Mecklenburg can be so beautiful – with Nadja Uhl and the Passat GTE Variant

Beach, water, crowning treetops in front of a blue sky – that’s just part of a perfect summer. Whether the beach is by the sea or by a lake is not important. Because whoever spends their holiday in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania gets both. And many of the most beautiful tree-lined avenues in Germany as well. The actress Nadja Uhl loves it here. Even camping! On her journey with the Passat GTE Variant including roof tent, she shows the most beautiful places on the German Avenue Route between Rheinsberg and Stralsund (her birthplace), following in the footsteps of her childhood – on the Baltic Sea.

Touring though the region where she grew up: Actress Nadja Uhl.

“Actually, every summer,” is Nadja Uhl’s answer to the question of how often she sets off on camping trips. Taking part in sports, preferably surfing or climbing, and at the same time being in nature – “to this day, even now as a mother of two, it is still the most beautiful form of holiday for me. The region of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, located in northern Germany, with its many lakes, avenues and the Baltic Sea coast is her favorite place for this. “The Baltic Sea is sometimes rough, but always fascinating, the nature is beautiful,” says the actress, who was born in Stralsund. “I love Stralsund and Rügen. It's home for me.”

Going on holiday by car brings quality of life, says Nadja Uhl. Because “one is unattached, has no rhythm – and can slowly relax.” The 48-year-old has always driven a car “in which I can sleep. Since my youth I’ve either driven a station wagon or a T4 bus.” The Passat GTE Variant with roof tent is therefore the ideal holiday car: “For me, luggage space in the car is important. The Passat offers plenty of space.”

However, the new Passat GTE Variant has many other advantages. It drives up to 56 kilometers purely electrically (according to the WLTP cycle) – and on longer distances the electric motor supports the efficient TSI gasoline engine. The plug-in hybrid thus drives emission-free on shorter stages of the journey and is extremely economical on longer distances. Its electronic control of the hybrid drive helps it to do this – the e-propulsion drive and the combustion engine then work in unison together. With the interaction between the navigation system and the hybrid system, the Passat thus uses electrical energy efficiently to support the combustion engine.

“Any development that is progressive and makes sense in an overall view is close to my heart”.

Nadja Uhl

In addition, the battery can be managed conveniently and easily while driving. Drivers can specify exactly to what percentage of the combustion engine the battery should be recharged or the maximum amount of charge that can be used. This ensures that there is always enough energy available when it is needed. For example, when the GTE glides silently through picturesque villages. Nadja Uhl: “I am a person with an affinity for cars. Any development that is progressive and makes sense in an overall view is close to my heart.”

“For me, a luggage space in the car is important.
The Passat offers plenty of space.”

Nadja Uhl

Nadja Uhl’s dream holiday takes place far away from the hustle and bustle and the masses of tourists: “We don’t go to campsites, but to parking areas where you can park your VW bus behind the dune. And that's about it.”

Sleep comfortably behind the dune or in a secluded spot next to the lake – that’s easy with a roof tent on the Passat GTE Variant. The view from the tent is spectacular. “Sitting under the starry sky in the evening and being in touch with nature – that is simply the most beautiful thing for me,” says Uhl.

If the sky darkens or the lighting conditions under the avenue of trees is tricky, driving in the Passat GTE Variant is still safe thanks to IQ.Light: the LED matrix headlights not only improve visibility – especially important at dusk when deer cross the road, for example. The IQ.Light also helps to avoid dazzling oncoming traffic.

The journey goes along the German Avenue Route (Deutschen Alleenstraße), past corn and poppy fields, tree after tree. The journey leads you through a canopy of green leaves – almost 3,000 kilometers long, Germany’s longest holiday route, stretching from the Baltic Sea to Lake Constance. A stop in Waren, for example, is worthwhile for a visit to the “Müritzeum”: the largest freshwater aquarium for native fish in Germany, housing 40 species. You can also relax in the garden at the Herrensee where accompanying children have plenty of room to play.

Nadja Uhl takes a break: “You experience a different kind of Germany while camping.”

And there is even more to discover on this tour between trees and beaches, lakes and sea. “I think the west beach on the Darss is the most beautiful beach in the world,” enthuses Nadja Uhl. “The best way to get there is by bike, because it’s too far to walk.” She also loves Rügen but avoids the large swimming areas and the crowds: “I would always recommend heading for the stillness. For example, into the tree-lined avenues. It’s pure magic.”At the end point of the trip she recommends the opposite of the Müritzeum: “In Stralsund, as well as the Gothic brick, I love the Ozeaneum and the sea museum. My tip: Afterwards, enjoy a fish roll directly next to the canal behind, or over in Altefähr, at the harbor.”

But it is not only the nature and the impressive places that give the most beautiful memories of the camping road trip. It is “the people you meet,” Nadja Uhl believes. “You experience a different kind of Germany while camping.”

Passat GTE Variant – the best-selling plug-in hybrid from Volkswagen

The Passat GTE Variant has the following engines: 1.4 TSI 4-cylinder petrol engine (115 kW/156 PS) with a displacement of 1.4l/1,395 cc and an electric engine: (85 kW/115 PS) with 160 kW/218 PS system power
System torque: 400 Nm
Maximum speed: 222 Km/h
Acceleration from 0 to 100 Km/h: 7.6 seconds
Transmission: 6-speed DSG
Dimensions: 4,773 - 4,889 mm in length, 1,832 mm wide and 1,516 mm height
Payload: 408-575 kg, loading capacity: 483-1.613l
Tank capacity: 50l
Battery: 13 kWh lithium-ion high voltage battery
Pure Electric range: 66-64 km (according to NEDC) Total range: 960-930 km (according to NEDC)
Fuel consumption combined: 1.6-1.3l/100 km
Electricity consumption combined: 15.1-14.7 kWh/100 km
CO₂ emissions combined: 37-36 g/km
Euro-Norm: Euro 6d-ISC
Charging time from zero to one hundred percent: 5h (230-volt mains), 3h 33min (360-volt wallbox).
The time preselection on the infotainment system or via app makes it possible to activate the charging of the batteries virtually remotely.
The assistance systems are bundled under IQ.Drive: This means that the Passat can be driven semi-autonomously over almost the entire speed range up to 210 km/h.
IQ.LIGHT: LED matrix headlights improve visibility and avoid dazzling oncoming traffic.

Safely underway on leafy avenues

See better and be seen better: Under the leafy trees it can be dark. Therefore, it is advisable to always turn the light on.
No speed: Avenues are often twisty making it difficult to identify oncoming traffic. This makes overtaking maneuvers just as dangerous as driving too fast. A maximum speed of 80 km/h is safe, 60 km/h in corners – especially when trees are close to the edge of the road.
Danger of skidding: The leaves of the trees continue to drip for a long time after the rain, so it is better to drive slowly and avoid abrupt steering or braking maneuvers.
Be careful when driving too close to the side of the road: you should not drive with your wheels on the verge, as it is often unstable.