2004 Volkswagen Passat Review

Specifications

Plain Jane Passat is Comfortable but Dated

I received a call from a friend of mine saying she was in town for only two days and that we had to “play”, our code word for having fun and hanging out. Unfortunately, I already had plans that Saturday night (obviously!), so instead we “played” on Sunday night.

I went over to her parents place where she was temporarily staying and found that it was not only her that had come back for a brief visit, but her other siblings as well. We ate some homemade blackberry pie and chatted. Then the topic of jobs came up, and of course, that led to a suggestion of taking my temporary 2004 VW Passat to a local park on a “test drive”, a test drive that included two six-foot plus males and one 510″ female sitting in the rear, as well as myself and my “playmate”. The Passat was full. But even with a carload of adults, the base model Passat 1.8T with 170 horsepower at 5,900 rpm and 166 lb-ft of torque between 1,950 and 5,000 rpm performed quite well while accelerating up steep hills and while pushing it through tight turns.

Although my tester did not have the standard 5-speed manual transmission, the optional 5-speed automatic transmission with Tiptronic was sufficient. The 5-speed manual cuts nearly a second off its 0 to 60 mph acceleration; 7.8 seconds compared to 8.7 (minus a carload of crazy cats). But like I said, the 4-cylinder was still fun to putt around in.

I asked my “carmates” what they thought about the Passat, space-wise. One replied that if there were only two of them (males) in the back, it would have been more comfortable. This makes sense considering there are only 42.4 cubic feet of rear passenger volume and only 37.8 inches of headroom. Their heads were just about touching the ceiling and therefore felt a little cramped with the third person in the middle. But honestly, how often are there three adults sitting in the rear of any car unless its a carpool to and from work, and even then the trip is not usually too long? They did, however, enjoy the cushy leather seats, which are optional by the way, and found there to be adequate legroom despite the front seats encroaching on their feet.

With all that said, happy passengers make a happy driver, and that I was during my test week in my Passat GLS loaner. For the majority of the week I was cruising solo, of course, but its always nice to hear what the backseat drivers have to say. Still, what really matters is my opinion and Ill stick to that!

Simplicity is a running theme in most Volkswagens Ive tested. Each model has basically the same interior layout, which makes getting comfortable in any of the brands cars all that much easier. Each button is clearly marked and easily recognizable; something Im fond of in VWs. The exterior is also very simple but classy; clean-cut with some nice curves. And new for the 2004 model year Passat, Golf (except the TDI), Jetta (except the TDI), and others, is a new chrome application to the exterior side window frame, bumpers, grille and side mouldings making the look all the more upscale.

The interior also has a touch of chrome ornamentation around the instrument cluster and door handles. In addition, the optional leather package with wood, which included leather seating surfaces, a leather-wrapped multi-function steering wheel, leather shift knob and hand brake lever, plus wood interior trim, added to the comfort of my ride. The leather option is an additional $1,915, but I think that its well worth it.

My tester featured some nice luxury add-ons which included a power sunroof, 15-inch alloy wheels on standard 195/55R15 all-season tires, rear sunshade and HomeLink (a system with garage door-opening capabilities). While I liked the stylish, albeit small diameter rims and power sunroof, I didnt find the rear sunshade and HomeLink system to be of any use to me.

What was of use while testing out the Passat with a carload of people were the 4-wheel disc brakes with ABS. Stopping distances are dependant on speed and weight in the car, and while loaded down the Passat performed effectively on dry roads. Unfortunately (but fortunately) there was a heat wave on the west coast during my test week so the clouds and showers stayed away. Therefore I cant report on the effectiveness of the brakes on the slippery roads.

I wasnt so distracted by the sunshine not to play with the many standard features loaded in the Passat though. I appreciated the keyless entry remote, and the premium 8-speaker AM/FM/single CD and cassette was quite good. Requisite cupholders were included too, plus air conditioning, cruise control and a quiet, pleasant and smooth ride. By the way, VWs 4Motion all-wheel drive can be added for additional traction.

Despite its list of features and adequately powered engine, there isnt one particular thing that made me say, “Wow! This is a great car.” Its a little on the plain side for me and except for interior quality was just average. Nevertheless, it features a smooth-ride and looks pretty sleek. In the end its a pretty nice piece of German engineering.