The Volkswagen Passat is a well-behaved and well-built car with lots of room and perceived quality. But it's as boring as a three-box saloon ever was.

• Comfort

  There's plenty of space in the Volkswagen Passat and it slips down the road quietly, and this ride is the real calling card.

  

• Performance

  VW Group engines range from the 1.4-litre TSI to the 207bhp 2.0-litre Sport and 2.0-litre diesel with 167bhp. That last engine manages to sprint to 62mph in 8.6 seconds while still returning 61.4mpg.

  

• Cool

  The Passat, especially with the current generation's sightly ornate styling, is pretending but not quite managing to be classy. Not a cool place to be.

  

• Quality

  The old-generation Passat was famously superb in cabin quality, but this one doesn't really move the game on. Still, against increasingly over-complicated rival interiors, the Passat's classic simplicity has an appeal.

  

• Handling

  The Passat's road manners are respectful but a bit dull. The basic underpinnings are related to the enjoyable Golf's, but it shows its extra weight as a numbness and slight slow-wittedness.

  

• Practicality

  The Passat saloon is big and has a bigger boot, with through-load. But there's nothing here beyond class norms.

  

• Running costs

  A Passat will be worth more than most mainstream rivals when you trade it in, and that will shave down your running costs. Other costs, like CO2 and long-interval servicing, are more than competitive.