VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT Review

Summary:

What we like: Interior storage space

What we don't like: Front-seat comfort, expensive

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VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT review in detail:

Volkswagen would like to see itself regarded as a prestige German maker, almost in line with Audi, BMW and Mercedes, but most people in Australia still regard it as only a slightly upmarket car maker, not a full-on luxury one.

Passat's interior room has plenty of space for four adults and a fifth isn't overly cramped. Plenty of knee clearance in the rear, but tight toe space beneath front seats. And taller passengers may want more head clearance. Useful wide-opening doors for fine entry/exit.

The sedan's shielded boot lid hinges encroach into cargo space. The boot is otherwise deep, wide, easy to load, and enhanced by 60/40 split folding rear seatback with pass-through. The wagon's cargo space is nicely trimmed, has handy side storage pockets, but the seatbacks don't fold fully flat.

The turbo-diesel and V6 petrol engines use the excellent sequential-shifting DSG manual gearbox that minimises fuel consumption without any loss in performance. In fact, performance may be better than that from a full-manual gearbox. The 2.0T is likely to satisfy most buyers: sprightly from a stop, impressive in midrange and highway passing. Depends on blend of turbo boost and transmission downshift for best response, however.

The four-cylinder petrol engine uses a conventional automatic with some manual overrides.

Firm, in the European tradition, with entire car reacting as a unit to bumps. Around town, sharp imperfections register with a jolt felt through seats. Reassuringly stable at highway speeds. Little evident difference between base and sport suspensions, 16- and 18-inch tires. Adaptive cruise control is a new option for 2007 on top-line versions of these sedans and wagons.