The new trim level loads the Passat up with equipment like keyless entry and push button start. It also gets a touch screen, a rear view camera, V-tex leatherette seating surfaces, and an eight-way power adjustable driver’s seat. Heated seats and 17-inch aluminum alloy wheels round out the package. All this amounts to around $2,755 worth of equipment that VW makes available for only $1,555 more than the S base model, making it $23,995; just under the Wolfsburg’s $24,375.
This trim is available with the Passat’s standard 1.8-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine, which gives the family sedan 170 horsepower to the front wheels by way of a standard six-speed automatic transmission.
Apart from that, its everything the top SE has, except the optional sunroof and touch screen with navigation.
This follows hot on the heels of Volkswagen’s announcement just yesterday, as it introduced a new trim level for the all-electric e-Golf, a package that gave buyers all the trimmings, save for a couple non-essentials, but shaved $2,000 worth off the bottom line. Its important to have a good balance between having available options yet still streamlining a product lineup, so its good to see Vdubs shuffling things around.
