Volkswagen’s Passat has enjoyed a mid-life update, with some styling tweaks, more technology, and the reintroduction of the GTE plug-in hybrid. 

Before the facelift, sales of the petrol/electric-powered GTE had been suspended as VW could not keep up with demand. The manufacturer says the supply problems have now been solved, and it expects one-in-four Passats sold to be GTEs. 

It’s available as a saloon or an estate, and we’re testing the load-hauling version. In Advance spec, the car is priced at £40,470.

We want to find out if the Passat GTE is well suited to long journeys with a caravan, as well as the short trips with frequent battery top-ups.