The SUV and crossover boom has left sedans in a precarious position. Despite the dwindling sales and their half-dead state, automakers are bound to freshen up their sedan range in their final run before they are retired. Here is Volkswagen’s half-hearted attempt to refresh the Passat and give a quality product to the people who still yearn for a well-packaged, mid-sized sedan.

Does It Remind You Of The Arteon?

The 2020 Volkswagen Passat is here with a new look and exquisite feature-list to up the ante of the falling sales. The VW sedan sales fell 32-percent in 2018 in the States when compared to the 2017 sales figures. Volkswagen now offers LED headlight and taillights as standard on the new Passat. The new wide-lettered PASSAT badging between the taillights is a sweet touch.

Extra Torque Is The Only Attraction Under The Hood

Since the 2020 Passat is not a new car per se, it still continues using the old architecture instead of the MQB platform. The car rides on 17-inch wheels as standard, but can be upgraded to 18-inch or 19-inch set as well. Thanks to a new torque converter, this has been increased to 207 pound-feet from the previous model’s 184 pound-feet of torque. Power will be sent to the front wheels via a six-speed automatic transmission.

Interiors – A Class Apart

I’ve said this before and I’m saying it again – no other automaker pays more attention to the interiors of a facelift more than Volkswagen. Perhaps, this is why so many of their products have been in the market for decades now. This time, the German automaker offers a newly developed glass-covered infotainment touchscreen that supports Android Auto, Apple CarPlay, and MirrorLink. The Passat also comes with features like dual-zone automatic climate control, front and rear heated seats, electrically folding heated mirrors, adaptive headlights with cornering function, automatic wipers, powered driver seat, and a Fender sound system.

In terms of Safety, all the Passat trims come with Forward Collision Warning and Autonomous Emergency Braking with Pedestrian Monitoring, Blind Spot Monitor and Rear Traffic Alert. Features like Cruise Control, Lane Assist, and Park Assist can be added at an extra cost.

Final Thoughts

The 2020 Volkswagen Passat is speculated to be price in the ballpark of $27,000; marginally higher than the 2019 model. It will go into production at the company’s Chatanooga, Tennessee plant and hit the showrooms in the summer this year. Do you think the 2020 model can make the Passat live a little longer? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.

Further reading

Read our full speculative review on the 2020 Volkswagen Passat.

Read our full review on the 2018 Volkswagen Passat GT.

Read our full review on the 2017 Volkswagen Passat.