Natural gas Passat knocks Toyota Prius off top spot

The VW Passat 1.4 TSI EcoFuel Trendline is the first car to score five stars in the ADAC eco test, pushing the Toyota Prius, the long-term leader, into second place. This makes the Passat the most environmentally friendly car in Europe today. Wolfsburg's natural gas-powered mid-range vehicle was especially impressive in the pollutants test, where it notched up the maximum 50 points. Even in realistic driving cycles (i.e. CO2 emissions), the Passat scored a highly creditable 42 points. Until now, the hybrid Prius was the uncontested leader in these tough environmental rankings, with a score of 89 points.

On test, the Passat used 4.9kg of natural gas per 100km, equivalent to CO2 emissions of 134g/km. Amongst the low pollutant values, the figures for nitrogen oxides were outstanding. In contrast with the manufacturers' statutory data, which forms the basis of other environmental assessments, ADAC's eco test has been using realistic driving cycles to provide practical fuel consumption data since 2003. In addition to CO2 emissions, exhaust pollutant content is also measured. Unlike the regulatory tests, this method takes air conditioning operation and motorway usage into account. The leading German motoring association has now tested a total of almost 900 vehicles.