Economical executive express

Can high fuel returns be achieved in the luxury of a high‑specification model? Aimed at businesses, Richard Gooding assesses the lowest-emitting Volkswagen Passat Executive 2.0 TDI

Believe it or not, the Volkswagen Passat has been around longer than its more famous sibling, the Golf. Launched in 1973, the first-generation of Volkswagen’s D-segment challenger shared much commonality with the Audi 80. Originally a fastback, the more traditional saloon body style arrived in 1981. Now in its seventh generation, 23 million Passats have been sold over 41 years. The latest additions to the range in the UK are the Executive and Executive Style. The pair of high-kit value-packed versions are powered by 2.0 TDI engines equipped with BlueMotion Technology.

Practical touches
The Passat Executive and Executive Style replace the Highline, Sport and R-Line models. Executive models such as KY14 WKS offers £1,700 of additional equipment for a premium of just £200 over the outgoing Highline trim. Exterior highlights include 17-inch ‘Michigan’ alloy wheels and chrome detailing. Inside, there’s a 5-inch DAB/FM/CD/USB/MDI touchscreen radio system with satellite navigation, a leather-trimmed multifunction steering wheel, leather heated seats and dual-zone climate control.

Practical touches include automatic wipers, an auto-dimming rear view wiper, parking sensors, and cruise control. A comprehensive specification by most standards. Only the infotainment touchscreen interface lets the side down, designed before many of the newly-introduced Volkswagen models.

Our test car also came with an optional rear view camera, as part of the £1,200 RNS 510 touchscreen DVD navigation/DAB radio system upgrade. The ‘Night Blue Metallic’ paint is also an extra-cost option, retailing at £535. The truly colossal boot holds 565 litres, and an even more cavernous estate version of both the Executive and Executive Style models is also available.

Fuel-saving innovations
Tested here, Volkswagen’s fuel-saving BlueMotion Technology innovations include a Stop/Start system as well as battery regeneration (energy recuperation under braking). It works surprisingly well, too, with the test car achieving a high of 62.6mpg, better than Volkswagen’s own official 61.4mpg combined cycle figure. ‘Real‑world’ tests saw an average of 56.2mpg.

What the figures don’t tell you is that the parsimonious values are easy to achieve. Driving at a relatively sedate pace – but not in a particularly economical fashion – is all the driver needs to do.

The engine does the rest. In comparison, the Passat BlueMotion is quoted at 65.7mpg on the combined cycle.

On the flipside to an economic mindset, the 2.0 TDI engine develops its 236lb ft of torque at 1,750rpm, carrying its occupants swiftly to any given destination. It does it quietly, too – this particular car was one of the quietest at speed I’ve ever tested. At 70mph the engine is only spinning at 1,800rpm, with only a whisper of wind and road noise present.

At just under five metres long the Passat isn’t small, but it seems to shrink around you. The power‑assisted steering is not over-light and has been given a considered weight for the car’s size. It can be placed accurately on the road, while well‑damped suspension makes for a comfortable and refined ride.

Capacious and luxurious
The Passat Executive 2.0 TDI BlueMotion is a capacious and luxurious all-rounder, capable of achieving high fuel returns with little effort. It’s nicely‑finished, elegantly-styled (in saloon form) and feels like a premium product.

With 119g/km of CO2, it emits just 10g/km more than the super economically‑minded BlueMotion, yet features much more luxury for relatively little extra cost. It only costs £10 more per year to tax in VED Band C (£30 per year versus £20, both are £0 VED for the first year) and is two per cent higher when it comes to BIK rates (19 against the BlueMotion’s 17).

While the BlueMotion eclipses it in economy stakes, the Executive feels more upmarket than both the Ford Mondeo Zetec Business Edition TDCi and the Vauxhall Insignia SRi Nav 2.0CDTi tested in GreenFleet issues 70 and 74 respectively.

An all-new eighth‑generation Passat arrives in 2015, but on this outing at least, the current car is still well and truly in the running. Worthy of consideration if you’re after a swift yet economical executive express, this particular business-specification Passat is a good value, premium-feeling choice.

Volkswagen Passat Executive 2.0 TDI BMT
ENGINE: 1,968cc, four-cylinder diesel
CO2: 119g/km
MPG (combined): 61.4
VED:Band C, £0 first year, £30 thereafter
BIK: 19%
PRICE (OTR): £23,795 (including VAT, £25,527 as tested)