There is a certain irony to the fact that one of the reasons that the German automotive giant Volkswagen became so large and successful was down to sales in the US market, in the 1950s and 1960s of the Beetle, and yet now that they are one of the largest automotive manufacturers globally, they struggle to achieve the same levels of success in the massive US market as they do elsewhere around the world. Part of the reason for that has been the fact that American buyers simply did not embrace the hatchback bodystyle in the same way that the rest of the world did and so this has long been a market where the three-box Jetta consistently outsells the hatchback Gold by a massive margin. Seeking to unlock the potential of one of the largest markets in the world, a plan was conceived in the late noughties which sought to raise VW’s American sales to 800,000 units a year. Two models were seen as key to achieving this, both of them conventional four door saloons. Existence of the larger of the two, referred to as NMS (New Medium Sedan) was first made public in 2008, and the production car was finally launched at the 2011 Detroit Show. It was given the name Passat, but this was not the same car as the one to bear this name that is sold in the rest of the world. Physically larger than the European made car, it also had a number of changes to the design and spec to make it cheaper to build, and hence more cost competitive with a slew of rivals including the hugely successful Toyota Camry and Honda Accord. The car would be built at VW’s Chattanooga plant and used 80% US sourced parts, so whilst from some angles it looked not unlike the sixth generation Euro-Passat and used engines that were familiar to Europeans, it was in reality a completely different car. The omens were good when the US Passat was selected as Motor Trend’s “Car of the Year” at the end of 2011, but whilst sales were steady they never took off in the way that VW had hoped. A mid-cycle update in 2015 did nothing to change that, and just as that car was arriving in the showrooms, VW’s much-publicised challenges with Dieselgate really made life difficult for the brand and its dealers. Having been impressed by an early 5 cylinder model, I sampled one of the updated cars in late 2016 and whilst rueing the replacement of the characterful five cylinder engine with the 1.8 TSi four, found a car particularly spacious car that even in entry level S trim had plenty of appeal. In 2019 VW announced a “new” Passat but whilst some will call this an all-new car the reality is that this was only really another facelift, with changes made to the front and back to give it a new look and some new tech features were added to try to keep the car competitive with the latest versions of the Camry, Accord, Sonata, Altima and others. I managed to find a 2021 model year car at Hertz’ LAX facility so I could test this latest Passat to see whether it can still cut it in 2022, ten years after the model went on sale. Read on.

VW have revised the engine available in US market Passat models a number of times during the production run. Sole choice these is the 2.0 litre four cylinder TFSi unit, seen in a number of other VW Group vehicles, which puts out 174 bhp and 201 lb/ft of torque, figures which are pretty much bang on average for the lass. The engine roars quite pleasingly around 2000 rpm, but gets quite gruff by the time you reach 4000 rpm, and you likely will get to this point in the rev range, as you will need to work the car quite hard to get decent acceleration. A six speed automatic gearbox is fitted to all models, and this has an old-style PRNDL lever, with which it very easy to overshoot reverse when making a selection. The transmission changes up very readily, trying to get a higher gear than is sometimes desirable, which is why you may have to be quite forceful with the right foot. At a steady freeway cruising speed,  the engine is quiet but there is quite a lot of road noise. I covered a total of 279 miles in my day with the Passat and it needed 7.8 gallons to refill it at the end of the test which works out at 34.61 mpg US or an impressive 41.36 mpg Imperial.

Whilst there is nothing really wrong with the way the Passat drives, those who want some enjoyment from their car should probably look elsewhere, such as to the Ford Fusion or Mazda 6. The steering is a bit too light, lacking much in the way of feel. Handling is predictable enough, with plenty of grip but there is also some body lean on the corners. R-Line versions of the Passat come on larger 225/40 R19 wheels and these do little to improve the ride, with quite a thumpy experience on ridged concrete sections. The brakes were perfectly OK and unlike European market cars, you still get a conventional pull-up handbrake fitted between the seats. Visibility is generally as good as you get these days, though I did find the door mirrors on the small side, limiting the field of view. There are a number of electronic safety features which have been added to the Passat in recent times, of which the Lane Keep Assist which will make its presence felt all the time. Like so many of these systems it was rather over-zealous and I felt the need to turn it off pretty quickly.

The interior of the Passat still looks like a decent quality product though gone are the days when it has a clear advantage of all its rivals. The plastics look OK, but in fact quite a lot of them prove to the touch to be harder material than you might be expecting. There is a particularly horrid lined inlay which was really not to my taste at all. The leather-wrapped wheel, though, was nice to hold. The instruments and controls are all simple and easy to use, befitting the age of the design. There is a simple instrument cluster under a curved binnacle which contains two large dials, for the speedometer and rev counter, with two smaller ones inset for fuel level and water temperature. There is a trip display between them and buttons to cycle through the options here are on the steering wheel boss as are those for cruise control and audio repeater functions. There are two standard issue VAG Group column stalks. Lights, including an auto function, operate from a rotary dial on the dash to the left of the wheel. The centre of the dash contains what by modern standards is quite a small, 6.3” colour touch screen, again a stock VW Group item. This proved disappointingly slow to load, but was at least easy to use. Standard features here on an R-line include XM Satellite radio, navigation and support for Apple Car Play and Android Auto. There is an upgraded Fender audio system, and sound quality was decent. Beneath this unit are three rotaries for the dual zone climate control.

The passenger compartment feels very light and airy, a combination of the large sunroof which is a standard fit in SE and R-Line models, as well as the light coloured two-tone upholstery. This is trimmed in simulated leather. Both front seats are heated but only the one for the driver benefits from electric adjustment, and there is a lumbar support feature included. The steering wheel telescopes in/out as well as up/down, so getting the optimum driving position was easy. Sadly, it has harder to get truly comfortable, as I found the seat needed more under thigh support.

This generation Passat was praised at launch for the amount of space in the rear, and that has obviously not changed throughout its production life. Occupants here get a central armrest with cupholders in the upper surface, their own air vents, a couple of USB ports, stowage nets on the back of the front seats and some rather small door pockets.

There is a particularly generously sized boot on offer here. There is plenty of space under the floor, around the space saver for you to tuck in some smaller items, and there are asymmetrically split folding backrests which will give a much longer load platform when required. Oddments provision in the cabin is decent, too, with a good-sized glovebox, an armrest cubby, a bin over the driver’s left knee and a stowage recess in front of the gearlever as well as door pockets.

The 2021 US Passat range has been reduced to just three models with the dropping of the SEL trim. That means there are just three trim levels; S, SE and R-Line. All come with a turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine (174 bhp, 206 lb/ft of torque) mated to a six-speed automatic transmission driving the front wheels. Highlighted standard features om the S model include: LED headlights, 17-inch wheels, a leather-wrapped steering wheel, a 6.3-inch infotainment touchscreen with a six-speaker audio system, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility and XM Satellite radio, adaptive cruise control, a blind-spot monitor with rear cross-traffic alert and automatic emergency braking. The SE adds a few features worth many will think are worth getting, including a sunroof and larger 18-inch wheels. There is also a power-adjustable driver’s seat, heated front seats, simulated leather upholstery, keyless access with push-button ignition and a emote start, an auto-dimming rearview mirror, dual-zone climate control, two rear passenger USB ports and the cursed Lane keeping assist. The R-Line dresses up the Passat with sportier bodywork and gloss black exterior trim as well as 19-inch wheels. Inside you get paddle shifters, ambient lighting, special interior trim, an upgraded 6.3-inch touchscreen with navigation and a premium Fender audio system.

VW USA have said that 2022 would be the last year of the Passat and there are no plans to provide a direct replacement, with production actually ceasing at the very end of 2021, which is perhaps why this car has been allowed to linger the market for ten years with only relatively minor changes to try to keep it competitive. Whilst a number of rivals have also announced their exit from this diminishing market sector – notably Ford and Mazda for now, but others likely to follow in due course – there is still significant demand for large family saloons, and not just as rental cars, and the regular refreshes to some of the Passat’s rivals, which have been through two generations whilst this one has been on sale, show that it probably is still worth bothering. It’s a shame that VW have concluded otherwise, as I can’t help but think that were they to come up with a replacement design for what was once lauded as Motor Trend’s Car of the Year, they would almost certainly challenge for class honours again. With this car, though, whilst they have something which is pleasant enough, beyond the roominess of the rear seat and generous boot, there are no really compelling reasons why you’d select one over the more modern alternatives.