Although the car is not available to order until June next year (with deliveries in October 2015), the fact that it is a zero-emission and long-distance vehicle in one, and that it is available as a saloon or estate, will have drivers looking to put those pennies away in preparation for the market launch, at which there will be a total of nine drive versions available covering a power range from 92 kW / 125 PS to 206 kW / 280 PS. All versions will, of course, meet the EU 6 emissions standard.
And we’ve not even mentioned yet that, when it is in GTE mode, the Volkswagen Passat GTE also has a sporty side. The GTE mode is also accessible at the press of a button, activating a maximum system output of 160 kW / 218 PS ; and making good use of the newly configured accelerator pedal and steering to activate the sporty side of the Passat GTE.
But all this ecological information and performance doesn’t mean that the power has been neglected: oh no! The Passat GTE still maintains a powerful driving performance, making good use of its front-wheel drive and (fitted as standard) six-gear dual clutch gearbox especially developed for the hybrid drive, to accelerate from 0-62mph in less than 8.0 seconds right up to a petrol-led top speed of more than 136 mph, and electric mode top speed of 80 mph.
So that is all the basic information – and it’s already an exciting addition; but what about the actual nuts and bolts of the new Passat GTE. What more can we tell you about Volkswagen’s latest foray into electric motors?
DESIGN: When it comes to the design of the Passat GTE, the designers have made the model recognisable by redesigning the front bumper with distinctive cross panels in the lower air inlet and C-shaped LED daytime running lights both featuring the Volkswagen ‘e-mobility colour’ blue line, and a specific chrome radiator grille unit with the additional blue line also. When viewed from the side, 17" ‘Astana’ alloy wheels also identify the Passat GTE as a plug-in hybrid.
EQUIPMENT: Technologically-wise, drivers can make use of the "CAR-NET e-Remote" app, which allows such functions as battery charging via smartphone – in fact, the smartphone can be used to control functions such as the climate control functions as well as providing information on the vehicle status, state of charge of the battery, recent driving data, last parking position, and even whether you remembered to lock the doors and turned the lights off!
But it’s not all information just on the smartphone because the new Passat GTE will be launched with the high resolution 6.5” display of the standard "Composition Media" infotainment system as standard (with options of the "Discover Media" - also with a 6.5-inch display - and the "Discover Pro" - with an 8.0-inch display - radio-navigation systems. This features some particularly interesting technological information products such as the Range Monitor that depicts the momentary electric driving range available; the Energy Flow Indicator that uses animated graphics to show the energy flow when accelerating and braking; the e-Manager which programmes up to three departure and charging times; and the 360° range which shows the electric driving range – even to the extent of displaying nearby charging stations for use in route calculation.
The Passat GTE can be driven in four different modes in total, with the current driving mode displayed on the multifunction display of the instrument cluster: "EMode", "Hybrid", "Battery Charge" and "GTE".
Unless the battery is not charged enough or it is too cold, the Passat GTE will always start in "E-Mode" before switching to “Hybrid” when a minimum charge level of the battery has been reached or when there is very high demand for power. "E-Mode" is then deactivated, and the Passat GTE now behaves like a classic full hybrid vehicle that charges the battery regeneratively during deceleration and automatically uses the TSI and/or electric motor, depending on the driving situation. The driver can manually switch to “E-Mode” if required via the press of a button which simultaneously opens a window in the infotainment system, in which the three "E-Mode", "Hybrid" and "Battery Charge" modes can be directly selected.
With the "Battery Charge" mode, it is possible to charge the high-voltage battery quicker during driving, and by pressing the "GTE" button to the left of the gear lever, the driver can activate the sporty nature of the Passat GTE where the characteristics of the accelerator pedal, gearbox and steering are made sportier and the TSI tuning also given a more performance setting.
The Passat GTE constitutes an integral part of the strategy for electric mobility at Volkswagen. After the XL1, e-up!, e-Golf and Golf GTE, the Passat GTE is the fifth, or sixth model (saloon and estate) that can be operated by electric motor with zero emissions.