2021 Volkswagen Passat Facelift Outlined; 206TSI set to Rattle Sports Wagons

Keeping in line with the rest of activity across the Volkswagen product line-up (including the recent announcement of the new 2021 Volkswagen Golf Mk8, new 2021 Volkswagen Caddy, and 2021 Volkswagen Tiguan facelift – all due early next year), Volkswagen’s 2021 Passat range is set to receive a suite of updates; detailing a new 162TSI engine, feature additions to the Business variant, and re-introduction of the much-loved 206TSI R-Line station wagon.

Getting the ball rolling for the 2021 Volkswagen Passat line-up is the $46,590 140TSI Business variant. Prices remain the same since its price adjustment earlier this year, but the midsize sedan is now the only bodystyle.

140TSI Business trim features include LED headlights, foglights and taillights; 18-inch ‘Bonneville’ alloy wheels; an 8.0-inch multimedia system with sat-nav, gesture control, and Apple CarPlay and Android Auto; leather-trimmed seats with electronic adjustment and massage functionality; and three-zone climate control.

Power for the 140TSI Business variant (or any variant for that matter) have not yet been announced, though it’s likely to produce similar outputs from the pre-facelift’s 140TSI petrol engine: 140kW/320Nm via a 2.0-litre turbocharged four-pot sending drive to the front-wheels though a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic.

The pre-facelift’s combined fuel consumption sits at 6.4L/100km, so expect something around that area for the 2021 model.

No Australian Passat will receive a diesel engine.

Next in the 2021 Volkswagen Passat line-up are the 162TSI-powered variants: the $46,990 162TSI Alltrack wagon, $51,790 – $53,790 162TSI Elegance sedan and wagon, and $58,790 wagon-only 162TSI Alltrack Premium.

Volkswagen’s Alltrack variants are (semi) off-road versions of the Passat, armed with a taller ride-height, polyurethane wheel arches, and all-wheel drive. They aren’t really designed to gallop through mud and clay like a Jeep Wrangler, ie: ‘proper’ four-wheel drive, but should still make good work of the snowy roads that lead up to Mount Kosciusko’s skiing resorts.

Like the 140TSI Business variant, the 162TSI Alltrack features LED lights, three-zone climate control, and an 8.0-inch infotainment system with sat-nav, gesture control, and Apple CarPlay & Android Auto. But that’s where the similarities end.

In lieu of the Business’ massaging leather seats, the 162TSI Alltrack gets 18-inch ‘Kalamata’ alloy wheels and the aforementioned all-wheel drive system, polyurethane bumpers and extra ground clearance. And the uprated engine, of course!

Power outputs for the 2.0-litre 162TSI are an estimated 162kW/320Nm.

The 162TSI Elegance comes in both sedan and wagon form, and is priced at $51,790 and $53,790, respectively. No matter which bodystyle you pick, the 162TSI variant adds on multi-colour ambient lighting, leather interior trim, massaging front seats with electronic adjustment and heating/cooling functionality, an uprated 9.2-inch screen with Harman Kardon audio and a 360-degree camera, a digital instrument cluster, panoramic sunroof, electric tailgate, and 18-inch ‘Liverpool’ alloy wheels.

The 162TSI variant can also be had with the optional ‘R-Line Package’, but more on what that is later.

Perched second from the top in the Passat hierarchy is the $58,790 Alltrack Premium, which mixes the luxury & spec of the 162TSI Elegance with the utility of the 162TSI Alltrack. Additional features are thin for the Alltrack Premium, with LED Light Matrix headlights, Premium LED taillights, dynamic indictors, and 19-inch ‘Albertville’ alloys just managing to flesh out the spec sheet.

Last but not least is the 206TSI R-Line wagon. Priced from $63,790 and powered by a 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine that is expected to produce a mighty 206kW/350Nm, the 206TSI R-Line is the driver-oriented pick that should be a damn hoot to drive.

In addition to the kit found in the Elegance, the 206TSI R-Line gets multi-colour ambient interior lighting, 19-inch ‘Pretoria’ alloy wheels, and Volkswagen’s R-Line package.

The R-Line package includes Nappa leather trim, a multi-function steering wheel with paddles, stainless steel pedals, a black headliner, tinted windows, sports bumpers and roof spoiler, and R-Line scuff plates.

Also to mention are the 206TSI R-Line’s front seats, which appear to retain their massage functionality, electronic adjustment and heating capability, but lose their ventilation feature. Only the 162TSI Elegance and Alltrack Premium get that.

All facelifted 2021 Volkswagen Passat variants will feature increased levels of active safety, courtesy of VW’s IQ.Drive technology blanket.

IQ.Drive systems include adaptive cruise control (ACC), a cyclist & pedestrian-detecting autonomous emergency braking (AEB) system that works at 110km/h+ and can identify oncoming hazards during turns; ‘Lane Assist’, which includes lane-departure warning (LDW) and lane-keep assist (LKA); ‘Travel Assist’, a system that incorporates ACC and LKA to create a Level 2 Autonomy self-driving mode for highways; and ‘Side Assist’, a system that combines LDW, LKA, and blind-spot monitoring (BSM) to create a monitoring system that prevents accidental lane-changes and drivers merging into an occupied lane.

Like all new VW models, the 2021 Volkswagen Passat can be paired with Volkswagen’s ‘Care Plus’ and ‘ServiceX’ packages, which offer pre-paid servicing plans and 60 minute metro-area servicing.

2021 Volkswagen Passat pricing:

The 2021 Volkswagen Passat facelift is set to launch in April next year, with the 206TSI R-Line releasing later in the second-quarter (Q2).