Review: The Improved 2020 Volkswagen Passat Is a Missed Opportunity
When Volkswagen decided to launch the significantly updated 2020 Passat near some of Southern California’s legendary driving roads, it raised a few eyebrows (both of mine). The Passat is no longer our first choice for a midsize sedan we’d hoon up a world-class road like Angeles Crest, but could this midcycle refresh change that?
For 2020, the bodywork is now a bit swoopier, with a reworked front-end design, new LED headlights, a fresh grille that ties it to the current Jetta, and a sculpted rear that makes the Passat a more handsome machine than before. The 2.0-liter turbo-four makes the same 174 hp but is up to 206 lb-ft of torque, and the six-speed automatic gets a new torque converter. Inside, the changes are even more subtle. But they shouldn’t have been. The gauge cluster in the EU-spec Passat hosts a teeny color display between an analog tach and speedometer—had VW made the move to the MQB platform, the Passat could have come with Volkswagen’s state-of-the-art fully digital instrument cluster, like in the Tiguan, but the sedan’s older platform won’t allow for it. The climate controls remain unchanged, as does the center console. Volkswagen did make blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, and automatic LED headlight features standard across all trim levels, however.
The 2020 Passat’s dashboard has been adapted to include some Arteon-esque air vents, and the infotainment display is new. At just 6.3 inches, the touchscreen is small for the segment—European Passats can be upgraded to an 8.0-inch display, something that isn’t possible in the North American car thanks to its dated platform. Desirable optional gear includes a Fender audio system, adaptive cruise control (standard on three of four trims), heated front and rear seats, and dual-zone climate control (also standard on three of four trims).
Unfortunately, a slightly modernized interior and extra niceties can’t hide the car’s obvious age inside. The dashboard and center console, though clean and easy to use, look positively spartan when compared to others in the segment. But how does the old sedan stack up on the road?
Realizing that the Passat might need some extra sportiness for our drive ahead, I jumped into a 2020 Passat R-Line. The R-Line adds slightly different front and rear bumpers, steering wheel-mounted paddle shifters, and stickier Falken rubber wrapped around R-Line-exclusive 19-inch wheels.
The new tires represent one of the biggest dynamic differences between this newish 2020 Passat and the old one. Whereas the last R-Line came with bigger wheels but tires that were no more grippy, the Falkens were much more up to the task of hustling the sedan up a twisty mountain road. Thanks to the paddles on the wheel, it was easy to stay in the desired gear, but the transmission regularly ignored me when I asked for a downshift. The steering is light yet accurate, but the brakes have almost no feel, and a dead spot at the top of the pedal’s travel makes coming to a well-judged stop extremely difficult.
Once we dropped out of the twisty roads above Los Angeles and onto its aging freeways, the old Passat came good. The 405 freeway’s pavement is notoriously noisy and craggy, but the Passat—even on its 19-inch alloys—soaked up the lumps and bumps with ease. It was quiet at speed, allowing so little wind and tire noise into the cabin that even whisper-volume conversations were audible. No squeaks or errant rattles made their way into the cabin as we thumped it over bumps and expansion joints. The Passat was easily as comfortable as its big brother, the Arteon, but with better body control over large undulations. The long and straight journey down the 405 suits the Passat. Fitting, as the EU-spec Passat has been built specifically for the European market since 2012, and long, straight journeys abound in the lower 48. I just can’t help but wonder how much better the Passat could have been when the going gets twisty if it were built on MQB. In the midsize sedan class, you can have your cake and eat it, too: the Accord, a two-time comparison winner, expertly handles the practical matters that matter to families while also being better
to drive.
