New Volkswagen Passat Highline

The VW Passat Highline hands out presents like Santa. It therefore has numerous extras compared to the SE it replaces. Highlights include the touch-screen sat-nav - a £750 option on its predecessor – that includes traffic monitoring to help Santa miss Xmas jams. This complements the front and rear sensors that provide an audible/visual parking guide. No excuse for hitting Santa's sledge, then. These cost £430 on the old SE. The Highline also has duel-zone climate control, previously £500, which - in theory - enables Santa and Rudolph to set temperatures for their parts of the car. These extras combined cost £1,680 on the SE but the Highline is only £500 more than the old trim. As such it costs from £20,970.

The Volkswagen Passat Highline is available in saloon and estate guise. The former looks sleek, the latter has a monstrous cargo capacity of 1,731-litres when the rear seats are folded flat. Plenty of room for presents, then. Furthermore, motorists can choose from various engines: the 1.4-litre TSI 122 PS petrol, the 1.8-litre TSI 160 PS petrol, the 1.6- litre TDI 105 PS diesel, and the 2.0-litre TDI 140 PS diesel. Boys and girls – assuming they have been “nice not naughty” - can also have either five/six-sped manual or DSG automatic transmission. The latter is a fantastic system which enables motorists to either cruise in full- auto mode, or select gears manually without a foot clutch. Every VW Passat also has rock- solid handling, excellent build quality, and pleasing styling. I might ask for one at Christmas.

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