Saar: It becomes the fourth product in the company’s India portfolio to receive the added advantage of Volkswagen Connect.

After launching the Connect Editions of the Ameo, Polo and Vento earlier this month, Volkswagen India has now launched the Passat Connect. It is available in two variants – Comfortline and Highline. While the former has a price tag of Rs 25.99 lakh, the latter is priced at Rs 28.99 lakh. For the record, these prices are special ones as the standard Passat is priced from Rs 29.99 – 32.99 lakh (all prices are ex-showroom India).

The Volkswagen Passat Connect comes equipped with the company’s own telematics solution – Volkswagen Connect. The on-board diagnostics (OBD) port of the car is coupled to a plug-and-play dongle, which connects to the Volkswagen Connect mobile app. The said app is available for download through Google’s Play Store and Apple’s Apps Store. Once the dongle connects with the smartphone via Bluetooth, customers unlock connected features such as trip tracking, fuel cost monitoring, driving behaviour, booking service appointments and location sharing.

The Volkswagen Passat Connect, unlike the Connect Editions of the Ameo, Polo and Vento, doesn’t feature any cosmetic changes. That said, the Passat is one the most feature-rich cars in its segment. As standard, you get goodies like LED headlamps with LED DRLs, ambient lighting, three-zone climate control, 16-inch alloy wheels, powered tailgate, air-conditioned front seats, cruise control, 9 airbags and tyre pressure monitoring system. The range-topping variant adds an electric panoramic sunroof, 360-degree cameras, adaptive chassis control, 17-inch alloy wheels, Park Assist and voice command control.

Under the hood, the Volkswagen Passat Connect features an unchanged set of mechanicals. The 2.0-litre, turbo-diesel engine puts out 177PS of power and 350Nm of torque. The power-plant comes mated to a 6-speed DSG automatic transmission and the setup is enough for the sedan to deliver up to 17.42kmpl as the mileage. In India, the Volkswagen Passat competes with the Skoda Superb, Toyota Camry and the Honda Accord. The latter two are offered only with hybrid powertrains.