Variable Variant Values

There are four pre-set drive modes to pick from, and one customisable one. The “Comfort” setting gets the suspension soaking up the bumps well, but with a slight bit of roll around the corners. Flip the car to “Sport”, the electromagnet suspension firms up, and the six-speed DSG delays cog switches, turning the once relaxed estate vehicle into something that would hark back to the days when you did own a really good hot hatch (that is if you did own one). Steering feel is near excellent, and you can feel the weight of the car shifting from one end to the other, with the suspension sorting out the rear wheels, as you put the car through its paces around some tight corners.

A few moments with the car, and you’d see your confidence grow, as you dare enter corners quicker, and dropping cogs with the paddle shifter before committing to a turn. You’d be rewarded with the 2.0 giving all of its 350Nm, which starts at a very low 1,500rpm, when coming out of a bend, keeping the torque tap on till 4,400rpm. Gearshifts from the 6-speed DSG transmission are quick, and without power loss, allowing the engine to keep its boost. You’d think that an estate car would be rather soggy around the bends, due to the additional weight that the rear has to carry. But in all, the Variant takes to the corners almost like a larger GTI, with the front pushing out just a little from understeer if you apply the power too early.

Century sprint performance is at 6.9 seconds, which is just 0.2 seconds slower than the Sedan, which in turn is just 0.2 seconds slower than the Golf GTI.

Perhaps you may find that the Variant might cost quite a tidy sum going for nearly $188,000 (30 November 2016). But the Passat has crossed over to a higher segment. And looking from that angle, there is plenty of value that you can find here.

We absolutely love how the car handles, and equally how good a profile it cuts.

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