Twin tests can be illuminating. Sometimes it's only when you drive a couple of cars for hundreds of miles back to back, live with them for a few weeks or drive them to the very limits of their capabilities that a victor emerges. On other occasions it's a whole lot simpler than that. Take Volkswagen's Passat with the high-tech 2.0-litre FSI engine as a benchmark. Specify it in basic S guise, priced at £18,430 and then wheel in the equivalent BMW 3 Series that sort of money will buy you. You'll have a problem. The entry-level Three starts over £20,500.

On paper, there's not a whole lot between these cars. The Passat's engine generates 148bhp; the BMW 320i is good for 150bhp. The BMW gets to 60mph in 9.3 seconds, the Passat 9.4. Now park the two cars next to one another. Suddenly this looks like a mismatch and it isn't in Munich's favour. The Passat's detailing is more finely resolved, it's bigger, has a better stance, its proportions look a whole lot more athletic than the BMW, a car whose miserable 16-inch wheels look lost in those gaping wheel arches. Drop inside and the story continues. When it comes to equipment, the Passat annihilates the BMW. It feels a closer match for a 5 Series than a Three, offering acres more room in the back. The surprises don't stop there. Drive the two cars back to back and there's not a great deal to separate them. Naturally, if you're interested in all-out handling, the BMW still has the edge - it would be foolish to suggest otherwise - but for 95 per cent of the time there's nothing between them and the Volkswagen rides better, something you'll appreciate every second you're in the car.

"Look up the word 'convincing' in a dictionary and it ought to be annotated with an illustration of a Passat 2.0FSI"

Whereas the BMW comes across as a functional tool that's designed to offer the most thrilling drive they could possibly get away with, the Passat, against all conceivable odds, emerges as the more covetable ownership proposition. It's the car you'll look over your shoulder at after parking, kidding yourself that the latest styling updates render it all but indistinguishable from a £50,000 Phaeton. It's grown in every dimension compared to the old car and there are the same sculpted rear buttresses and fluted flanks as the more expensive car. The Phaeton has long been a slow seller and the Passat could well drive a final nail into its coffin, so upmarket is this latest version's look and feel. The windscreen is raked back, giving the shape a far more dynamic stance, and the low roofline combines with a wedge-shaped profile that seems to store the car's energy up in its chunky haunches. Whereas the old model always looked ready to accept a fare, this time around the Passat looks set to spring forward. Fit it with a big set of alloy wheels and it looks very special indeed.

The 2.0-litre FSI engine is a smart pick, combining economy and a decent amount of power in one high-tech package. The most cost effective way to get this is to plump for the S trim car, opening at £17,115, but many will prefer the chrome, leather, velour and electrically adjustable luxury of the Highline version. Closer to the BMW in terms of price, if not performance will be the 2.0T FSI (priced from £21,320), a 200bhp turbocharged version of the Passat that will make many seriously question their requirements for that blue and white roundel. Fuel economy of the normally aspirated version is quoted at 33.6mpg and perhaps the only slight Achilles heel is a CO2 figure of 202g/km.

This car is longer (4.77m) and wider (1.82m) than you might expect and, like most Volkswagen saloons, has in four-door form a huge boot (565 litres). The bodywork itself is also impressively stiff (57% more than the previous generation model) which means for you in real terms that this car is what we call 'torsionally quiet', with an all-round chassis rigidity that allows the suspension to do its work more effectively. The end result is a more cossetting ride and better performance through corners.

The Passat's cabin might come as a surprise to those expecting the Phaeton-esque styling influences to continue indoors. In fact, it's rather functional, albeit in a clean, uncluttered fashion. Somewhat unusually for a Volkswagen, this could be where rivals will seek solace. There is a good deal more use of light tones than in the unremittingly dark dashboard of the previous generation Passat, but those looking for something that signally moves the game on in terms of design philosophy may well come away disappointed. There are a number of technical highlights featured, however, such as Bluetooth connectivity for the telephone unit, a superior quality stereo, an electronic handbrake and a 2Zone Climatronic air conditioning system.

Volkswagen have settled down as a company since the old Chairman Ferdinand Piech stepped down. They seem more grounded and better positioned to 'leverage their core competences' as senior management would put it. Hopefully there won't be another Phaeton and Volkswagen won't feel the need to build ever more powerful and irrelevant Passats. As it stands, the 2.0-litre FSI model is everything we could have hoped for and more. With tax laws signalling an imminent return to petrol engines, this car could be about to clean up.

TOP 4 PASSAT DEALS

The results below show the top PASSAT deals on buyacar

	Volkswagen Passat 2.0T Sport FSI 5dr Tip Auto Estate
	ETR	Mthly £424	Saving £2,929	Price £21,066
	Volkswagen Passat 2.0T Sport FSI 4dr Saloon
	ETR	Mthly £381	Saving £2,594	Price £18,986
	Volkswagen Passat 2.0T Sport FSI 4dr Tip Auto Saloon
	ETR	Mthly £404	Saving £2,773	Price £20,102
	Volkswagen Passat 2.0T Sport FSI 5dr Estate
	ETR	Mthly £401	Saving £2,749	Price £19,951

typical 11.73% APR

PCP finance quote over 48 months,  10,000 miles pa,  deposit of £1000