Volkswagen Passat Estate

The load-lugging version of Volkswagen’s executive car combines practicality, quality and affordability better than just about anything else

- Mark Pearson

In production 2015-present Price from £9000 Our favourite version 1.4 TSI GTE

IT HAS NEVER been the sort of car to make passers-by pull out their camera phones, but the Volkswagen Passat has very quietly got on with the job of being a classy and practical executive car for a remarkable 50 years. On top of that, if you opt for the estate version we're looking at here, you'll get a boot so capacious that you'll struggle to fill it, regardless of the task.

Petrol engine options include 124bhp and 148bhp 1.4 TSIS )both replaced by a new 1.5 TSI 150 in 2019, a 178bhp 1.8 TSI and 187bhp, 218bhp or 268bhp 2.0 TSIS. Diesel options are a 118bhp 1.6 TDI and 148bhp, 187bhp or 237bhp 2.0 TDIS.

There's also a plug-in hybrid GTE, utilising a 1.4-litre petrol engine and an electric motor to produce 215bhp. Early examples came with a 9kWh battery with an official electric range of 20-25 miles, but later models )2019 onwards(got a bigger, 13kWh battery that upped the range to 34 miles.

There are three main trims SE, SEL and R-Line - all of which come with plenty of kit. Mid-range SEL gets you LED headlights, adaptive cruise control and infotainment upgrades, while top-spec R-Line adds a panoramic glass roof and shift paddles for the automatic gearbox that's standard on all but the lowest-powered versions. The GTE and the high-riding, four-wheel-drive Alltrack model have their own high-spec trims.

WHAT'S IT LIKE TO DRIVE?