Volkswagen and Audi share the 1.8 T engine. Although relatively small, this 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine uses double overhead camshafts with five valves per cylinder, and a turbocharger and intercooler to produce a prodigious 170 horsepower. All of that stuff is about breathing, and it means the 1.8 T can pump a lot of air (and fuel) through to produce lots of power. Its broad torque band, with 166 pounds-feet available from 1950 rpm all the way up to 5000 rpm, means it responds whenever you step on the gas. One downside of the 1.8 T is its thirst for 91-octane unleaded premium. Passat 1.8 T is rated 22/31 mpg City/Highway by the EPA. A Honda Accord EX gets better fuel economy.

We love the 1.8 T when paired with the manual transmission. It's incredibly smooth and quiet, but step on the gas and the car takes off, no matter which gear it's in. At first, we hated this engine with the automatic transmission. The transmission is quite sophisticated, but does not always seem to understand what the turbocharger is trying to accomplish. As a result, the transmission hunts back and forth, particularly annoying around town. Also, it can get caught out just when you need power: Jump into a clear lane in stop-and-go traffic, step on the throttle and it can hesitate for a moment as if it's trying to figure out what it's supposed to do. Meanwhile, an 18-wheeler is barreling up in the rear-view mirror. But familiarization improves it and most of the time it works just fine. Like the engine, the transmission is incredibly smooth. When cruising on the highway or when standing on it, it works very well and the Tiptronic allows the driver to shift manually. That said, we still think 1.8 T works best with the manual transmission, while the automatic works best with the V6 engine.

Passat 1.8 T is quicker than a Honda Accord EX or a Toyota Camry SE. The 1.8 T with a manual gearbox is quicker than the V6 with an automatic. W8 is the quickest Passat with a claimed 6.5-second dash from 0 to 60 mph.

Raw numbers aside, we like the eager feel of the 1.8 T with the five-speed manual. It has a solid punch down low, thanks to careful tuning of the turbocharger, but really sings in the upper rev range. This engine truly enjoys its work, and working it is especially enjoyable. So car and driver are happy. The shifter slides effortlessly from gear to gear, contributing an operational delight of its own, with a feel of quality material shaped by careful hands.

Passat GLX and GLS V6 models offer excellent throttle response and quick acceleration performance. GLS V6 ($26,460) is an excellent choice for someone who wants a responsive sedan with an automatic. The 2.8-liter V6 engine develops only 20 more horsepower (190) than the turbocharged four-cylinder, but produces a healthy 206 pounds-feet of torque (verses 166 for the 1.8 T). Torque is that force that propels you away from intersections and up steep grades and the V6 has plenty of it. According to Volkswagen, Passat GLS V6 can accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in about 7.3 seconds, while Passat GLS 1.8 T takes 7.9 seconds, when both have five-speed manual. (With the automatic, it's 8.2 for the V6, 8.8 for the 1.8 T.)

We drove a Passat GL with the manual transmission on winding roads in the red clay hills north of Atlanta. And we drove a Passat GL with the five-speed automatic in the desert country of Southern California on back roads between Palmdale and Santa Barbara. We were impressed by the Passat's ability to accelerate away from slow corners with little drama from the chassis. The Passat shows none of the squirreliness suffered by many front-drive cars, due in large part to its sophisticated front suspension.

Cornering is balanced front to rear, with little understeer. The four-link front suspension uses coil springs and an anti-roll bar, while the rear suspension relies on VW's trusted and true torsion beam axle with trailing arms, coil springs and an anti-roll bar. (4Motion models ride on a fully independent, double-wishbone suspension at the rear, which helps explain what happened to the trunk space.) The chassis absorbs bumps and potholes like a damp sponge on spilled milk. The Passat is solid, with no shakes transmitted through the steering column or the chassis. Want confidence? It comes bundled in the base Passat.

In fact, it's a good thing cruise control is standard, as it can help drivers avoid tickets in this superb sedan. Passat's competence at high speeds springs from its upbringing in Germany, the home of the Autobahn. Passat cruises lazily at any legal speed in the U.S.

Volkswagen's Anti-Slip Regulation (ASR), a traction control system that comes standard, reduces wheel spin and improves stability under acceleration. Also standard is an Electronic Differential Lock, which helps apportion torque between the front wheels, again for improved stability, less wheel spin, and quicker acceleration. Four-wheel disc brakes are standard, along with anti-lock braking (ABS). Steering is by power-assisted rack and pinion. The turning circle is a not especially tight at 37.4 feet curb to curb.

W8 offers a lot power, but its power is masked by its smooth delivery. The W8 responds to the accelerator pedal with a no-fuss/no-worry whoosh. The 4Motion all-wheel drive mutes any residual histrionics as the Passat is whisked to surprising velocities in a remarkably short period of time. On winding roads south of Half Moon Bay, California, we had the opportunity to let the W8 scamper. Significantly, we left the Tiptronic gear lever in full-automatic mode. The engine's torque was so smooth and the shift programming sufficiently clever that we didn't feel the urge to improve upon it.

Non-technical folks might want to skip this paragraph, but we think the gearheads in the audience will enjoy a little exploration of the W8's anatomy: W8 isn't an entirely new engine, being based on two Volkswagen VR6 engines, minus two cylinders each. The VR6 is a narrow-angle V6 with an enclosed angle of 15 degrees and a single cylinder head. VW engineers originally joined two VR6 engines to create a running W12-powered concept car. In the W8, two "VR4" engines are joined at 72 degrees on a common crankshaft. Offset crank pins produce an even firing pattern, but the whole unit is not dynamically balanced, and requires twin counter-rotating balance shafts. But the result is a compact eight that makes more horsepower than an engine squished into that small of a space has a right to make. The W8 produces 270 horsepower at 6000 rpm with a strong 273 pound-feet of torque at 2750 rpm.

Volkswagen is rightfully proud of the distinctive engine note of the W8. It sounds good both inside and outside the car, especially when accelerating. There's no harshness, just a distinctive warble from eight even-firing cylinders. That said, the Passat W8 does not possess a particularly sporty personality, but rather one of a long-legged touring car. The W8 is speed-limited to 130 mph (ungoverned, and with a different final drive, it will go 145 in Europe) in deference to softer tires used in America where top speed is academic anyway. Passat W8 weighs about 800 pounds more than the front-drive GL, and its city mpg drops below 20, and that's on premium fuel. Highway mileage is very respectable, however.

Road noise is noticeable in all Passat models, especially over tar-and-chip type pavement, and there's wind noise at 80 mph, but it's not significantly noisier than a Honda Accord.