Mat’s Car of the Day: the Volkswagen Passat is the best family car you can lease for less than £330 per month
Car changing is a big deal
There are some fantastic lease deals on the Volkswagen Passat at the moment, and Mat Watson reckons this cavernous estate car should be high up on your shortlist. Here’s why.
The Volkswagen Passat is one of few big, affordable estate cars on the market today. It’s an alternative to cars like the BMW 5 Series Touring and Mercedes E-Class Estate, but it costs around £15,000 less.
You could also buy a Skoda Superb Estate, which on paper is even cheaper, but I’ve found a lease deal on the Passat which makes it really hard to ignore.
Remember, you can buy a brand new or used car right here on Carwow. And you can sell your car, too. We’re here to help you through every step of your car-changing journey.
Volkswagen Passat lease deals: how to get the best price
The Volkswagen Passat starts from £40,875, which on paper makes it around £2,000 more than the mechanically-similar Skoda Superb. Given that the Superb is even more practical and almost as nice to drive, it seems like a no-brainer.
However, if you lease your car then it’s a very different story. Right now, you can lease a Volkswagen Passat for £328 per month with a £3,936 up-front payment. This is over three years and 30,000 miles, and it’s for the Black Edition plug-in hybrid model.
An equivalent Skoda Superb Estate PHEV will cost you £351 per month over the same time and mileage terms, with an up-front payment of £4,503. This comes to a total of just under £17,000, over £1,000 more than the Passat.
So before you go and pick your next car based on the list price, make sure you check out all the latest offers and lease deals through Carwow to get the best price.
Three good things about the Volkswagen Passat
Why should you lease a Volkswagen Passat? Well I spent a week living with the car for my full, in-depth review, and here are three things I loved about it.
1. It’s hugely practical
You can forget about SUVs like the Volkswagen Tiguan – if you’re looking for the most interior space for your money then the Passat is hard to beat. The 690-litre boot beats the Tiguan by over 40 litres, and there’s acres of rear legroom as well. It may not be as easy to load a child seat into the rear, thanks to the lower roofline, but once everyone’s on board there’s loads of space.
2. The interior is high-tech and upmarket
You get loads of tech as standard in the Passat, including a digital driver’s display, electric massaging front seats and a 12.9-inch infotainment system. Build quality is also excellent, with plenty of soft-touch materials and nicely-damped switchgear. It’s a properly posh cabin, and in places it even feels more upmarket than a Mercedes E-Class Estate.
3. It’s really comfy to drive
The Passat may not be the most exciting car from behind the wheel – you’ll need to check out a BMW 5 Series Touring if you’re after fun – but it’s a super-comfy cruiser. It’s smooth, refined and quiet on the motorway, and it also soaks up bumps around town with ease. It really takes the stress out of the daily commute.
Three annoying things about the Volkswagen Passat
As good as this car is, the Passat isn’t perfect. Here are three annoying things to consider before you take the plunge.
1. Frustrating infotainment
The 12.9-inch infotainment screen may look impressive, with clear graphics and a responsive display, but some of the menus are confusing to navigate. I also found that sometimes it takes ages to boot up when you start the car, and I really don’t like the climate controls either, which are touch sliders below the screen. They’re more fiddly than just twiddling a knob like you can in the Skoda Superb.
2. There’s no diesel option
Speaking of the Skoda Superb, that car is available with a 2.0-litre diesel engine. The Passat does without this option, leaving you limited to a couple of petrols and a plug-in hybrid. The rising price of diesel means you probably won’t notice a difference in fuel costs, but a diesel engine is better if you need to tow a caravan.
3. The R-Line seats
Some versions of the Passat, such as the R-Line and Black Edition, come with lovely sports seats. They’re great if you’re the one sitting in them, offering plenty of support for your back on long journeys, but if you’re sat behind them they block your view forwards because of the integrated headrests.
These are small gripes though, and the Volkswagen Passat is still a fantastic family car at a bargain price if you lease through Carwow.
Car change? Carwow!
Looking for a new set of wheels? With Carwow you can sell your car quickly and for a fair price – as well as find great offers on your next one. Whether you’re looking to buy a car brand new, are after something used or you want to explore car leasing options, Carwow is your one stop shop for new car deals.
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