D-Segment Battle: VW Passat 2.0 R-Line VS Honda Accord 1.5 TC-P VS Toyota Camry 2.5V

Volkswagen Passenger Cars Malaysia (VPCM) has just announced that the new Passat R-Line is now open for booking, making things a bit more exciting and competitive in the dying D-segment. But how does it fare against the kings of the segment like the Toyota Camry and the Honda Accord?

In order to find out, let us put these models next to each other and compare what they have to offer.

Price: Winner - Honda Accord 1.5 TC-P

While the Volkswagen Passat R-Line is priced between RM200,000 and RM210,000 minus SST, the Toyota Camry (there is only one variant) asks for RM188,763 without SST.

The Honda Accord 1.5 TC-P on the other hand, is priced at RM187,754. So, if your decision is going to be purely based on price, the Accord wins here.

However, do keep in mind that the Passat 2.0 TSI Elegance is only RM181,856 minus SST. Only the R-Line model is a bit mahal. So, technically, the Passat is both the cheapest and the priciest compared to the Accord and the Camry.

Performance: Winner - VW Passat R-Line 

Powering the Passat R-Line is a 2.0 litre turbocharged TSI engine with an output of 190PS and 320Nm of torque, mated to the 7-speed wet-clutch DSG transmission, which is the exact same heart in the Passat Elegance 2.0 TSI.   

Between the other two, the Accord trumps the Camry. Not only is the 1.5-litre 4 Cylinder, 16 Valve, DOHC Vtec Turbo (198hp, 260Nm) more potent than the Camry's 2.5-litre 4-cylinder, in-line, 16-valve DOHC with Dual VVT-I and ACIS (181hp, 235Nm), but you will also pay less road tax thanks to Honda's smaller engine displacement.

But, we're just not big fans of CVT transmissions, so the Camry and the Passat do get back some brownie points for having a 6-speed Automatic with Super ECT & Sequential Shifter, and a 7-speed DSG gearbox respectively.

Features - Draw

The list of standard features that come with the Passat R-Line includes 19-inch Verona multi-spoke alloy wheels, LED head- and tail lights with sequential indicators,

Inside, the Passat R-Line comes with a thicker flat-bottomed steering wheel, aluminium pedals, black headlining and black Nappa leather upholstery with a carbon fibre-like pattern. In terms of infotainment, the car is fitted with an 11.7-inch digital instrument display, along with the Discover Pro navigation system with a 9.7-inch touchscreen and wireless Apple CarPlay and wired Android Auto connectivity.

Safety wise, there are six airbags, ABS with EBD and brake assist, stability control, blind spot monitoring with rear cross traffic alert, a tyre pressure monitoring system and ISOFIX child seat anchors.

The Accord TC-P on the other hand, comes with Automatic LED headlights, LED daytime running lights, LED fog lights, Remote Engine Start, Walk Away Auto Lock, Smart Entry and Push Start, Leather steering wheel, 8-way power-adjustable driver seat, 4-way power-adjustable passenger seat, Wireless Charger, 8-inch Head Unit, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, 2 USB Ports, 10 Speakers, and Voice Command.

Taking care of safety are features like the Multi-view Camera System, Cross Traffic Monitor, Smart Parking Assist System, the entire Honda SENSING package (Front Collision Warning, Collision Mitigation Braking System, Lane Departure Watch, Lane Keep Assist System etc), and a Tyre Deflation Warning System.

Even if you don’t pick the higher spec variant, you still get your expected safety features like front, side, and curtain airbags, rear seat ISOFIX, Vehicle Stability Assist, Agile Handling Assist, ABS with EBD, Brake Assist, Hill Start Assist, four parking sensors at the front and rear, a rear view camera, and Honda LaneWatch.

Last but not least, we have the Camry which comes equipped with Toyota Safety Sense, which includes the full suite of advanced driving aids systems - Pre-Collision System, Lane Departure Alert (LDA) with Steering Assist, Dynamic Radar Cruise Control (DRCC), and Automatic High Beam (AHB). You also get Blind Spot Monitor (BSM) with Rear Cross Traffic Alert (RCTA), Hill-start Assist Control (HAC), Emergency Stop Signal (ESS), tyre pressure monitor, vehicle stability control (VSC), and seven airbags.

Inside, you get a huge 10-inch full-colour Heads-Up Display and a 9-speaker JBL audio system that also includes a subwoofer, an 8-channel Class-D amplifier providing 800W of power, and Clari-Fi sound processing technology. The leather seats include an 8-way power adjustable, 2-position memory function for the driver. 

So there you have it – a quick side-by-side comparison of the new Passat R-Line against the Honda Accord 1.5 TC-P and the Toyota Camry 2.5V which are the most prominent faces of the D-segment.

Overall, all of them have a lot to offer but the question of which one to go for ultimately depends on what you want. Is it Styling? Performance? Safety? Features? or simply the Price?