So this is the star I'd read about for so many years. The "standout in a sea of generic family sedans." The Wolfsburg wonder with a trunkful of trophies that might have gone to any of 20-plus competitors, many of them boasting higher quality rankings and lower MSRPs. When performing for such a rational, reserved audience, it takes some memorable machinery to leap hurdles like those.
The Passat does make an impression. The first thing I did was scramble to find the key, soon learning that it flips out of the remote fob Swiss-army style. Neat. After entering through the firm-detent doors, I reached for the seat's recline lever. A few futile cranks hinted I was going nowhere but up - oops, this is a height adjuster. Changing the seatback angle, something drivers do more often, instead calls for a thousand rotations of a stiff knob. The steering wheel tilts and telescopes, the radio works without the key's permission, and there's that much-copied ability to roll down all windows from outside. So this is the Volkswagen way.
Looking around the room betrays any Beetle heritage. A meaty steering wheel complements the creamy leather surroundings and the glovebox and ashtray descend gently from their hinges. On leather-lined cars, rich wood and aluminum decorate the center stack and seat heaters get thrown in. Struts suspend the hood and trunk, the latter getting a power outlet. Even your Bics and Rand McNallys get royal treatment from an air conditioned glovebox. “This could be an Audi” was my first thought, never forgetting that the Passat sprung from Audi's A4.
From its upscale cousin, the Passat inherited its V6 and turbo 4 engines, both transmissions, and optional 4MOTION all-wheel-drive otherwise known as Quattro. Different combinations of parts will result in vastly different driving impressions; our Passat permutation was of the 4-cylinder, manu-matic, all-wheel-drive variety.
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