Volkswagen Passat Variant 3.2 V6 4Motion Review: Differing Variances

Through the twisty highlands of Malaysia, namely Cameron and Genting Highlands, the Passat, with its 235/45 R17 Dunlop SP Sport Max-es, had an unearthly amount of mid-corner grip, so much so that it would have sent hordes of Subaru “Legacies” diving into the bushes, especially through long sweepers with nasty, decreasing radius shockers. All you have to do, really, is to keep the loud pedal steadily depressed, and the 4Motion splits the torque to the over, or understeering axle.

At the limit, the front end turns in nicely, and everything on the rear end of this car is as progressive and predictable as 10 o’clock from 9.59. Flick it in violently enough though, and you’ll get a surprisingly large amount of oversteer with the traction control turned off, but being a long wheelbase heavyweight, it was pretty easy to bite its tongue off and settle it back into a slight, controlled slide in the wet.

Do not be alarmed – its all good and safe once the 4WD computes and compensates. No need for much countersteer, and certainly no need for any sort of dramatics.

The wheels outside of the turn tend feel a little wobbly, and that feels scary for the novice driver, but that’s really just about all the excitement you’ll get with the Variant before traction control kills it. This behemoth of a wagon is corners sweetly, and inspiringly. Just remember to service the Haldex system every 30,000 kilometres and you’ll be set.

If there's anything depressing about the car, it would be while reversing. As with any DSG, but especially this one, keep your foot on the brake pedal or your car will roll into that Ferrari, or lorry dead ahead.

Perhaps things like an acoustically shielded four-arm independent rear suspension and 10L/100km consumption figures tell you there is more than what meets the (sedate) looks of this wagon.

Perhaps it was the cruise control system, that while not as sophisticated as those other radar guided shenanigans, worked very well for the exacting, obsessive compulsive driver in me as it allowed adjustments in increments of single digits or multiples of 10.

Perhaps it was the fact that the Passat Variant left us dumbfounded with its roadholding abilities in the wet, where it consistently proved to be a very, very stable yet frighteningly fast missile in extreme rainy conditions through Malaysia’s dangerous B-roads and highways.

Or perhaps, it was the $169,000 that made us realize cars that enable you to cruise with the family, then floor the throttle and crank the volume up when you get some alone time and hundereds of kilometres of twisting roads, don’t come along everyday.

Now if that doesn’t satisfy the petrol-headed family man with 25 kids in his life, then I don’t know what will.

Credits: Text by Amery Reuben. Photos by Darren Huang