Road Tests: Long-Term Test

Passat freak Erin Riches managed to wrest our silver family sedan from the clutches of anyone else on staff who so much as looked at the car in August. Well, one might also observe that other editors were occupied by the newer arrivals in our fleet — the Nissan Altima, Audi A4, Mini Cooper S and now, a Saturn Vue — leaving Erin to enjoy a VW that is settling gracefully into middle age.

As in previous stints, our road test editor used the Passat for the routine stuff (commutes and weekend errands), though at the height of vacation and forest fire season in Southern California, there were a fair number of surprises along the way. Usually these came in the form of gridlocked traffic and areas with uphill grades, where a car with modest low-end torque and a clutch that engages high in the pedal's travel is not the most pleasant companion. However, with the use of the parking brake, Erin avoided sliding back in traffic and/or stressing out the clutch, and thus had no occasion to speak unkindly to the sweet-tempered Passat. Still, a version of the Subaru Forester's Hill Holder Clutch (which holds down the brake for you until the clutch engages) would be nice to have in VW's manual-shift cars.

Often during the month, Erin found herself traveling north in the early evening, such that sunlight was shining in through the driver window. The dark aftermarket tinting on the windows (an upgrade made by the car's previous owner) helped somewhat, but our editor was still annoyed by the small size of the sun visors and the lack of either extenders or secondary visors.

One thing that did please Erin was the seat comfort. Previously, she wrote that the contouring of the Passat's driver seat was all wrong for her body, making it impossible for her to be comfortable over an extended period. But with several weeks to adjust to the seat design and find exactly the right position with the rotary controls, she grew to like the seat — finding that with the use of the telescoping steering wheel and the adjustable center armrest, she could assume a slightly reclined posture and still feel in control of the car. And she enjoyed the spacious footwell, which gave her plenty of room to stretch her legs. Really, the only thing that continued to bother her was the placement of the brake and gas pedals; from Erin's perspective, the pedals seem to be on separate planes with the brake pedal mounted higher than the accelerator. This complicated her efforts to match revs on downshifts, as it proved next to impossible for her right foot to contact both pedals as the same time.

Erin also decided that aside from the small, flat buttons on our Passat's low-mounted stereo head unit, she really liked the design of the car's interior. "The nighttime illumination in the Passat is incredible even in the GLS model," she wrote in her notes. "All four window buttons on the driver door light up. Even the child lock-out button for the windows lights up! You won't find conveniences like this in most luxury cars." She was also fond of the manual climate controls: "The three dials feel very substantial, and they permit a wide range of adjustment for temperature and fan direction — you don't have to settle for half-and-half bilevel, you can send more of the air to your feet or your face if you wish. And I like the way the illumination for the air conditioner and recirculate buttons makes it very clear whether that function is on or off."

Our road test editor's time with the Passat was broken up by the arrival of a 2002 Toyota Camry LE (to be discussed in a forthcoming "Road Test Follow Up"). Although the test vehicle was equipped with an automatic transmission, this Camry, powered by a 157-horsepower 2.4-liter inline four, is essentially a peer of 1.8T-equipped Passats past and present.

True to its mission in the U.S. market, the Camry had a wonderfully soft ride. After the Toyota left, the Passat, a big softy in its own right, actually seemed a bit firm-riding to Erin in comparison. Still, as our long-termer quickly reminded her, the slight trade-off in ride quality (if anyone besides Erin even notices it) is more than worth it. The VW's firmer suspension tuning resulted in less rebound over bumps and freeway expansion joints, not to mention a more controlled, more engaging ride overall. "The Passat's more progressive steering assist makes a difference, too," our editor wrote. "Here's a car that's easy to deal with in parking lots, while offering considerably more heft at highway speeds, giving it a more confident feel. Not that the Camry didn't feel confident, but it continually made me aware of its modest limits, whereas the Passat feels somewhat athletic and capable of taking on more. And so I tended to drive it with more enthusiasm."

Adding to Erin's warm feelings for the Passat this month was its lengthy fuel range. Even though she regularly encountered patches of heavy traffic and drove at a brisk pace whenever possible, she was still able to get about 400 miles out of each tank (about 26-27 mpg), which meant she didn't have to visit a gas station every week despite a 66-mile round-trip daily commute.

Noting that two other editors have backed away from suggestions that they might buy the Passat after its two-year stay with our staff ends next month, Erin quietly toyed with the possibility of buying it herself. She soon realized it wouldn't be a good move, as she would never have time to enjoy it given her current employment here. Also, lacking much in the way of an immediate family or an entourage of friends, she rarely requires the space of even a midsize sedan. Perhaps she would regret not getting something smaller and sportier. For those who could make room for a Passat in their lives, Erin would highly recommend ours — or any other that's in good condition with a strict maintenance history.

Current Odometer: 54,052
Best Fuel Economy: 27.6 mpg
Worst Fuel Economy: 23.8 mpg
Average Fuel Economy (over the life of the vehicle): 25.1 mpg
Body Repair Costs: None
Maintenance Costs: None
Problems: None