Volkswagen Passat review

There's loads of room up front for anyone six feet or over, including width wise: you won't feel jammed up next to a passenger, that's for sure. Space-wise, think of it more as a rival to the Skoda Superb and Ford Mondeo than the premium executives, such as the Jaguar XE, BMW 3 Series and Audi A4.

Even those six feet tall or over will find plenty of space up front, and there’s enough width to prevent occupants from feeling uncomfortably close to each other. The Passat joins its Skoda Superb and Ford Mondeo rivals in feeling more spacious than premium executives like the Jaguar XE, BMW 3 Series and Audi A4.

You get buckets of storage space, too. This includes generous door bins and a large glovebox, as well as cubbies and cup holders for you to fill with all your odds and sods.

Access to the rear seats is good through the wide-opening rear doors, and two tall adults will have lots of space to stretch out and get comfortable. There’s more space than than in a Jaguar XE or Audi A4 but not quite as much as they would in the class-leading Skoda Superb. There's enough room for a third passenger, too, but they’ll have to negotiate and straddle a relatively chunky central tunnel with protruding rear air vents.

Map pockets on the back of the front seats are standard on all but S models, as is a central armrest with a small storage box and cupholder. Both door pockets will hold a 1.0-litre bottle.

All Passat models get 60/40-split rear seats, while rivals that include the BMW 3 Series and Audi A4 and you'll get a more flexible 40/20/40 arrangement. Go for SE Business trim or above and you get levers in the boot that allow you to fold the spring-loaded seatbacks easily from the boot opening.

Manual lumbar adjustment for the front passenger seat is standard across the range. Fully electric adjustment of the seat is optional on all but S trim, but even the manual controls are easy to use.

The boot offers a seriously big floor area: not far off what you'd get in the Skoda Superb and bigger even than that in the sizeable Mondeo. That's the good bit, but there's a slight issue to mention: those are both hatchbacks, whereas the Passat is a saloon, and its shallower boot opening simply won't accept really bulky items. In this respect the coupé version of the Passat (the Volkswagen Arteon)can prove to be a more practical machine; its wide-opening tailgate is a huge boon if you're heading to the tip.

Models from SE Business upwards get a through-loading door that means you can carry long items, such as skis, while still carrying two people in the back seats. Folding down the rear seats leaves a step in the elongated load bay floor, and the seatbacks also lie at a slight angle.