Volkswagen is moving its Passat upmarket. Traditionally a rival for the Ford Mondeo and Vauxhall Vectra, VW is scrapping the car's SE trim level and introducing a new, richer, better-equipped and more expensive replacement called Highline, in the hope of poaching a few registrations from the BMW 3-series and Audi A4. The new Passat Highline comes as standard with heated front seats, full leather upholstery, a multifunction steering wheel and new 17in multispoke alloy wheels. Air conditioning, an eight-speaker stereo system and cruise control are also part of the deal, as are chrome window surrounds and body-coloured bumper strips.All this extra kit does comes at a premium, albeit not a large one. Passat Highline prices start at £18,890 (a £250 increase over the outgoing SE) for the 1.8-litre TSI saloon, rising to £20,990 for a DSG-equipped 2.0-litre diesel four-door.
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Re: VW Passat takes the Highline
Where does all this hype about moving up marker come from? Mid-term in the Passat and Bora/Jetta lives VW intruduces a "Highline" model to keep sales going, nothing more.
Re: VW Passat takes the Highline
Totally agree with you. Their are other brands now that do the exclusive thing better than BMW. Look at the Ford Focus, in comparison to the 3 series it is exclusive!
Then look at some of the Japanese brands, Subaru, Mitsubishi etc.
Re: VW Passat takes the Highline
Would agree with this. To be honest this is what has made me prejudiced against the whole BMW range - they may be good cars (some of them) but they can't call themselves exclusive any more as so many are sold and aren't so called premium brands supposed to be exclusive which is what made them premium in the first place?