Our test vehicle featured optional leather seats and door inserts, as well as a power sunroof for an added touch of luxury. Also a nice touch, the front bucket seats were electrically heated.The instrument panel was clean and straight-forward, displaying a combined fuel/temperature gauge an speedometer and tachometer dials. We discovered by pressing a button on the turn signal stalk that there was also an array of LCD read-outs that gave us current mpg, long and short trip mpg performance, and outside temperature. Also present were handy warning lights on the dash above the center console for the hand brake, the anti-lock braking system (ABS), the headlight dimmer and the driver's seat heater. That same center console housed the only ergonomic flaw we discovered in our Passat GLX: When pushed forward to the park position, the shift lever pinched our test driver's fingers against the front of the console. Other than that, everything was perfectly placed and configured. A single joystick control for both power side-view mirrors was on the driver's door, with one-touch power window controls just below. Our Passat GLX boasted 97 cubic feet of room in total and offered more head- and legroom than most of the sedans we've tested, including the popular Honda Accord. The rear seat also had a center armrest that folded down to create an opening to the trunk. This was great for accommodating oversized items such as skis.
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