First look: VW's Passat hits wagon trail

VOLKSWAGEN has released photos of its new Passat Estate, which is due on sale alongside the sedan late in 2005.

The station wagon shares its front V-shaped chrome grille and other visual cues with the sedan until the B-pillar, whereupon it features a window line that rises towards the rear pillar and a raked tailgate angle. Fast-acting LED bulbs are used for the tail lights.

VW claims the cargo area can carry 1731 litres, up from the 1600-litre capacity of its predecessor. The newcomer is also 19mm taller, 92mm longer and 477mm wider.

Options in Europe include self-levelling hydro-pneumatic rear suspension and a rail system in the boot floor to secure heavy loads.

The wagon adopts the sedan’s four-link rear suspension and transversely-mounted engines, the latter set to include a 110kW 2.0 FSI, 184kW 3.2-litre narrow-angle V6 FSI and two turbo-diesel variants.