2020 Volkswagen Passat

The 2020 Volkswagen Passat is offered in 4 trim levels now, with prices starting at around $23,915 for the base spec trim level. The price range for this sedan goes up to $32,015 for the top-end SEL trim. There’s just one powertrain configuration on offer, which is a 2.0-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder engine, and you do not have any options in this area. We’ve listed down the pricing and the features of all the trims in the table below.

Models	Passat 2.0T S	Passat 2.0T SE	Passat 2.0T R-Line	Passat 2.0T SEL
MSRP (FWD)	$23,915	$26,765	$29,565	$32,015
Key Features	17-inch 10-spoke alloy wheels	Adds/upgrades to the previous trim:	Adds/upgrades to the previous trim:	Adds/upgrades to the previous trim:
	Heated, electronically adjustable outside rearview mirrors	Rain-sensing wipers	19-inch 5-spoke, 2-tone machined alloy wheels	Express open/close sliding and tilting 1st-row sunroof with sunshade
	6-way manually adjustable seats	8-way manually adjustable heated front seats	Lip spoiler	Power folding outside rearview mirrors
	Manual air-conditioning	Leather-wrapped steering wheel	Leather-wrapped gear-shift lever	Automatic high beams
	Fabric upholstery	Dual-zone automatic climate control		Cornering Lights
	6.3-inch touchscreen infotainment display	Perforated V-Tex leatherette seat trim		8-way power-adjustable, heated front seats
	Android Auto, Apple CarPlay	Active blind spot assist		Perforated Vienna leather seat trim
	6-speaker audio system	Lane-keep assist with lane departure warning		Premium Fender audio system with subwoofer
	Blind-spot monitoring	Backup camera		SiriusXM real-time traffic display
	Autonomous emergency braking			Park distance control with automated parking sensors
	Rear cross-traffic alert

Which trim should you buy?

If you’re looking for a family car, then the SE trim should just suffice your purpose. It comes with all the features and equipment that you’d need in a car that you’ll mostly be using to haul your family around. If you crave a more plush and premium experience, then you may perhaps opt for the top-spec SEL trim.

The 2020 Volkswagen Passat has just one powertrain on offer. The sedan comes equipped with a 2 liter, turbocharged, 4 cylinder engine that churns out humble 174 horses and 206 lb-ft of torque. The engine is coupled to a 6-speed torque converter gearbox, and power is sent to the front wheels only. There’s no manual gearbox or all-wheel-drive configuration on offer, while some of its rivals offer these options. Nonetheless, it is a pretty refined power unit. The engine is quite smooth, and power delivery is also pretty linear throughout the rev range. It’s not a peppy unit though and you’ll be disappointed if you try to rev the car hard.

The gearbox is pretty slick though and does the job of handling power and torque quite well. However, it’s not a quick car, and its acceleration numbers are a bit disappointing when you compare them to the rivals. The Passat takes about 7.8 seconds to hit the 60 mph mark while it travels the quarter-mile distance in about 15.9 seconds. The overall power and performance are quite sedate, and at times you might feel a bit bummed out if try and push the car hard.

Models	2020 Volkswagen Passat 2.0T S	2020 Honda Accord LX 1.5T	2020 Toyota Camry L	2020 Mazda 6 Sport
MSRP	$23,915	$25,265	$25,420	$25,045
Engine	2 liter, turbocharged, inline 4 cylinder	1.5 liter, turbocharged, inline 4 cylinder	2.5 liter, naturally aspirated, inline 4 cylinder	2.5 liter, naturally aspirated, inline 4 cylinder
Drivetrain	FWD	FWD	FWD	FWD
Transmission	6-speed automatic	CVT	8-speed automatic	6-speed automatic
Power (hp @ rpm)	174 @ 5200	192 @ 5500	203 @ 6600	187 @ 6000
Torque (lb-ft @ rpm)	206 @ 1700	192 @ 1600	184 @ 5000	186 @ 4000
0-60 MPH (seconds)	7.8	7.6	7.6	8.1
Quarter mile (seconds)	15.9	15.5	14.5	15.4
Top speed (MPH)	128	125	128	124

The Passat has the highest torque figures in the competition, and it comes in at the lower end of the rev range. On the other hand, it has the lowest power figure, and that’s perhaps the reason why it is the slowest of the lot in terms of quarter-mile acceleration numbers. The Toyota Camry has the highest power figure and is the quickest car in the competition. When comparing the price tag, all the rivals stay close to the $25,000 mark, whereas the Passat asks close to $24,000 only.

How well does the 2020 Volkswagen Passat handle?

Well, the Passat handles better than most of its Japanese rivals. As we said, the power delivery is linear, and it doesn’t feel hurried at any point. So, whether it is driving on the city roads or cruising on the highways, the Passat manages to perform well on both these conditions. Its power and performance might not make it look like a highway cruiser but yet it can chug in miles without losing a breath.

Ride quality is surprisingly plush, in fact, too good for a vehicle in this segment and at this price point. The suspensions dampen off bad surfaces with ease, keeping the ride quite supple. The steering wheel also feels precise, but it somehow lacks the kind of connection that one would like to have. It doesn’t feel vague though, but it’s just that it doesn’t feel all that engaging.

Braking Performance

The braking performance of the Passat is surprisingly impressive. The sedan has a very aggressive set of brakes, and those have a very strong bite. The sedan comes with 12.3 inches of brake rotors at the front and 10.7-inch brake rotors at the back. These brakes bring the car from 60 mph to complete rest at a distance of just 111 feet. You do need some time to get used to the excess bite on the brakes.

Models	2020 Volkswagen Passat 2.0T S	2020 Honda Accord LX 1.5T	2020 Toyota Camry L	2020 Mazda 6 Sport
Brake rotors: Front (inches)	12.3	11.5	12	11.7
Brake rotors: Rear (inches)	10.7	11.1	11.1	10.9
Curb weight (lbs)	3325	3131	3241	3437
60-0 MPH (feet)	111	135	122	125

The Passat has the best braking performance in the competition. The Toyota Camry has the next best performance and halts after traveling a distance of 122 feet when brakes are hit at 60 mph. The Honda Accord, on the other hand, has the poorest set of brakes, and it travels around 135 feet before coming to a full stop. When comparing the curb weight, the Mazda 6 is the heaviest option at 3,437 lbs.

The biggest downside of the Passat is its fuel economy, and it sips a lot more fuel than its rivals. In the city, the VW sedan is capable of traveling just 23 miles on a single gallon, while on the highway it can cruise up to about 34 miles. It has an EPA rating of 27 MPG combined, which is too low for a car in this segment and for the kind of power and performance its engine delivers. The sedan offers a fuel tank of 18.5 gallons, resulting in a range of about 500 miles combined.

Models	2020 Volkswagen Passat 2.0T S	2020 Honda Accord LX 1.5T	2020 Toyota Camry L	2020 Mazda 6 Sport
MPG (City)	23	30	29	26
MPG (Highway)	34	38	41	35
MPG (Combined)	27	33	34	29
Fuel Capacity (Gallons)	18.5	14.8	14.5	16.4
Range (City/Highway/Combined in miles)	425.5/629/499.5	444/562.4/488.4	420.594.5/493	426.4/574/475.6

The Passat has the lowest fuel economy numbers in the competition. The Camry, on the other hand, has the best numbers and delivers 34 MPG combined. The Honda has the next best figures and is followed by the Mazda 6. When comparing the overall range, the sedan from Volkswagen offers the most, measuring 499.5 miles combined, all thanks to its class-leading fuel tank in the competition.

Even if the interiors have been tweaked slightly for 2020, you still get to see a no-frills, no-nonsense design on the inside of the German sedan. Everything on the inside is functional and practical. There are no unnecessary curves or lines, and there are no flashy and shiny materials around, just plain, simple, and subtle design, apt for a vehicle in the segment. The plastics used on the inside are of good quality, and the fit and finish, as usual, is top-notch, this is a VW after all.

The upside of the Passat is that it boasts the most spacious and roomy cabin. There’s a tonne of room for 5 passengers to fit in, and no other car has this kind of space. The seats are also pretty comfortable and have just the right amount of cushioning. The seats offer good support, and you’ll never feel fatigued, even on long journeys. The seats on the lower trims get cloth upholstery, while the higher trims do get you leather upholstery. The base-spec models of the Passat come with manually adjustable seats, while features like power adjustability and heating are reserved for the top two trim levels.

Models	2020 Volkswagen Passat 2.0T S	2020 Honda Accord LX 1.5T	2020 Toyota Camry L	2020 Mazda 6 Sport
Seating capacity	5	5	5	5
Front row (Headroom/Shoulder room/ Legroom in inches)	38.3/56.9/42.4	39.5/58.3/42.3	38.3/57.7/42.1	38.4/55.9/42.2
Second row (Headroom/Shoulder room/ Legroom in inches)	37.8/57/39.1	37.3/56.5/40.4	38/55.7/38	37.1/55.1/38.7
Trunk capacity (cubic feet)	15.9	16.7	14.1	14.7

The cabin of the Passat also has a good number of storage spaces as well. Upfront, there’s a rather large glove box along with a storage cavity and cup holders in the center console. Then at the back, the center seat folds down to form an armrest where you again have two cupholders. The Passat also gets a large trunk, good to swallow about 15.9 cubic feet of luggage. The rear seats split-fold 60/40, and that way you can open up more cargo space.

The VW Passat, hands down, has the most spacious cabin and the highest passenger room in the competition. The VW’s interior design might not appeal to many as it is too straightforward and doesn’t have much drama but anybody who likes it simple will prefer it. The car also comes with a good number of features, a few of which we’ve listed down below:

• 6-way manually adjustable seats
• Manual tilt/telescoping steering column
• Full cloth headliner
• Cloth door trim insert
• Cloth upholstery

What’s there to keep you entertained?

The Passat in standard guise comes equipped with a 6.3-inch touchscreen infotainment display. The system is simple and intuitive to use, and the interface is pretty decent. The quality of the screen is also good, and you don’t have to tap on the screen hard like you have to do in some of the other vehicles in the segment. The car gets a good number of standard infotainment features, we’ve listed a few of them below:

• 6.3-inch touchscreen display
• 6-speaker audio system
• Apple CarPlay
• Android Auto
• Bluetooth smartphone integration
• SiriusXM satellite radio
• AM/FM/HD radio

The 2020 Volkswagen Passat has got some visual upgrades and looks slightly different than the outgoing model. The car retains its classic 3-box sedan proportions but now sports stylish, sculpted bumpers at the front and the back. The car also gets LED headlights and taillights along with DRLs that just help it enhance its cool quotient. It has a nice wide chrome grille at the front along with a large VW logo sitting in the center.

However, there’s nothing all that striking about the Passat’s exterior design. A rather inconspicuous beltline that emerges out of the headlights flows past below the windows and merges with the taillights. At the back, there’s that split taillight cluster with Passat badging in the center, below the VW logo. On the whole, the car’s design is pretty plain and simple. It won’t grab any eyeballs, but it isn’t a bad-looking car either. Certainly, looks are not what it will have people sold for, and so, the looks for the car aren’t enough to attract buyers.

Models	2020 Volkswagen Passat 2.0T S	2020 Honda Accord LX 1.5T	2020 Toyota Camry L	2020 Mazda 6 Sport
Curb weight (lbs)	3325	3131	3241	3437
Length (inches)	193.6	192.2	192.1	192.7
Width (inches)	72.2	73.3	72.4	72.4
Height (inches)	58	57.1	56.9	57.1
Ground clearance (inches)	5.4	N/A	5.7	6.5
Wheelbase (inches)	110.4	111.4	111.2	111.4

The Passat is the longest and the tallest car in the competition. This is the very reason why this car has the largest passenger space on offer. Ground clearance, on the other hand, is the lowest on this one, and there are chances that you might just scratch the floor while going over bad surfaces. When comparing the wheelbase, the Volkswagen Passat has the shortest one, although by a margin of just 1 inch. Some of the key exterior features are:

• 17-inch 10-spoke alloy wheels
• Chrome grille
• Auto on/off projector-beam LED headlights
• Electronically adjusting, heating side mirrors with turn signal indicator

Safety and build quality has never been an issue with German cars, and this one is no different. The 2020 Volkswagen Passat gets a full 5-star overall safety rating from the NHTSA, while it gets the highest ‘Good’ rating in almost all the tests conducted by the IIHS. The car also comes with a good list of standard safety features. We’ve listed a few standout safety features below:

• Side-impact beams
• Blindspot monitor
• Autonomous emergency braking
• Forward collision mitigation
• Rear cross-traffic alert

2020 Volkswagen Passat vs. 2020 Honda Accord

The Honda Accord is one of the best-selling vehicles in the segment, and it does pretty much everything better than the Passat. The Accord has more power on offer, delivers better fuel economy, looks striking on the outside, and has a better interior design. Yes, the Passat is cheaper than the Honda by a slight margin, but for a few bucks more, the Honda has so much more to offer. Our pick in this comparison is the Honda.

2020 Volkswagen Passat vs. 2020 Toyota Camry

The Toyota Camry is yet another popular car in the segment and is far more superior to the Passat. The Camry is more powerful, quicker, and more efficient than the VW. The Camry also has got more features and equipment on offer and also comes with multiple engines and drivetrain options. Again, the Passat is cheaper, but for just $1,500 more, the Camry offers a better package.

2020 Volkswagen Passat vs. 2020 Mazda 6

The Mazda 6 is a nice car, but the Passat is better than the Mazda. The VW sedan offers more passenger and cargo space, comes with a good number of standard safety features, and also costs cheaper than the Mazda. Both cars are similar to each other in terms of power, performance, and fuel economy. Thus, if you have to choose between these two, we’d recommend you the VW Passat.

The 2020 Volkswagen Passat is a good car, but it just doesn’t keep up with its competition. Yes, it undercuts the rivals by a good $1,500, but then, it has a sedate engine on offer that just sips a lot of gas. Cars like the Honda Accord and the Toyota Camry, on the other hand, offer better power, performance, and fuel economy along with a list of other features. In our opinion, the Passat’s engine badly needs a revision because that’s what lets the whole car down. If only the German sedan came with a better engine, it would make for a package better than all its Japanese rivals.