy – $1500. The service, I think, was mentioned at around $1200 but I negotiated it down. When it was in they found the rear brakes and rotors needed replacing and I was initially quoted $1000+ but once again I negotiated and got both service and brakes down to $1400.
This service was carried out at 57000K and they reported that the front brakes/rotors would need replacing next service at 72000K.
Hope this helps

http://internode.on.net Old Pete

Ooops, negotiated price should read $1500 not $1400 (typo).

TDi

If you choose to go with the Diesel option expect to pay a motsa for an oil change ($35 per /l)

Leon

“These are the first spy shots of the new generation Volkswagen Passat sedan which is set to receive a major face lift…”
What do you mean, CA? An all-new generation or another facelift version?
Gazatron

SOMC – they are expensive to own when compared to basic cars (Camry, Falcon,etc) but they def don’t go through brakes unless you drive poorly Pedro. 40,000km and still on my first pads, discs and tyres.

And I would def buy another one in a heartbeat.

Andre

“40,000km and still on my first pads, discs and tyres”, well you’d bluddy well want to be.
Personally I think most people expect at least 45 – 50k out of tyres, 80,000+ out of pads and 100,000 – 200,000 for rotors.

Not sure of the relative country of origin for our sold here, but Volkswagen products usually perform rather poorly in he quality surveys (JD Powers etc)

Andre

I see the fanboys don’t like the truth!
Each negative vote is just another fanboy crying in his latte and further proof of these FACTS.

Also I don’t get the infatuation with VW 15000km service intervals, because many makes, including the locals, also have the same service interval.

Simon

Andre it’s obvious there is a lot you don’t get.

There are lots of actual VW owners here that comment from experience. Of those owners I note a distinct lack of complaints. I’m sure VW has it’s lemons but anecdotally it certainly looks to be no more prevalent than any other brand.

david jones

current model tailights are LED.
Marc

Looks promising, can’t wait to see it. I think the new look as seen on the new golf/polo/toureg will translate well on the passat… ceaner and simpler.

Smithy

“… ceaner and simpler” – What you really mean is BLAND.
When VAG said they wanted to be the new Toyota, I didn’t think that they meant picking up all of the blandness of style (and the rabid fanboys.)
At least VAG engineering and the “drive” is still good, even if reliability isn’t up to scratch.

oz boy

No not that bland ,that crown still goes to the pensioners all time favorite the camry or for a touch more excitment for those approaching that big day try the aurion .

VW have done the right thing and moved to a new corporate face just in time as it was getting a little boring and to close to big sister audi with the big nose .

Neil

Passat is a fantastic vehicle; shame more buyers arn’t as interested. Is this the same model that VW shall produce in the US, or something else all together?

BTW, loving the updated webpage guys. Great work.

Smithy

Yep the new pages load a lot faster, definately better than the slow older system.
Still NO LOGIN feature though!

Mythfrances

About the surveys like JD power, I dont really get it either. Many luxury European brands tend to perform poorer than the Japs. Yet people on the internet have quite different opinion. Anyone knows y?

Smithy

It’s really quite simple, the surveys target ALL owners, whereas websites like this only attract the brand fanboys who conveniently overlook all of the problems with thier car so that they NEVER rubbish “their” brand.
See people who have forked over good money to buy a VAG product will cover up the problems to save face and justify their purchase.

Arden

I think you have your article wrong. Well with what I can see anyway. You say the family VAG face is on Golf, Polo and Toureg but I cannot see any photos with the toureg having it. I think maybe you meant Transporter

bob

Arden, I think CA are speaking about the all new Touareg.

ScottB

Whoa, the length of that front overhang…!
Col

Was wanting to buy a tig but 5 month wait for the spec i want. Am now looking at the passat, but am wondering if I should wait a couple months for the new 2011 model. How early is it released does anyone know?