New VW Passat Sedan and Estate Now Available with a Head-up Display

We read about safety systems almost every day, as manufacturers have taken a real liking to them. Volvo even promised that its cars will not be involved in fatalities by the end of this decade.

Usually, it's hard to see how these systems help you without deliberately trying to crash. But the head-up display shows its use from the moment you turn on the engine. Instead of looking down at the navigation system or the speedometer, you can keep both eyes on the road at all times.

Volkswagen didn't reinvent the wheel here. All premium German automakers offer this feature. Even the Mazda6 sedan added one after the 2015 mid-life facelift. However, the 2015 Passat is the first VW model available with the system.

Don't think it comes for free, as the head-up system costs €560 on the Passat Saloon, Passat Variant, Passat Alltrack and Passat GTE.

Let's geek out over the finer details before we check out how Volkswagen tries to promote the system. The thin glass display rises from the dash right behind the speedometer binnacle. It measures 10 by 15 centimeters (about 4 by 6 inches) and features a decent resolution of 480 x 240 pixels.

The head-up displays speed, traffic signs and can also be configured to show navigation data or alerts. Volkswagen claims the screen is set in such a way, so the numbers appear to be two meters in front of the driver. Also, the driver's eyes do not need to refocus so often from far-field to near-field vision, which is crucial for older drivers.

Using the infotainment menus, the driver decides which three items of information are displayed. The head-up display is activated by a separate control next to the rotary light switch and retracts into the dash when not in use.