Road Tests: Long-Term Test

Are you considering buying an Audi or BMW for 30 grand or more? What about a Mercedes for 40 or 50 thousand? Forget it. Just find a Volkswagen Passat with a stick shift and you'll get the same great German driving experience at a bargain price. End of story.

Our long-term updates often contain faint praise and mild approval. But this month, Consumer Advice Editor Philip Reed reached into his big bag of superlatives and gushed over our 1999 Passat GLS with 50,000 miles on the clock.

"This is a car that awakens dormant feelings of driving excitement," he wrote in his logbook. "This is a car that makes you look for openings in traffic even if it won't really get you there sooner. This is a car that connects you with the road. This is a car that delivers both performance and economy."

Remember that we acquired our long-termer as a certified used car for $19,775, and at the time of our purchase, it had been driven only 19,000 miles. For that price, we got a good-looking sport sedan with a leather interior, a power sunroof and a six-disc CD changer — all with VW's two-year warranty. More importantly, we got that great German car feeling you would pay much more for in a BMW, Mercedes or Audi.

"You are getting the thrill of a German driving experience without having to pay for the name," Phil wrote. "The Passat gives the driver 80 percent of the excitement at a 30 percent lower price tag. Unless you must have a three-pointed star or a blue and white propeller on the hood of your car, get a loaded Passat. You'll get fewer speeding tickets and avoid making pretentious friends."

During the month that Phil drove the Passat, he also spent a few nights in the new long-term Audi A4 3.0. While he was impressed with the Audi, he didn't feel the $34,035 price tag brought significant extras. "At times, I actually forgot which vehicle I was driving. Yes, the Audi delivered more mid-range passing power with its 3.0-liter six-cylinder engine. But the Passat's turbocharged 1.8 liter engine, coupled with the five-speed manual transmission, gives a nice rush of power on the low end. You get the boost when you need it without dragging a big engine around and wasting gas."

When Phil first stepped into the Passat, his driving style changed. He began looking for openings in traffic, accelerating for the sheer joy of it and charging into corners. "It was the car that made me do it," he wrote in his notes. "Each car demands a certain style of driving, and the Passat definitely asks you to find open road and let it stretch its legs."

One feature that Phil discovered was the onboard computer that provides several different types of information. He became obsessed with seeing exactly how long it took to get to work, how many miles he logged if his route varied and what kind of gas mileage he was getting on each trip. It was easy to toggle through this information by depressing the switch at the end of the stalk to the right of the steering wheel.

Phil also became aware of how well insulated this car is. As he noted in his logbook: "It is so quiet in the cabin, you become aware of other noises — the leather creaking as you are moved around in the seats while cornering, the ticking of the turn signals, your own excited breathing."

There were, however, a few concerns in Phil's otherwise positive notes. On rough roads, the car feels like it's becoming a bit loose. "This isn't noticeable most of the time, during which it retains that tight, German feeling of quality. But hit a few potholes and this car begins to show its age."

As we have commented on previously, the placement of the cupholders seemed highly inconvenient to Phil. "When I shift into fifth, I punch my cup of coffee," he wrote. Additionally, Phil says the driver seat doesn't recline easily, except by cranking a large knob positioned on the left side of the seat. It takes a lot of cranking to get the seat into a comfortable place. Finally, Phil has always hated the car's poor rear visibility, as it's blocked by massive rear seat headrests, a high trunk lid and wide C-pillars.

As our Passat passes the 50,000-mile mark, there are only a few signs of wear. There are some small creases in the black leather upholstery, the previously mentioned looseness on rough roads and a general dullness to the black plastic exterior trim. However, the overall body style is the same as the current model's, giving it a contemporary appeal that Phil's family enjoyed. This was highlighted by an incident that occurred during a fatherly task. Phil relates:

"I went to pick up my 11-year-old son, Tony, at school and saw him standing on the corner scanning the traffic, looking for me. He seemed to look right at me without recognition. After I parked and went to get him, I asked, 'Didn't you recognize me? You looked right at me.' 'Yeah,' he said, "But you looked like Mr. Cool in that car. So I never thought it was you.'"

Current Odometer: 50,161
Best Fuel Economy: 25.8 mpg
Worst Fuel Economy: 18.5 mpg
Average Fuel Economy (over the life of the vehicle): 25.2 mpg
Body Repair Costs: None
Maintenance Costs: None
Problems: None