New 2022 Volkswagen Passat GTE Estate Release Date, Price, Redesign – It features a more comprehensive package than the previous model. The 9.9kWh battery was replaced with a 13.kWh unit, which increased the official electric range to 34 miles. This allows the Passat to keep pace with other rivals like the BMW 330e Touring and Volvo V60 Recharge, Mercedes C-Class hybrid, and its VW Group stablemate, the Skoda Superb iV Estate.
2022 Volkswagen Passat GTE Estate Redesign
The combination of a turbocharged petrol engine of 1.4-liter displacement and an electric motor produces power. A six-speed automatic transmission converts this into a 7.6-second sprint to 0-62mph and a top speed at 138 mph. The Passat GTE is a great car to be behind, as it is easy to drive and spacious.
Features
Standard features include LED lights, alloy wheels, and DAB digital radio. Leather seats and ambient lighting in blue are also standard. The GTE Advance, which jumps from 17 inches to 18 inches, adds voice control, LED matrix headlights, keyless entry, and a powered tailgate.
Safety
Volkswagen’s Travel Assist package includes adaptive cruise control and assistance with lane-keeping. There is also decent safety equipment. Semi-autonomous technology adjusts your speed automatically when the speed limit changes. It can also use GPS data for slowing down corners, roundabouts, and junctions.
Interior & Specs
It is possible to connect the car to a smartphone via wireless Apple CarPlay or Android Auto smartphone connectivity. Blue brake calipers, C-shaped LED daytime running lamps and an 8-inch infotainment touchscreen are also standard. The GTE Advance model adds a 9.2-inch touchscreen with a larger digital display. The GTE Estate produces 31 to 33g/km CO2 (larger cars are slightly more polluting). This means that the GTE Estate will have a benefit-in-kind rating of 11% for the 2021/22 tax years. It is expected to attract company car owners with the promise of low running costs, which only strengthens the GTE’s case. Volkswagen estimates that one in four Passat customers will choose the plug-in hybrid GTE version. They have an official fuel economy of 180mpg, but regular charging is required to achieve this. A typical three-pin socket will charge the car in five hours. However, a Type 2 cable can be plugged into the home wall box to provide the GTE with a maximum power of 3.6kW. This takes three hours. The ‘We Connect Plus app, which works with the touchscreen system of the car, allows you to remotely check and control the GTE’s climate-control and charging functions. This is the next level of connectivity and integration for Volkswagen, along with the SIM card that the Passat comes equipped with.
Powertrain
The Passat GTE Estate is practical, but the boot of this car shrinks from 650 liters to 483 liters when compared to other non-hybrid models. This is due to the 13kWh battery. The cables can be stored under the floor, and there is no load lip. Rear seats also drop easily due to the quick-release flaps. There’s plenty of space inside; even tall passengers will not feel cramped. However, the fifth passenger in middle-rear might not be suitable to travel long distances. The GTE Estate is a great family car. However, buyers will have to accept the fact that pure petrol and diesel models are equipped with more gear. Like any plug-in hybrid plug-in, you will need to charge the car as frequently as possible with a cable. The more often you plug the GTE into the car, the less you will have to stop at the petrol station to refill your fuel. Although it is possible for low-mileage drivers (in theory), most owners will eventually run out of power. The 1.4-liter petrol engine should get around 40mpg once the battery has run out. Passat GTE allows you to charge your battery while on the move, and the engine can generate electricity even when the vehicle is stationary. This harms fuel economy. Charging via the cable will cost less and be more efficient over the long term.
MPG & CO2 Emissions
The new Passat GTE Estate has a 13kWh battery. This gives it a significantly better electric range than the 9.9kWh unit. The official range of the GTE is now up to 35 miles in zero-emission mode. However, in reality, it’s closer to 25-30 miles. The battery’s performance, as with all-electric cars, is affected by temperature changes, particularly in colder weather. The car was tested on both suburban roads and motorways in cold weather. The digital read-out indicated that the range of zero-emissions would be just 22 miles, which is a lot less than the official number. The gauge delivered the 22-mile journey even though it was traveling on 70mph roads, which can be detrimental to electric running efficiency.
The Passat GTE’s battery is only 13 kWh. Fully-fledged electric cars use larger batteries, so charging them is easy. A typical three-pin socket can charge the Passat GTE in about five hours 40 minutes. This is faster if the vehicle is left plugged in overnight. The maximum charge that the GTE can accept is 3.6kW. Home wall box chargers working at this speed will completely recharge the battery in three and a half hours. For drivers who charge their car regularly, the Volkswagen Passat GTE Estate’s running costs will be very low. The 13kWh battery provides 34 miles of electric-only range. While you can expect to travel more than 25-30 miles in real life, this should be sufficient for most people’s daily commutes, school runs, and shopping trips. Domestic electricity prices average around 14p per Kilowatt-hour. A full charge of the battery will cost PS1.82; this number will drop even further when charged overnight when electricity tends to be at its most affordable. The 1.4-liter petrol engine should get around 40mpg in the city when you run out of power. The cost of filling up at the forecourt will run you around PS64. However, these costs are very rare if the battery is charged regularly. The GTE Estate’s entry-level model falls in insurance group 26 while the Advance model lies in group 28. The plug-in hybrid Passat models will be more costly to insure than their petrol and diesel counterparts.
Warranty
The Volkswagen Passat GTE Estate comes with a three-year/60,000-mile warranty safeguarding against mechanical faults. A separate warranty covers the battery. It is available for eight years or 99,360 miles. Volkswagen offers two service plans for the Passat GTE. The Fixed Service program is recommended for cars that travel less than 10,000 miles annually, while the Flexible Service plan is for cars that drive more than 25 miles per hour and often over long distances.
Performance
The Passat GTE Estate appears very fast for its class. However, it is actually more comfortable than the numbers indicate. The GTE and GTE Advance can go from 0 to 62 mph in 7.6 seconds, on the way to a top speed at 138 mph. The car can reach speeds of up to 87 mph in electric-only E-mode, which is enough to make it through dual-carriageways and motorways. The total output of the 1.4-liter engine is 215bhp. However, the electric motor can produce 113bhp by itself. The GTE Estate is not as fast in E-mode when the motor and engine are working together as it is when they are separately, but it still has enough speed to merge easily from a slip road.
Handling
The Passat GTE, despite its estate size, is very enjoyable to drive. It has direct steering which makes it easy to navigate tight corners. The Passat GTE has a very composed feeling on the road, thanks to its lack of body lean. It is comfortable and smooth, even at high speeds. The Passat GTE Estate is a pleasant car to live in.
New 2022 Volkswagen Passat GTE Estate Release Date & Price
The Passat GTE Estate is an alternatively fuelled vehicle (AFV) and does not have to pay road tax for the first year. Annual payments are PS140. Warning: Choosing a lot of options or the GTE Advance version can cause the GTE to exceed the PS40,000 threshold. This will trigger an annual surcharge (PS325) the first five times the car is taxed.