Road Tests: Long-Term Test

Much like writing toaster shootouts for Consumer Reports, updating our long-term Passat's coverage is a pretty boring affair. We haven't had any accidents, turbo meltdowns or strange green fungi growing in the trunk. This 40,000-mile vehicle has been a trusty steed, encountering no more problems than any of the newer vehicles in our fleet.

Due to a large influx of test cars this month, we struggled to amass 1,000 miles on the Passat this month. Senior Road Test Editor Brent Romans drove the car for a few days. As other drivers have noted in previous updates, Brent finds the power from the 1.8-liter turbo to be perfectly adequate. The suspension, however, is in need of improvement. "The suspension tuning is too soft for me," said Brent. "I realize this is a family sedan, but I think firmer shocks wouldn't hurt ride quality much while drastically improving the handling response of this car."

This is in contrast to Associate Editor Erin Riches' views on the car. She recently drove a 2001 VW GTI GLS equipped with the sport suspension and 17-inch wheels. "I like the Passat even more now that I've had the opportunity to spend an evening in a GTI," she said. "The ride in the GTI seemed only marginally tauter than our long-term Passat's. Of course, this suggests that the GTI just isn't very sporty or fun as sport hatchbacks go. But I'm more inclined to say that the Passat is rather sporty among family sedans, though not more so than the Nissan Maxima. With the GTI's price around $22,000, I would rather have a lightly equipped Passat GLS or a certified used one."

Though Erin would prefer a cloth interior, she liked the smell of the black leather in the cabin. The VW-style manual seat adjustments were some of the "strangest levers and gears" she's ever encountered, but once she got everything in the right place, the seats were exceptionally comfortable. Erin recommends that any Passat shopper at least try out a GLS with the manual seats before springing for the GLX and its power seats.

Another driver this month was Consumer Advice Editor Philip Reed. He jumped into the Passat for a few nights and was reacquainted with an earlier favorite. He reported that he was "surprised all over again" that the 1.8-liter turbocharged engine delivered such strong acceleration over a wide range of the power band. "It's not loaded with low-end grunt, but the turbocharger really gets it moving," he said, adding that the extra expense (and the lower fuel mileage) of the V6 model seemed unnecessary.

"This car may not have the top end of a Beemer or the interior refinement of a Mercedes," he commented, "but it still has that feeling of Teutonic solidity. For my money, I actually prefer it over a BMW. You can drive with the classes and still eat with the masses."

There were only two things Phil didn't like about the Passat. The tiny radio buttons made him complain that he had to take his eyes off the road too long to switch from FM to AM or to hit the oddly placed power button. Also, when Phil was executing a lane-change, the three bulbous backseat headrests cut his rear visibility to a minimum.

These are pretty minor complaints, though. Our Passat continues to be one of our favorite go-to cars. Anytime there's people-hauling to be done, the switchblade-style key is among the first to be grabbed. Next month, we plan to take our VW in for its 40,000-mile service. Stay tuned.

Current Odometer: 39,451
Best Fuel Economy: 26.0 mpg
Worst Fuel Economy: 24.6 mpg
Average Fuel Economy (over the life of the vehicle): 25.5 mpg
Body Repair Costs: None
Maintenance Costs: None
Problems: None