And when we hear folks equating FTD with a high seating position, we're tempted to contact the Thought Police.įTD is an amalgam of limited body roll, brisk transient response, precise steering, and a favorable power-to-weight ratio. But in the realm of safety, we lean strongly toward vehicles with a high agility index, optimizing crash avoidance, rather than those that are likely to have an edge in total mass when the collision occurs. They've been supplanted by minivans and sport-utility vehicles, the former for their greater capacity, the latter because they're perceived as cool, and also because they convey a sense of invulnerability and empowerment to certain drivers. We all know why the popularity of station wagons has dwindled to almost nothing in the U.S. But even though the coefficient of drag is, at 0.30, 0.03 higher than the sedan's number, wind noise is still close to Accord/Camry territory. The engine emits a bit of buzz at idle, and exceptionally warty pavement will communicate occasional thumps through the suspension and into the ears of the occupants. On the credit side of the ledger, the stygian interior decor is brightened at night by the neonesque instrument and secondary-control lighting-blue and red-and the cabin is commendably quiet at most operating speeds. There are two interior shortcomings: a color scheme that seems to have been inspired by an hour or so in the dark depths of the Carlsbad Caverns-coal miners will feel at home here-and audio controls designed for folks whose fingertips resemble freshly sharpened pencils. Behind the seats, the Passat can swallow 39 cubic feet of stuff 56 cubes fit with those seats folded flat. In back, there is an extra 1.4 inches of headroom and a bit more shoulder width. Up front, the buckets lack some lateral support but otherwise offer a wide range of adjustments and include side airbags tucked into their outer edges. Seating is another of the Passat's strong suits, as it usually is with VWs. LOWS: Bituminous interior, indifferent grip, modest acceleration. With a test weight of 3180 pounds, we weren't at all surprised by its 8.5-second 0-to-60 time, even though our test car had the standard five-speed manual transmission. It reaches its 150-horsepower peak at 5700 rpm. As we've noted before, Volkswagen's five-valve-per-cylinder engine is no screamer. Less sidewall and a little more contact patch, as well as a tread compound less closely related to linoleum, would definitely enhance this car's abilities in the realm of driving for entertainment.Īcceleration is still another essential component of FTD, and here the Passat's performance rates so-so, at least when it's equipped with VW's corporate 1.8-liter twin-cam 20-valve turbo four. They also sniveled in switchbacks and just flat howled in any kind of hard cornering. We have to presume these tires were chosen primarily for ride quality, and probably price, because they whimpered at the first hint of rambunctious ramp running. Indifferent skidpad performance (0.75 g) identifies the limiting factor, a set of 195/65R-15 Continentals. This trait-and the power of the all-disc brake system, augmented by a virtually pulse-free Bosch 5.3 anti-lock brake unit-doesn't really show to advantage in our formal test results. The base five-cylinder five-speed V70 opens at $28,860. A $325 All-Weather package (heated front seats and washer nozzles) and a power glass sunroof ($1000) bumped the as-tested total to $23,125. The base price of our Passat GLS tester was $21,800. The Subaru Legacy GT packs a bit more power and space, plus all-wheel drive, for $23,990. So that leaves the Passat with few credible competitors: The Volvo V70 is not only bigger and quicker in its turbo editions but also considerably more expensive. In their recent redesigns, wagon models disappeared from both the Accord and Camry model ranges, and neither of their former offerings was as nifty or nimble as the new Passat. For that matter, the same can be said for the Passat's former rivals from Honda and Toyota. VW-Audi also has three-the Audi A4 and A6 Avants, and the new Passat-and any one of them provides more driver gratification than all their U.S. Tested: 2007 Volkswagen Passat 2.0T Wagon.Tested: 2000 BMW 323i Wagon: A True Sport Utility.From The Archive: Five 1999 Euro Wagons Compared.
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