Volkswagen Passat replacement announced.

[otherclive]

VW no longer sell Passat in Britain and its replacement is the ID 7 in saloon and estate variants. It’s a big car with the saloon at 4.9m. VW have resisted the temptation to give it drag racing acceleration but by comparison to the outgoing Passat it’s still in the “nippy” class. Range under test conditions is nearly 400m, so it should have a useful real world range. VW have listened to feedback and its controls are far more accessible via the touch screen. And the touch slider control lights up at night!. At £50k and upwards it’s no budget car. The saloon has a tow rating of 1200kg, which given the size and weight of the ID7 isn’t likely to be attractive to many caravanners.

 

[Tobes]

VW no longer sell Passat in Britain and its replacement is the ID 7 in saloon and estate variants. It’s a big car with the saloon at 4.9m. VW have resisted the temptation to give it drag racing acceleration but by comparison to the outgoing Passat it’s still in the “nippy” class. Range under test conditions is nearly 400m, so it should have a useful real world range. VW have listened to feedback and its controls are far more accessible via the touch screen. And the touch slider control lights up at night!. At £50k and upwards it’s no budget car. The saloon has a tow rating of 1200kg, which given the size and weight of the ID7 isn’t likely to be attractive to many caravanners.

I test drove a Fisker Ocean Extreme on Tuesday. It's a new brand in the UK (and I hope it works out for them) with 430 to 440 miles range in big battery spec, but a tow limit of 1800kg. It was a nice car, and had some premium features, but the the starting price (all be it in smaller battery spec) is £36k. At that price, it's a lot of car for the money. The larger battery (starting at 50k) could be good for around 180 to 200 miles range while towing, which would be very nice. Thats going to compete well with the VW offerings.

 

[otherclive]

I test drove a Fisker Ocean Extreme on Tuesday. It's a new brand in the UK (and I hope it works out for them) with 430 to 440 miles range in big battery spec, but a tow limit of 1800kg. It was a nice car, and had some premium features, but the the starting price (all be it in smaller battery spec) is £36k. At that price, it's a lot of car for the money. The larger battery (starting at 50k) could be good for around 180 to 200 miles range while towing, which would be very nice. Thats going to compete well with the VW offerings.

It’s noticeable how the newer models to the market are having higher range, and speedy charging, so progress is being made, as some knew that it would. The Fisker sounds to have a useful specification, both for solo and towing roles.

 

[Dustydog]

The Passat served us all very well for a very long time .
Why do manufacturers put out the flags for their new model and then tell us the model we really want will not be on the forecourt’s for another year?
I am referring to the all wheel drive, at the moment only rear wheel drive is available. I don’t get why the North American is sold with a far shorter declared range🤔🤔Possible litigation😉.
Not a pretty car but by current standards a cut above the rest. Interior looks superb and even comes with electric heated seats. I could live with it quite comfortably but as a tow car ,not yet. 1200 kgs towing limit is good by EV standard but not enough for most.
Good to see instrumentation will also be available as a heads up scene👏
overall 7/10.

Clive please let me know when the Touareg is going all EV , I’ll buy a recent TDi just before it is discontinued.

 

[otherclive]

The Passat served us all very well for a very long time .
Why do manufacturers put out the flags for their new model and then tell us the model we really want will not be on the forecourt’s for another year?
I am referring to the all wheel drive, at the moment only rear wheel drive is available. I don’t get why the North American is sold with a far shorter declared range🤔🤔Possible litigation😉.
Not a pretty car but by current standards a cut above the rest. Interior looks superb and even comes with electric heated seats. I could live with it quite comfortably but as a tow car ,not yet. 1200 kgs towing limit is good by EV standard but not enough for most.
Good to see instrumentation will also be available as a heads up scene👏
overall 7/10.

Clive please let me know when the Touareg is going all EV , I’ll buy a recent TDi just before it is discontinued.

There is a new Touareg due in 2024 and in the range is a PHEV. It looks a very nice car. So I suspect that model will have a 4-5 year lifespan and highly likely to be replaced by a EV.

 

[RogerL]

The Passat served us all very well for a very long time .
Why do manufacturers put out the flags for their new model and then tell us the model we really want will not be on the forecourt’s for another year?
I am referring to the all wheel drive, at the moment only rear wheel drive is available. I don’t get why the North American is sold with a far shorter declared range🤔🤔Possible litigation😉.
Not a pretty car but by current standards a cut above the rest. Interior looks superb and even comes with electric heated seats. I could live with it quite comfortably but as a tow car ,not yet. 1200 kgs towing limit is good by EV standard but not enough for most.
Good to see instrumentation will also be available as a heads up scene👏
overall 7/10.

Clive please let me know when the Touareg is going all EV , I’ll buy a recent TDi just before it is discontinued.

I'm not sure that anyone expects the Touareg to get an EV replacement - it's been an oddball in the range since VW dropped the concept of only Premium Dealers selling/servicing the Touareg and Phaeton - we may need to step up to the Audi Q6 e-tron and wince at the price - the generation 3 Touareg isn't as well regarded as the generation 2 so I'll be keeping mine indefintely as the saved depreciation by not "upgrading" will pay a lot of repair bills.

 

[Tobes]

The Passat served us all very well for a very long time .
Why do manufacturers put out the flags for their new model and then tell us the model we really want will not be on the forecourt’s for another year?
I am referring to the all wheel drive, at the moment only rear wheel drive is available. I don’t get why the North American is sold with a far shorter declared range🤔🤔Possible litigation😉.
Not a pretty car but by current standards a cut above the rest. Interior looks superb and even comes with electric heated seats. I could live with it quite comfortably but as a tow car ,not yet. 1200 kgs towing limit is good by EV standard but not enough for most.
Good to see instrumentation will also be available as a heads up scene👏
overall 7/10.

Clive please let me know when the Touareg is going all EV , I’ll buy a recent TDi just before it is discontinued.

1200kgs is not a good limit even by EV standards. There are a bunch of cars at 1500 & 1600, quite a number at 1800, and some at 2000, 2200, 2300.

 

[otherclive]

I'm not sure that anyone expects the Touareg to get an EV replacement - it's been an oddball in the range since VW dropped the concept of only Premium Dealers selling/servicing the Touareg and Phaeton - we may need to step up to the Audi Q6 e-tron and wince at the price - the generation 3 Touareg isn't as well regarded as the generation 2 so I'll be keeping mine indefintely as the saved depreciation by not "upgrading" will pay a lot of repair bills.

Would there be a Skoda equivalent rather than trading up to Audi?

 

[Dustydog]

Would there be a Skoda equivalent rather than trading up to Audi?

TTBOMK never been a badged Skoda that sat with the VW Touareg, Audi Q7, Porsche and Bentley

 

[Dustydog]

1200kgs is not a good limit even by EV standards. There are a bunch of cars at 1500 & 1600, quite a number at 1800, and some at 2000, 2200, 2300.

Thread for another day perhaps Tobes ? Nothing to do with Clive’s op

 

[Hutch]

I drove my mates "Towrag" the 3 litre, 08 plate around some of the mountainside tracks in Switzerland, and he drove my 2013 Santa Fe.
No snow or mud but gravel tracks and we decided that although the VW had more room the Hyundai was the smoother car with the automatic gearboxes.
Saying that he didn't really know about using the sports mode for going down hill and relied on brakes all the time.
I would have loved to try the V10 Toureg. . . I believe they were not that much more thirsty than the V6.

 

[otherclive]

To my mind the Touareg has one major negative…………..Jeremy Clarkson waxed lyrical about it 😂

 

[Dustydog]

To my mind the Touareg has one major negative…………..Jeremy Clarkson waxed lyrical about it 😂

The man who killed off the Vauxhall Vectra in one 10 minute TV slot😥😥

 

[Tobes]

Thread for another day perhaps Tobes ? Nothing to do with Clive’s op

Just providing a factual counterpoint to your statement on EV towing weights.

The man who killed off the Vauxhall Vectra in one 10 minute TV slot😥😥

Not much to do with the OP either? Glass houses?😉