Image credit: VW Additional sources: Volkswagen charges up new Passat GTE for the trip to Paris - Autoblog VW Passat GTE plug-in hybrid makes 141 mpg | gizmag (Will also be available as a sedan.)
Don't know why there's no effort to bring this and the Golf GTE to the U.S. They offer a viable alternative to the Volt for those who are afraid to go full-BEV. I have a soft corner for the Passat as it was the first car that I owned - post-redesign to a modern look circa 1999 - and it served me well for many years.
I would be embarrassed to be an engineer working for VAG. By "141mpg" it seems they actually mean <40 miles per gallon since the article states it can go 620miles on a full 13.2 gallon tank + full battery. maybe they mean "muppets per gallon" since it seems that would be the qualification for working in PR/marketing for them
The 141 mpg is based on the European NEDC "combined and weighted" test cycle which allows a fully charged battery to be depleted during the test thereby displacing gasoline use. You have to be wary about whether those are UK gallons which are about 20% bigger than US gallons. The 2011 Volt gets 196 mpg (US) or 235 mpg (UK) on the same NEDC test and that was before they incrementally improved the battery size, inverter efficiency, and usable SOC range. If the 2015 Volt were tested it would probably get around 300 mpg.
Passat PHEV is slated for US introduction in sedan form - not the wagon, not with any drivetrain. Boooo. We will get CrossBlue with PHEV and TSI drivetrains instead. Boooo. I will be a little sad when Model 3 gets here and I will have to let go of my 2001 Passat GLX wagon. I'm sure the sadness will pass quickly once our household is completely electrically driven.
Over what distance do they do the test? 100km? Anyways, highly misleading. What should matter is how much more efficient is the car and under what conditions? Over 100km, over 200km over 300km? Would the Model S have infinite mpg in the same NEDC test?
