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By: Kurt Ernst (Green Car Report)


If you want hybrid-like fuel economy from a clean diesel mid-size sedan, the 2012 Volkswagen 2012 Passat TDI won’t disappoint, and even the base 2012 Passat delivers reasonable (but not class-leading) fuel economy.

The sedan’s interior room, especially back seat passenger space, is impressive, as is the sizable trunk. It’s not without it’s flaws, since it was built to compete on price with mid-size sedans from Korea, but the 2012 Volkswagen Passat is still a valid choice for a fuel-efficient family sedan (especially in TDI trim).

That's why we're giving the Passat a score of 8 here at FamilyCarGuide, with a strong preference for the TDI edition.

The 2012 Volkswagen Passat is new from the ground up, and it’s the first model to be assembled in Volkswagen’s new Chattanooga, Tennessee, factory. It’s larger than the Passat it replaces, but it’s also simpler and perhaps less luxurious inside. The exterior styling can be considered “conservative” or “dull,” depending upon your point of view, since it’s nowhere near as edgy as designs from Korea or Japan. That’s the downside; the upside is that the 2012 VW Passat can be built for less money than previous versions, which means that the car costs less for consumers.

There are three engine choices for 2012, including the base 2.5-liter five-cylinder gasoline engine, which returns 21 mpg city and 32 mpg highway; a 3.6-liter V-6, which delivers 20 mpg city and 28 mpg highway; and our favorite, the 2.0-liter TDI, which gets an impressive 31 mpg city and 43 mpg highway.

While the base Passat starts at just over $20,000, the Passat TDI has an entry level price of over $26,000. That’s not an apples-to-apples comparison, since the TDI comes much better equipped than the base Passat, but that also illustrates a problem with the new range of models and trims. If you want a 2012 VW Passat TDI with cloth seats, satellite radio and a USB port, you’re out of luck since no such model exists--but those features come with the version upholstered in vinyl. We understand building the new Passat to compete against the Koreans and Japanese, but we’d like to see a wider range of TDI models and a lower price point for a base TDI.

Neither the NHTSA nor the IIHS have crash tested the 2012 VW Passat yet, but the car comes with the standard safety features you’d expect in a mid-size, non-luxury sedan. There are dual front, side and side curtain airbags, anti-lock brakes, traction control, stability control and a tire pressure monitoring system. Surprisingly, there are no options for a rearview camera or parking sensors, although it’s said that additional safety options will be introduced after the first model year. Since the outward visibility from the Passat is quite good, the lack of parking sensors or a rearview camera system shouldn’t be seen as a major objection, as it might be on a crossover vehicle.

On the road, the Passat TDI continues to impress. It’s a smoother engine than the base 2.5-liter gasoline engine, and it delivers an impressive 800 miles of highway range per tank. It’s entertaining to drive, too, with the new Passat retaining enough of the outgoing model’s handling and steering feel to satisfy almost anyone behind the wheel. TDI models come with either a six-speed manual transmission or Volkswagen’s superb DSG dual-clutch automatic.Fuel Economy is identical on both transmission choices , so it really comes down to the buyer’s preference.