Road Tests: Long-Term Test

November's Passat caretaker had sufficient opportunity to probe the existence of a Volkswagen driver. In addition to daily commutes in our revered family sedan, Contributing Editor Erin Riches test-drove a 2001 Jetta GLX Wagon with the 174-horsepower 2.8-liter VR6. Though both cars were leather-lined, the wagon — with its four-speed automatic transmission, sport suspension, low-profile 17-inch tires and Monsoon sound — was clearly intended for a different sort of driver. Mostly, a more affluent sort.

"After spending several days in the Jetta Wagon optioned with the Sport package," Erin wrote, "I supposed that returning to the 150-horsepower Passat and its soft suspension would seem rather dull. But how different a VW with a manual feels! Move the shifter through the gears and the car's broad torque band (155 pound-feet from 1,750 to 4,600 rpm) allows it to rocket forth — well, to the extent that a family sedan can. Sure, the Jetta Wagon and its more powerful engine felt faster, but in our Passat (which is also about 200 pounds lighter), I was more involved in the driving experience, and I could have downshifts as soon as I wanted them.

"Indeed, the Passat's suspension is soft," she continued, "but the ride quality on the highway is superb — a base Passat 1.8T with a stick, minus the leather and sunroof that our long-termer has, would still make a really comfortable commuter car. Still, I do wish that VW would offer a Sport package for the Passat with firmer suspension tuning and more aggressive tires (at least, for the GLS, the lower-profile GLX tires could be optional) — even after driving the updated 2001.5 Passat. I guess that an option like this will be reserved for the upcoming Passat W8 with 4MOTION. More budget-minded Passat buyers might be interested, too, though."

Later in the month, Riches used our long-termer to journey to a live performance by Tool (a somewhat self-aware, somewhat progressive metal band) deep within the borders of politically charged Orange County, Calif., at the poetically named Verizon Wireless Amphitheater. She was graciously accompanied by two individuals, possibly defined as friends. Overall, the Passat proved to be a suitably comfortable and unpretentious conveyance for the group.

Occupants appreciated the trunk-mounted CD changer, given the length of the ride, though in future years, Riches hopes that VW will consider relocating it to the dash. Additional storage, chiefly in the center console area, would have been desirable — Volkswagen noted this deficiency and improved the situation in the 2001.5 model. Our '99 Passat does have the manual "single-zone" climate controls that were easy to use and kept everyone quiet — at least with regard to skin temperature.

In the past, our contributing editor had generally found the car's leather seats and their crazy rotary adjustments very comfortable. However, after more than 200 miles behind the wheel in one evening, she wasn't as happy with them — much as Senior Road Test Editor Brent Romans noted in the October 2001 update. "The back cushion seemed rather flat and hard," she whined, "and for some reason, the manual adjustments just don't have the precision of VW's power adjustments — I thought the loaded Jetta Wagon's power seats were great after equivalent time behind the wheel."

Good maneuverability, even in the ridiculously overcrowded and chaotic amphitheater parking lot, and the Passat's reasonable dimensions allowed our editor to "create" a parking spot at the end of an aisle when the situation became dire — the 4x4s had taken up all of the grassy ditches, and Tool was three songs into the performance.

At the end of the show, the group returned to the Passat to find a passenger of the adjacent mid-90s Accord who obviously couldn't wait to use a conventional restroom. She was huddled just outside our VW's driver door while being shielded by her friends, who tossed a few apologetic words our editor's way. "I had an opportunity to test the Passat's entry/exit under duress — climbing into the driver seat from the passenger side," Riches wrote. "I was successful; the only doubtful moment was when my shoe got caught on the steering wheel, but I easily freed it."

After everyone was back in the Passat, shaking off the chill from the outdoor concert, there was a lot of inching forward and back and waiting — it took about 30 minutes to get out of the poorly designed lot. "It is in these situations that the Passat's high clutch engagement is irritating," Riches wrote. "Every time I eased forward, I had to supply more throttle than would have been required in other cars, simply because I had to wait longer for first gear to engage — this is tiring. Once we were finally out of the lot and back on the freeway, I wanted a less floppy shifter. When I was shifting quickly, it was sometimes a bit difficult to find third gear — I never missed it, but on a few occasions, I wavered slightly before finding the right notch."

Just before it was time to part ways with the silver VW, another editor noticed that the Passat's right rear brake light was burned out. Since this wasn't the first time we've needed to replace a bulb in the Passat, Riches planned to purchase a new brake light bulb at the parts department of our local VW dealership and then install it herself with the aid of the owner's manual.

She sought the advice of Road Test Editor John DiPietro, who had changed one of the car's headlamp bulbs earlier, in finding and removing the current dead bulb. After locating the problematic light source (by pulling up the carpet in the trunk), DiPietro tightened the bulb slightly, and unexpectedly, it began to illuminate once more when the brake pedal was pressed — good thing we investigated the situation before running to the VW dealer.

Though abbreviated by the arrival of various test vehicles, our contributing editor's month with the Passat was very satisfying. "As much as I like to think that I belong in a small sports car," she wrote, "the midsize Passat is really a good fit for my personality and driving habits. It handles well while still allowing you to pile up miles in the serenity of its cool black cabin and carry more than one passenger whenever you want. It's fuel-efficient but it feels surprisingly fast — plus, it would be validating to think of myself as the owner of an affordable, turbocharged car. It's not an Accord or a Camry, but based on our 14 months with this certified-used '99, its reliability outlook seems equally promising."

Current Odometer: 44,246
Best Fuel Economy: 28.0 mpg
Worst Fuel Economy: 23.9 mpg
Average Fuel Economy (over the life of the vehicle): 25.9 mpg
Body Repair Costs: None
Maintenance Costs: None
Problems: None.