Volkswagen Passat 2.0T

2006 marked the year Volkswagen updated the Passat line with an all new body and a clever new 2.0 turbo engine propelling the car to 60 miles an hour in under 8 seconds while still getting nearly 30 miles per gallon. This feat isn't half bad for a luxurious family sedan with a base price under $24,000. Shifting through the six speed manual box is nothing special, but it is very easy to use. Volkswagen shifters have always felt a bit cheap and imprecise to me, lacking that nice positive engagement you get from other manufacturers.  The car gives a very nice feel, pulling smoothly to redline with minimal turbo lag, and even has enough bite to chirp the tires on up shifts. This 2.0 turbo engine is miles better to drive than the optional 2.5 liter 5 cylinder: smoother under light throttle, and will show an equivalent 2.5 it's tail lights at full throttle. Torque is available anywhere over 2,000 rpm's, but the power does seem to die off towards redline.

 Living with the Passat day to day is very nice with plenty of room for driver, passenger, and even enough leg room in the rear for most people. A long trip in the back seat was fairly comfortable and quiet. The interior is convenient too, with a nice sound system to listen to and plenty of room in the trunk. 

Though the car by no means encourages sporty driving, it does provide a very nice steering feel at it's limit. The biggest qualm I had with the handling was the massive amount of body roll. A stiffer suspension could easily eliminate most of this body roll, but for the market the Passat is aimed towards the handling takes a back seat to ride quality.

The exterior of the car is fairly basic, nothing exceptional, but certainly not an unattractive vehicle. Some of the chrome bits and pieces seem slightly gaudy, but the worst part is the wheels. A car with a full leather interior and many other options can still come with terrible steel wheels with hub caps; come on Volkswagen, a car in this class should only have alloy's as an option. 

Through the driving experience is very positive overall, there are some major drawbacks to the Passat. Engine troubles are fairly numerous, and potentially expensive. Adding a quart of (very expensive) oil every 1000 miles is mandatory, lest you get a "low engine oil pressure" warning around every sweeping corner. The owner of the model I tested was on his second turbo, and had to replace 3 coil packs due to random misfires. Another issue he had was the electronic parking brake, very cool in theory, but certainly has it's drawbacks. The switch malfunctioned during the test, allowing the car to roll backwards even after applying the parking brake, requiring another significant repair. Volkswagen produced a car that is very good to drive, but until they nail down some of the mechanical gremlins it just doesn't quite get my full seal of approval.