For enhanced safety, the front shoulder belts of the Chevrolet Impala are height-adjustable, and the rear seat shoulder belts have child comfort guides to move the belt to properly fit children. A better fit can prevent injuries and the increased comfort also encourages children to buckle up. The Volkswagen Passat has only front height-adjustable seat belts.

Both the Impala and Passat have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The Impala has power child safety locks, allowing the driver to activate and deactivate them from the driver's seat and to know when they're engaged. The Passat's child locks have to be individually engaged at each rear door with a manual switch. The driver can't know the status of the locks without opening the doors and checking them.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety tests front crash prevention systems. With a score of 5 points, IIHS rates the Automatic Emergency Braking optional in the Impala as “Superior.” The Passat scores only 3 points and is rated only “Advanced.”

Both the Impala and the Passat have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, front-wheel drive, height adjustable front shoulder belts, plastic fuel tanks, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, daytime running lights, rearview cameras, available lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rear parking sensors and rear cross-path warning.

The Chevrolet Impala weighs 405 to 475 pounds more than the Volkswagen Passat. The NHTSA advises that heavier cars are much safer in collisions than their significantly lighter counterparts.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Chevrolet Impala is safer than the Volkswagen Passat:

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a flat barrier at 38.5 MPH and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Chevrolet Impala is safer than the Volkswagen Passat:

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

Chevrolet's powertrain warranty covers the Impala 1 year and 10,000 miles longer than Volkswagen covers the Passat. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 5 years or 60,000 miles. Coverage on the Passat ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

There are almost 5 times as many Chevrolet dealers as there are Volkswagen dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Impala's warranty.

The Impala has a standard “limp home system” to keep drivers from being stranded if most or all of the engine's coolant is lost. The engine will run on only half of its cylinders at a time, reduce its power and light a warning lamp on the dashboard so the driver can get to a service station for repairs. The Passat doesn't offer a lost coolant limp home mode, so a coolant leak could strand you or seriously damage the car's engine.

To reliably power the ignition and other systems and to recharge the battery, the Impala has a standard 150-amp alternator. The Passat's 140-amp alternator isn't as powerful.

To reliably start during all conditions and help handle large electrical loads, the Impala has a standard 512-amp battery. The Passat's 480-amp battery isn't as powerful.

J.D. Power and Associates' 2019 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Chevrolet vehicles are better in initial quality than Volkswagen vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Chevrolet 6th in initial quality, above the industry average. With 28 more problems per 100 vehicles, Volkswagen is ranked 25th, below the industry average.

J.D. Power and Associates' 2019 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Chevrolet vehicles are more reliable than Volkswagen vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Chevrolet fourth in reliability, above the industry average. With 16 more problems per 100 vehicles, Volkswagen is ranked 12th.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports' December 2019 Auto Issue reports that Chevrolet vehicles are more reliable than Volkswagen vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Chevrolet 2 places higher in reliability than Volkswagen.

The Impala's 3.6 DOHC V6 produces 131 more horsepower (305 vs. 174) and 58 lbs.-ft. more torque (264 vs. 206) than the Passat's 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder.

For better stopping power the Impala's brake rotors are larger than those on the Passat:

The Impala stops much shorter than the Passat:

For better traction, the Impala has larger standard tires than the Passat (235/50R18 vs. 215/55R17). The Impala Premier's tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Passat (245/45R19 vs. 235/45R18).

The Impala LT's standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 50 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Passat's standard 55 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Impala LT has standard 18-inch wheels. Smaller 17-inch wheels are standard on the Passat. The Impala Premier's optional 20-inch wheels are larger than the 19-inch wheels optional on the Passat R-Line.

The Impala has standard front and rear gas-charged shocks for better control over choppy roads. The Passat's suspension doesn't offer gas-charged shocks.

The Impala's drift compensation steering can automatically compensate for road conditions which would cause the vehicle to drift from side to side, helping the driver to keep the vehicle straight more easily. The Passat doesn't offer drift compensation steering.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Impala's wheelbase is 1.3 inches longer than on the Passat (111.7 inches vs. 110.4 inches).

The Impala LT handles at .84 G's, while the Passat pulls only .79 G's of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The Impala LT executes Motor Trend's “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.5 seconds quicker than the Passat R-Line (26.6 seconds @ .67 average G's vs. 28.1 seconds @ .59 average G's).

To almost totally eliminate engine vibration in the passenger area, the Impala has liquid-filled engine mounts. The liquid helps further dampen engine harshness. The Passat uses conventional solid rubber engine mounts.

Because it has more passenger and cargo room, the EPA rates the Impala a Large car, while the Passat is rated a Mid-size.

The Impala has 2.7 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Passat (105 vs. 102.3).

The Impala has 1.6 inches more front headroom, 3.4 inches more front legroom, 1 inch more front shoulder room and .7 inches more rear legroom than the Passat.

The Impala has a much larger trunk than the Passat (18.8 vs. 15.9 cubic feet).

To allow full utilization of available cargo room, the Impala's trunk lid uses concealed beam hinges that don't intrude into the trunk. The Passat's useful trunk space is reduced by its intrusive beam hinge.

The Impala Premier's optional easy entry system raises the steering wheel and glides the driver's seat back when the door is unlocked or the ignition is switched off, making it easier for the driver to get in and out. The Passat doesn't offer an easy entry system.

The Impala's power parking brake sets with one touch and releases with one touch or automatically. The Passat has a lever-type parking brake that has to be strenuously raised to engage properly. It has to be lifted up more and a button depressed to release it.

The Impala's optional rear and side view mirrors have an automatic dimming feature. These mirrors can be set to automatically darken quickly when headlights shine on them, keeping following vehicles from blinding or distracting the driver. The Passat offers an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don't dim.

Optional air-conditioned seats in the Impala Premier keep the driver and front passenger comfortable and take the sting out of hot seats in Summer. The Passat doesn't offer air-conditioned seats.

On extremely cold winter days, the Impala's optional heated steering wheel provides comfort, allowing the driver to steer safely and comfortably before the car heater warms up. The Passat doesn't offer a heated steering wheel.

The Impala has a standard dual zone air conditioning allows the driver and front passenger to choose two completely different temperatures so people with different temperature preferences won't have to compromise. This makes both the driver and front passenger as comfortable as possible. Dual zone air conditioning is only available on the Passat SE/R-Line/SEL.

Both the Impala and the Passat offer rear vents. For greater rear passenger comfort, the Impala has standard rear air conditioning vents to keep rear occupants cool in summer or warm in winter. The Passat doesn't offer rear air conditioning vents, only heat vents.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Chevrolet Impala Premier offers an optional wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. The Passat doesn't offer wireless personal charging.

The Impala offers an optional 115-volt a/c outlet on the center console, allowing you to recharge a laptop or run small household appliances without special adapters that can break or get misplaced. The Passat doesn't offer a house-current electrical outlet.

The Impala will cost the buyer less in the long run because of its superior resale value. The IntelliChoice estimates that the Impala will retain 42.7% to 43.7% of its original price after five years, while the Passat only retains 33.69% to 34.46%.

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Impala is less expensive to operate than the Passat because typical repairs cost much less on the Impala than the Passat, including $98 less for a muffler, $367 less for a starter, $179 less for front struts and $187 less for a timing belt/chain.

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Chevrolet Impala and the Volkswagen Passat, based on reliability, safety and performance.

The Chevrolet Impala outsold the Volkswagen Passat by over three to one during 2019.