(Fri 13 Nov 09)

Volkswagen has added a new Highline Plus trim level to the Passat saloon and estate range. It's one step up from the Highline, which was introduced to replace the previous SE model in February 2008 and has 17" alloy wheels, semi-automatic climate control air-conditioning, cruise control and leather upholstery.

The Highline Plus has all that too, plus extra front-end chrome, Bluetooth connectivity and the new RNS 310 system. This consists of CD-based satellite navigation with a 5" colour touchscreen, an SD card reader and an auxiliary input for multimedia devices. RNS 310 is already standard on the Volkswagen Touran Match, and will soon become available on other Passats as a £795 option.

It works out cheaper in the Highline Plus, though, because with all that extra equipment the car is just £750 more expensive than the Highline. Prices start at £20,915 for the 158bhp 1.8 TSI petrol saloon with manual transmission and extend to £24,610 for the 168bhp 2.0 TDI turbo diesel estate with six-speed DSG. The versions which are cheapest to tax are the BlueMotion Technology models, which use the 138bhp 2.0 TDI engine and have CO2 emissions of 124g/km (saloon) and 127g/km (estate).

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