As of this month, the next-generation Volkswagen Passat has started wearing its production body, camouflaged to trick bystanders into thinking that they’re still looking at the old one. The latest scoops brought by our spies reveal it testing in the cold, hiding its design beneath lots of stickers.
So, what styling do you think Volkswagen has gone for? Evolutionary, obviously, and the peeps at Kolesa have tried to imagine what we should expect to see when it breaks cover, likely towards the end of the year, or in early 2023.
Based on the latest spy shots, the renderings portray the all-new Passat Variant, because the sedan is officially dead and buried, with new front and rear ends. The face is slightly similar to the Golf, mixing a small grille and wide LED headlights, with a big central air intake in the bumper, flanked by two smaller ones.
The line going from fender to fender all the way to the taillights is more pronounced, and the side skirts have a simpler look compared to the current five-door Passat. Out back, it brings a new tailgate that still incorporates the license plate holder below the corporate logo that otherwise interrupts the thin lighting strip between the taillamps. Looking more off-road-y, the bumper features horizontal reflectors, a nod to its predecessor, and doesn’t have any visible tailpipe trim.
As we are sure you already know, the new Passat Variant won’t launch in North America at all, but over in Europe, it should pack a range of gasoline and diesel engines, likely with mild-hybrid assistance. Plug-in hybrids will be part of the offering in all likelihood, and later on, the automaker is expected to launch a second body style, the Alltrack, which will boast more inches under its belly, black plastic cladding on the lower parts of the body, and skid plates.
Based on the latest spy shots, the renderings portray the all-new Passat Variant, because the sedan is officially dead and buried, with new front and rear ends. The face is slightly similar to the Golf, mixing a small grille and wide LED headlights, with a big central air intake in the bumper, flanked by two smaller ones.
The line going from fender to fender all the way to the taillights is more pronounced, and the side skirts have a simpler look compared to the current five-door Passat. Out back, it brings a new tailgate that still incorporates the license plate holder below the corporate logo that otherwise interrupts the thin lighting strip between the taillamps. Looking more off-road-y, the bumper features horizontal reflectors, a nod to its predecessor, and doesn’t have any visible tailpipe trim.
As we are sure you already know, the new Passat Variant won’t launch in North America at all, but over in Europe, it should pack a range of gasoline and diesel engines, likely with mild-hybrid assistance. Plug-in hybrids will be part of the offering in all likelihood, and later on, the automaker is expected to launch a second body style, the Alltrack, which will boast more inches under its belly, black plastic cladding on the lower parts of the body, and skid plates.