Should you buy one?

If you’re in the market for a large, slightly premium-feeling family estate car, it looks very strong indeed. It’s still the most comfortable and the huge boot is very impressive. It’s cheap enough to run – with economical petrol and diesel options – and won’t break the bank either, thanks to good value PCP finance deals.

The Passat remains a go-to option in this class, being a car you get in to and feel at home. It continues to be one of the most refined after all these years, which is no mean feat and treads a fine line between being impressively comfortable while remaining sharp enough to drive.

However, there’s an elephant in the room in the form of the even more cavernous Skoda Superb Estate and this is the one we’d recommend, offering a vast amount of cabin space as well as a softer ride quality. Also, it’s still available as a plug-in hybrid, unlike the Passat. However, both are due for replacement next year.

In short, the Passat Estate may not be perfect, but it still has to be one of the most polished load carriers available, combining comfort and practicalilty extremely well, while being upmarket.

What we like

It’s a hugely comfortable refined and quiet long-distance companion, and the loadbay is massive and well shaped.

What we don’t like

The driving experience is numb, and it’s getting on in years.