Before the last facelift of the Passat, people thought that Shanghai Volkswagen already had the MQB-B platform production line of the same generation as the Magotan and would introduce the B8 as they wished, so that the Passat could catch up with the pace of Magotan's generation. However, Shanghai Volkswagen is only based on the original B7 generation Passat, replacing the new Passat with new engines, gearboxes, on-board systems and technological equipment, etc., so that the new Passat hardware does not look inferior to its opponents, and the platform is still the original platform, and the new MQB platform would rather be used to produce Skoda Speed.
The Passat currently on sale is no different from Magotan in terms of powertrain, the 1.4T EA211, the 1.8T and 2.0T third-generation EA888, the gearbox is a seven-speed dual-clutch, the 1.4T is paired with a dry DQ200, and the 1.8T and 2.0T are paired with a wet DQ380. Although it is the same powertrain, the tuning of the Passat and Magotan is completely different, in general, the shift speed of Magotan is a little slower, and the power connection is smoother, while the tuning of the Passat is still a very traditional Volkswagen tuning, the shift speed is fast, but the light pedal does not go, and the frustration of shifting gears at low speed is also stronger, and the classic DSG frustration can often be felt.
In terms of chassis, the Passat is still the previous generation B7L, and the B7L Passat has been sold in China since 2011. Compared with the chassis of Magotan, the chassis of the Passat is particularly low in terms of the upper limit, if the Magotan is a business medium-sized car with sports potential, the Passat can only be regarded as a qualified family car, and there is no problem with daily household grocery shopping, but the overly soft suspension cannot provide enough support, and the body roll is serious in corners, and there are too many redundant movements.
The Passat has added some equipment after the facelift, but overall, it is inferior to the Magotan in terms of configuration. But the rear seats of the Passat are a little more comfortable than the Magotan and the cushions are softer and more enveloping. Since the wheelbase is shorter than that of the Magotan , the trunk volume is also 40 litres less than that of the Magotan .
The reliability of the Passat has always been relatively poor, the American version of the Passat is also the B7 platform, and the performance is very poor in the reliability survey reported by consumers in the United States.
At the IIHS in the United States, the American version of the B7 Passat won the 2016 Top Safety Model (TSP), but in the 2018 test, the Passat received only the second-lowest rating of Marginal and the lowest score of Poor in the headlight test due to the inclusion of the co-driver crash score. In fact, the Shanghai Volkswagen Passat participated in the 2012 CNCAP crash test and also received a 5-star safety rating with a score of 47.4 points, while the Camry scored 50.3 points in the same year.
Volkswagen Passat test report