Road Tests: Long-Term Test

Rejuvenated from last month's 50,000-mile service, our Passat motored into July without any problems. Senior Road Test Editor Brent Romans was the car's assigned driver this month. He used the Passat for his daily commutes to the office, as well as for a variety of errands and trips. As has been the case with the majority of our staff, Brent finds the Passat to be an enjoyable and versatile machine.

One of the Passat's assigned tasks was to make a 100-mile round-trip to Los Angeles International Airport to pick up the parents of Brent's girlfriend, Claudine. Her parents were returning from a nine-day East Coast vacation, and they had two large suitcases and two large carry-on luggage items. The Passat's trunk was big enough to hold all four items. With Claudine in the front passenger seat and her parents in back, Brent says that everyone was quite comfortable.

For another trip, Brent drove to San Diego for a weekend to visit his cousin, Aimee. Interestingly, Brent reports that his cousin owns a Passat identical to our own. Hers is a silver '99 with a 1.8-liter turbo engine and five-speed manual. She bought it used, as we did, and she has owned it for about a year. Her previous car was a '92 Jetta.

So far, Aimee says that she "loves it" and hasn't had "one problem yet." When asked what her favorite features are, Aimee says she enjoys the way the car drives, and she especially likes the feel of the shifter and the engine's power. Other favored attributes include the blue-and-red nighttime interior illumination and the minimal wind noise when driving on the freeway. Her only significant complaint is with the pop-out cupholder design, something to which a number of our editors have also reacted negatively. (Apparently, a number of other Passat owners did, too, as Volkswagen replaced the flimsy rack with a more conventional design in the 2001.5 updates.)

In just a few months, our Passat will reach the end of its two-year service with Edmunds. While Senior Editor Christian Wardlaw had voiced his desire to buy the car, he has since backed off. This left Brent wondering if he would buy the car.

As he doesn't have a need for a four-door sedan, he says he doubts it. However, he does have a clear set of ideas as to what he would do with the car if he did buy it. "Right now, the car is bone-stock," said Brent. "In terms of performance, it's a decent sedan. It handles reasonably well, and the power, as we've noted many times, is certainly adequate. But in order for me to enjoy the car, I'd have to have more."

Brent goes on to say that he'd want additional power and better handling. Fortunately, these two areas are easily addressed by adding aftermarket components. For more power, Brent suggests an ECU chip upgrade to increase the amount of boost pressure generated by the turbo. For example, Neuspeed sells its P-Chip, which reportedly raises horsepower by 30. This would give our Passat 180 hp, equivalent to the Audi TT and 2002 1.8T Volkswagen Jettas and GTIs. He would also get a freer-breathing exhaust and air intake system.

For the suspension, Brent feels the stock struts and shocks are too soft. He would purchase a set of sport-tuned shocks, as well as some lowering springs. A variety of suppliers are available, including Eibach, H&R, KYB and Bilstein. According to Tirerack.com, a '99 Passat can safely run 17-inch wheels and 225/45R17 tires. Brent estimates these engine and suspension upgrades would cost about $4,000.

Would they be worth it? Brent thinks so. If you own a Passat or are considering a used model, you might want to consider these modifications to "kick it up a notch."

Current Odometer: 52,310
Best Fuel Economy: 26.8 mpg
Worst Fuel Economy: 19.8 mpg
Average Fuel Economy (over the life of the vehicle): 25.1 mpg
Body Repair Costs: None
Maintenance Costs: None
Problems: None