YOU might find it surprising to hear that Volkswagen has decided not to offer any petrol engines with the new Passat, but 99 per cent of previous Passat sales were for diesel offerings.

This new version, built on the MQB platform, is positively dripping with the latest technology to make life behind the wheel that much easier. Apart from the expected safety features that are now becoming commonplace, this Passat will virtually ease itself along with virtually no input from the driver in a traffic jam, help you park in tight spots and even guide you through reversing with a caravan or trailer in tow.

And that's very much what this new version of the Passat is about - making the trials and tribulations of long journeys and city driving that less stressful. It's been doing this for many years of course - 41 years now, during which time 22 million have been sold.

It's very much aimed at the business user - 80 per cent of sales go to the fleet market - and VW has gone to great lengths to make sure you are sitting comfortably, safely and securely and able to call upon systems that will provide excellent audio, communication and navigation tools.

And it will be powered by an excellent diesel engine.

The best-seller will undoubtedly be the 2.0-lite TDI with a 150 PS output. It's the perfect match for this car. What the customer will have to give more serious consideration to is the trim level, transmission and choice of either saloon or estate. There's a choice between six-speed manual and six-speed DSG auto, and while the manual gearbox is perfectly acceptable, I was left wondering why anyone would want the manual over the quite brilliant DSG system that just gets on with the job with barely a moment of lag.

There are five trim levels, starting with S, and while many will opt for the SE version there is a very tempting SE Business spec which adds a navigation system and is aimed at fleet drivers. Step up to GT and you get heated leather seats, three-zone climate control and bigger 18-inch wheels, while the range is topped by the R-Line with its bespoke features.

It is worth noting that the extra safety features on the SE model make it cheaper to insure than an S model.s

For those carrying large loads, the estate version might be the default choice. But don't rule out the saloon, which has a luggage compartment that has been enlarged to 586 litres. The luggage space of the estate is up 47 litres to 650 litres and this capacity can grow to 1,780 litres with the rear seats folded.

Sales are expected to split 50/50 between the estate and saloon.

Produced at VW's Emden plant in Germany, the Passat is not cheap, starting at £23,745 for the 1.6-litre TDI S and rising to an eye-watering £37,035 for the 2.0-litre bi-turbo in top spec with four-wheel drive and a 240PS engine that if it were employed in the Golf GTI would offer more power.

What you get is a premium feel and a wonderfully relaxed drive that makes the Passat a genuine contender against the ranks of BMW, Audi and Mercedes.

Weighing up to 85kg lighter than the previous version, depending on engine and trim level, it is a tad shorter than the previous version, 14 millimetres lower and 12 millimetres wider. Despite these dimensions being smaller, interior space has been improved, with more leg and headroom.

Indeed, back seat passengers will find that their knees will not be in contact with the rear of the front seats, but a middle seat seat rear passenger will have to contend with the transmission tunnel.

There's more to come with this Passat in mid-2015, when the game-changing active info display will be available as an alternative to the conventional instrument panel, alongside a head-up display.

A diesel BlueMotion model will be available from June, returning an average of about 78mpg.

In addition, an Alltrack version will feature in the estate line-up from July.

A plug-in hybrid GTE version with a 1.4-litre TSI petrol engine will follow in October with a range of up to 621 miles or 31 miles in pure electric mode.

Volkswagen Passat 2.0 TDI 150PS SE Saloon

Price: £26,035

Engine: Four-cylinder two-litre diesel producing 150PS

Transmission: Six-speed auto DSG (six-speed manual available at £24,435)

Performance: 0 to 62mph in 8.7 seconds; top speed 135mph

Economy: 64.2mpg combined

CO2 emissions: 116g/km