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2007 Volkswagen Passat 2.0T Extended Test Update No.1

There's a big smile on my face. It's not the weather, or the recent acquisitionof my bi-monthly paycheck (which always makes me smile), rather the conversation I've just had with the rep from Volkswagen who inquired if the Mid-West office would like to have a VW Passat for an extended term test. I'm sure you would have been smiling too, especially since the Passat is regarded particularly highly around these parts. It would be about a month and change before delivery of VW's biggest sedan would take place, and it would be an impatient matter of crossing each passing day off the calendar.

What makes the prospect of having a Passat live with us from day to day is its high comfort factor. The seats may look flat, but they’re supportive in all the right ways and soothing over long distances, or short distances with lots of traffic. On the move, it’s quiet and smooth and handles more than just straight roads with zeal, plus it’s built well and has enough clever and unique features to entertain

It's here, it's here, it's finally here! (Photo: Justin Couture, American Auto Press)

(or bore) four other guests during those long journeys.

The particular car that was assigned to us is a 2007 Passat 2.0T sedanwith VW’s very clever and very good 2.0-liter turbocharged engine. It’s found in the vast majority of Volkswagen’s product range, and why would most want to look to anything more being that it’s powerful, tractable and economical beyond reason. At 200 horsepower it distances itself from the competition’s less powerful, larger, naturally aspirated four-cylinders, which is always a nice thing. We would have liked to try out VW’s six-speed manual in the sedan, but the take rate’s so marginal that tracking one down might have required a private eye. So we got

It's a high quality world, full of clever features, and colorful lighting. (Photo: Justin Couture, American Auto Press)

the six-speed automatic instead, which is fine by us. It’s what most consumers purchase anyway.

Excluding the wagon, there are currently four different models of Passat, base, 2.0T, 3.6 and 3.6 4Motion. Ours is the 2.0T model, which has been boosted up with Package No.1 and leather heated seats. That means a six-disc in-dash CD stacker with aux-in, power glass sunroof, 16-inch Catalunya alloy wheels, fancy schmancy exterior chrome trim and a couple of other niceties. And considering the asking price is well under $25K with a base price of $23,960, we like to think that it’s a good bang for the buck without neglecting your luxury/sports sedan tooth.

Now we turn to the logbook, to see what our scribes have to say:

Odometer: 1,166 miles

Justin: Besides the unusual lack of snow, it feels

High performance Pirelli 210 Sottozero tires have aggressive bite on slippery and slushy roads. (Photo: Justin Couture, American Auto Press)

like it’s Christmas all overagain for me. It’s been a little while since I was last behind the wheel of a Passat, but it feels like I've come home. The unfortunate part is that after waiting for this car for so long, it’s going to be leaving my hands at the very end of the day. So very, very unfair. At least I've got a chance to relish the relaxing ride up to the meet point where I'm to swap for a Focus sedan.

Makes me wonder why more cars in general aren’t like the Passat...

Odometer: 1,811 miles

Steven: I picked up the Passat from Justin on a Friday night and then proceeded to take it and my wife to Niagara Falls for the weekend. Since it was just a getaway for the two of us, timed to beat the hotel package price increases that come with February, the Passat appealed to my thrifty side. It is an attractive, if somewhat subdued design. It’s a nice sensible sedan that isn’t as flashy as say, an Audi would

Auto hold function useful for hopping out of the car and taking photos... (Photo: Steven James Day, American Auto Press)

be. The three small bags we took for our getaway just swam in the huge trunk. Inside, the Passat is very roomy and very comfortable. The heated leather seats were supportive and I didn’t feel tired at all during the two-hour drive. Since the highway is where the Passat shines, we took the most direct route down to Niagara, cruising effortlessly and quietly at highway speeds.

I love the 2.0T but felt I had to work it a bit hard to pull a car the weight andsize of the Passat around. The 2.0T can be a bit thirsty at times too, especially while shifting the transmission to “S” or using the Tiptronic mode. Both modes moved the car quickly, but that extra performance came at the cost of fuel economy. The 6-speed automatic also offers an auto-stop mode, just push the button to the left of the shifter and the transmission will hold the car at a stoplight so you can take your foot off the pedal to stretch them if you like. Almost all of the interior materials felt excellent to touch and looked great. Unfortunately the cheapest feeling piece is the one I had to touch all the time, the steering wheel. It wasn’t even leather-wrapped,

Getting to and from Niagara Falls was both relaxing and easy thanks to the Passat. (Photo: Steven James Day, American Auto Press)

nor is it as soft as I would have expected in a VW. A leather-wrapped wheel is available as an option, mind you. I really like the way the dash intersected with the door panels, as well as the silver and graphite colored trim on the dash and around the radio and HVAC controls. Speaking of the radio, it’s also a 6-disc CD changer that is MP3 compatible, and sounded very good. I liked how it not only displays the folder number, but the artist and song name as well, all at once. The interior also offers lots of neat little storage areas, including two tiny drawers on either side of the hazard light switch.

Complaints? I have a couple. The brake pedal could certainly be firmer as it requires quite a lot of pressure before the car slows. However, one neat trick is that the brakes dry themselves every few minutes when you drive in wet conditions. As with the A6 I recently drove, the Passat mirrors are tiny and therefore it took me some time to get used to them. The standard 16-inch wheels are an attractive design, but look a bit small on such a large sedan. On the way home from Niagara we encountered a bit of an ice storm, but fortunately VW was nice enough to equip our Passat with a good set of Pirelli Winter 210 Sottozero snow tires, so snow and ice was handled with aplomb.

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