Volkswagen Middle East today announced the arrival of the 2016 Volkswagen Passat , with a striking new design, innovative technology and enhanced value – and with a starting price of just AED 87,800.
The 2016 Passat is available across the region in four configurations – S, SE, SEL and Sport – and features more aggressive styling than its predecessor, with a new hood, front fenders, grille, front and rear bumpers, trunk lid and LED headlights and taillights.
Thomas Milz, Managing Director, Volkswagen Middle East said, “The new Passat is the epitome of a perfectly balanced model – combining great features, enhanced value and a refined driving experience. The striking new design evokes passion and excitement and is a package of perfect affordable innovation, innovative technology and safety features.”
The new exterior offers slimmer headlights, a more substantial four-bar grille, and a muscular, domed hood, with all features blending harmoniously to give the Passat a wider, more planted stance at the front end. Additionally, a new chrome strip on the trunk ensures the rear lights appear lower, enhancing the grounded appearance, while chrome on the window surrounds, bumpers, and door trim compliments the more premium nature of the design upgrade.
Inside, the 2016 Passat showcases an extensively upgraded interior, for a more sophisticated look and feel including a new steering wheel and two-tone décor panels, and refined chrome and piano black trim.
The Passat features the second-generation in-car infotainment system, also known as MIB II by Volkswagen. The system features touchscreens as standard equipment on all models. On most models, the display utilizes a capacitive touch sensor (similar to smartphone and tablet technology) enabling gesture controls like swiping and pinch-zooming rather than the resistive touchscreens that require pressure and have slightly longer response times. Most infotainment units also feature a proximity sensor, which detects when a hand is nearby and automatically switches its display to allow easier selection of specific features. USB and Bluetooth® connectivity are standard on all 2016 Passat models.
Featuring the three major smartphone integration platforms—Apple CarPlay®, Android Auto™ and MirrorLink®, the in-car infotainment system allows seamless integration with the vast majority of smartphones available today.
Volkswagen also offers a combination of new safety and driver assistance systems in the 2016 Passat. The Automatic Post-Collision Braking System, standard on all 2016 Passat models, builds on the premise that a collision is rarely a single, instantaneous action, but rather a series of events that follow the initial impact— which can cause additional collisions. The system helps address this by applying the brakes after a primary collision is detected by the airbag sensors, thus helping to reduce residual kinetic energy and, in turn, reduce the chance of additional damage.
Passat S
The entry-level model, Passat S, features 16” Steel wheels with wheel covers, cruise control, air conditioning system and multifunction steering wheel. The new model features the Radio “Composition Media”, including CD-player, SD-Card reader, AUX-IN, USB interface as well as the latest Mirrorlink technology. Other new features include mobile phone preparation (Bluetooth) including voice control and park distance control, front and rear.
Passat SE
In addition to the features of the Passat S, the SE model includes 17” “Carolina” alloy wheels, front fog lamps with static cornering lights, leather wrapped multifunction steering wheel, auto dimming rear view mirror and rear view camera.
Passat SEL
The Passat SEL model’s distinguishing features include 17” “Knoxville” alloy wheels, two-zone climatronic air conditioning and Fender sound system with subwoofer. The new dramatic LED headlights and taillights provide better lighting performance with reduced energy consumption.
Passat Sport
In addition to the features of the S, SE and SEL, the top line model – Passat SEL boasts of 18“ “Chattanooga” alloy wheels, leather sport seats, navigation system “Discover Media“ including CD-player, SD-Card reader, AUX-IN, 2x USB interface and easy-open keyless access that opens the trunk via moving a foot near the rear of the vehicle. The model also allows electric seat adjustment 8-way for the driver and 6-way for passenger.
2016 Volkswagen Passat engine:
- Engine: 5 litre MPI five-cylinder engine
- Power: 170hp
- Gearboxes: six-speed automatic tiptronic gearbox
- Acceleration 0-100km/h: 9 seconds
- Fuel consumption combined: 7.4 litres