Passat TDI SEL gets leather 8-way power heated sport seats, upgraded navigation and premium Fender audio system with color touch screen, rearview camera; multi-function leather-wrapped steering wheel; sunroof, wood grain interior dash and middle console trim; exterior chrome window trim; sliding front center console; keyless access push button start and 215/55R17 all-season tires on 18” alloy wheels.
Safety features include six airbags (frontal, front seat side and side curtain); antilock brakes with brake assist; electronic stability control; and rear seat child safety seat anchors (LATCH). Also standard is VW's Integrated Crash Response System that cuts off the fuel supply, turns on the hazard flashers and unlocks the doors when seatbelts pre-tension or upon airbag deployment.
Front seats, both base and Sport, are comfortable, with the Sport adding a smidgen of appreciated lateral support. The center stack, which houses the audio/navigation and climate control interfaces, stays true to the layout of the previous Passat, with audio/navigation panels above and the trio of large knobs that manage the climate control settings below. Controls for the stereo and the very competent navigation system consist of two smallish knobs at the lower corners, below vertical sets of four buttons on each side of the display.
The rear seat is more bench than bucket but still accommodating, with foot wells deep enough that occupants can imagine they're seated in a chair instead of on the floor. What's most remarkable about the rear seat, however, as hinted above, is the leg room. While one inch of the lengthened wheelbase of the 2012 Passat went to the front seat, the rear seat got almost an inch and a half. That increase earned the Passat best-in-class rating.