Following an early preview of the “R-Line Trinity” at the VW Tour roadshow in August, Volkswagen Passenger Cars Malaysia (VPCM) today officially launched the 2020 Passat R-Line here in Malaysia, with prices starting at RM203,411 inclusive of the sales tax exemptions – applicable until the end of 2020.
The R-Line treatment on the exterior of the Volkswagen Passat include the more aggressively-styled front bumper with larger air intakes and foglamps surrounds at the corners, a variant-exclusive rear bumper with quad “tailpipes exit” mouldings, lower side skirts, a strip of chrome lining surrounding the entire car at the bottom, customary R-Line badges on the grille and front fender, as well as a set of larger, 19-inch “Verona” wheels on all four corners.
On the inside, the 2020 Passat R-Line gets sportier variant-exclusive trims, including a thicker flat-bottomed steering wheel, aluminium sport pedals, black rooflining, carbon fibre-like dashboard trims, and Nappa “carbon-style” black leather seats.
Otherwise, the cabin equipment list pretty much mirrors that of the Passat Elegance, which includes as standard the 11.7-inch digital instrument cluster display, 9.2-inch Discover Pro touchscreen infotainment display with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity, tri-zone automatic climate control, as well as 14-way power adjustable front seats with memory and massage function for the driver.
Also unchanged from the Volkswagen Passat Elegance is the powerplant under the hood, which is a 2.0-litre TSI turbocharged four-cylinder engine that makes 190 hp and 320 Nm of torque, paired to a new wet-clutch DSG dual-clutch gearbox to send power to the front wheels – unfortunately no 4Motion all-wheel drive here.
No performance figures were provided for the 2020 Volkswagen Passat R-Line, though the company says that the sportier D-segment sedan achieves a fuel consumption figure of 6.5 l/100 km – which is unsurprisingly identical to the Passat Elegance.
While the powertrain is exactly the same as the Elegance, the sportier R-Line variant does get some electronic and mechanical upgrades for a sportier driving experience. These include the Dynamic Chassis Control (DCC) driving mode selector with up to 15 selectable increments for for different engine, throttle, and steering response, as well as Electronic Differential Lock (XDS) to help control understeer.
Safety equipment is also identical to the Passat Elegance, which includes six airbags, ABS with EBD, brake assist, stability control, blind spot monitoring with rear cross traffic alert, and a tyre pressure monitoring system. The Volkswagen Passat R-Line does not come equipped with autonomous emergency braking and other advance driver assistance features.
Once again, the locally-assembled 2020 Volkswagen Passat R-Line is priced at RM203,411 in Malaysia, inclusive of the full sales and service tax exemption valid until December 31, which slots it nicely in between the Passat Elegance and Arteon R-Line. Included in the price is a five-year unlimited-mileage warranty, a three-year free service package and five years of free roadside assistance.
The Passat R-Line will be offered in six exterior colour choices: Aquamarine Blue Metallic, Tamarind Brown Metallic, Manganese Grey Metallic, Reflex Silver Metallic; Deep Black Pearl, and Oryx White Pearl.
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