2007 Volkswagen Passat Review

Specifications

At this point, there’s no doubt that the Passat is a hit at the office.We’ve all spent a fair bit of time behind the wheel—on long road trips, daily runabout missions in the downtown core and as a budget taxi service for girlfriends and friends, who all agree with us as well (they better, or the free rides won’t last much longer). It’s roomy, it’s comfortable, and it’s just good looking enough to draw attention (but not too much) for its grace, rather than glitz.

What they might not realize is how incredibly safe it is, although if they’ve seen any of VW’s recent commercials, they would likely remember—I can’t think of any recent commercials that make as much of an ‘impact’, at least not since Terrible Terry Tate, Office Linebacker (if you’ve never seen it, youtube it, it’s worth the couple minutes). As for the safety, it begins with ABS brakes, Traction and Stability control as standard equipment across the board so that every Passat driver has the tools to avoid accidents or collisions as best he or she can. If the unavoidable occurs, driver and passengers are protected by a solid structure, driver, passenger and sideairbags, also as standard equipment. Airbags are good, but the proof is in the crash tests, and IIHS awards it a Top Safety Pick silver medal for earning top scores in front and side crash tests, and NHTSA ranks it with 4 stars or more in all of its battery of tests.

That gives us peace of mind, but what gives us unfettered joy and brings slight tears to our eyes is the comfort of the front seats. The adjustments are all manual, but the contouring and support make every drive a relief for all who spend time inside. It’s also a joy to drive, with sneaky power at whatever speed is chosen and as smooth a ride as can be asked for in this price range. Of course, it’s not without its faults, as we’ve been experiencing a few mysterious technical difficulties that you can read all about in our log entries. And now, more about those seats…

Odometer: 1,891 miles

Jonathan: Now this is a car I could get used to! Compared to our other long-termcars, this is resplendent luxury, even though it is a fairly basic Passat with only a small group of upgrades. It’s roomy, easy to get in and out of, the seats are superb, keeping me fresh and happy on a quick two-hour jump out to visit mom and sis—driver seat is manually adjustable, but it has great contours and even decent bolstering. For a car with 5 seats, all generous enough for adults (though the center back passenger blocks rear visibility), gas consumption is very reasonable in the 2.0T, returning just a drop over 23 mpg on the long cruise (although I’m sure Justin could have done better), but by the end of the trip the driver information screen between the speedo and tach just mysteriously went blank, kind of a nuisance if you are trying to track your consumption. The other big nuisance is that it seems to take a rather long time to warm up, leaving me shivering and rubbing my hands most of the way to work on these cold winter mornings we’ve been having lately.

But enough with complaints, I love this as a mini-long-term tester! It’s a car I could really warm up to because it’s the ideal vehicle to have between other testers: it’s a mellow comfortable ride to offset the sporty and aggressive cars, or big lumbering SUVs and pickups, but it’s not weak or underpowered in any sense thanks to an engine that gets up to 200 hp early and stays strong well into highway speeds; it’s got an automatic transmission (just the Tiptronic, not DSG), but it has six forward gears so it’s perfectly capable of adding a little bit of zing in manual or Sport mode or relaxed motoring without worrying about stiff clutches or rubbery shifters when you just want to get home. One of my favorite aspects is that mellow, comfortable ride, which still holds on stoically in corners unless you’re either trying to shake it loose or driving like your pants are on fire. The only car that I feel matches it in terms of daily functionality and ability to be pushed is the Saturn Aura, which also comes with a V6 at a much lower price point.

Then again, despite the Aura’s notable leap forward from Saturn’s past, its cabin is stillno match for the impeccable interior of the Passat. Where the Aura mixes and matches original pieces and design with common elements from the GM parts bin, the Passat is the evolution of a brand that dominates the entry-level interior game. Materials don’t seem to have suffered the same downgrade as the mk.IV to mk.V Jetta/Golf-Rabbit, so the redesign is fresh, functional and just as inviting as almost anything in the entry-level luxury segment, a leap VWs made in the previous generation. One particularly cool aspect is the moat around the upper dash, separating the dash from the windshield, which carries through into the door–kind of pointless and a dangerous well into which crumbs and spills might collect, unless VW also offers a special vacuum attachment especially for that moat. Anyhow, it looks cool, as does the hi-tech patterned plastic trim that breaks up the grey-black dash-scape, and at night, VW’s red-glowing buttons and blue-glowing screens and gauges are personal favorites. Practical people will also appreciate room enough for a decent stack of CDs in the center armrest and some more in the door pockets, and the cup holders are excellent–nothing fancy, just good for gripping a wide assortment of sizes in their centrally located position, but low enough so drinks don’t interfere with your arm when you reach for the shifter (unless you drink coffee by the yard).

Justin says he wants the car back, but I think we’ll have to have a discussion–a discussion between my lead pipe and his kneecaps, if you know what I mean.

Odometer: 2,109 miles

Justin: Ha! I got the better of Jon this time! He was no match for my avengingdagger-claw attack!

Justin: Noticed today while pulling into a parking lot that the multi-function display that Jon wrote about is on the fritz. It blanked out - just for a fraction of a second - enough so that it caught my eye, but went on working. Then, poof, it’s all out. No trip computer, not even the little display that shows what gear the transmission is in. It comes back when I turn the car back on though, so I’m not worrying about it too much… yet.

Odometer: 2,142 miles

Justin: Auto-down windows are just about standard on every single car with power windows. Auto-down windows for passengers are starting to show up too, as are auto-up for the driver. But the Passat out-did my expectations by offering auto-up and auto-down on all four windows.

Another thing I like is that the glove box is actually a decent size. Since VW relocated the six-disc stacker to the head unit, they’ve freed up the pull-down drawer - its prior home - to store the owner’s manual. That means I have room to store the usual long term car glovebox stuff - a box of wetnaps, various packets of gum, cough lozenges, candy bars (gotta keep in mind the passengers, no?) and most importantly, our logbook.

Odometer: 2,240 miles

Jonathan: No kidding, you let Justin have a car for a couple weeks and you get itback with junk in every corner of the vehicle. I haven’t seen the log book, but there’s papers strewn about everywhere like a cyclone ripped through his textbooks and at least three bottles or empty cups are rattling around the trunk, not to mention his gym bag. It’s finally starting to look like a real person’s car.

To get back on the case of the Disappearing Trip Computer, it went AWOL on me again today, after less than fifteen minutes of driving. I believe Justin investigated the matter. It’s not that it is crucial or has an impact on safety, but when you get used to the convenience of a trip computer, especially when you’re trying to judge to within the last few drops of fuel so that you can make it to your destination using the “Distance to Empty” function, it gets kinda’ scary when it just disappears as it’s getting down to 20 or 10 miles. Who knows how much longer the gas will last at that point.

Trip computer or not, it’s still a comfort to drive, especially getting back into it after a couple of SUVs, which mysteriously cost thousands more but don’t come close to the quality and ability of our Passat 2.0T. Despite the high vantage point, the amount of body roll, strange upright seating position, and the amount of fuel you can go through even with thrifty underpowered engines. Hold on, got to run to the bank.

Odometer: 2,241 miles

Jonathan: Woo hoo. Gotta love RRSP loans!

Long-Term Specifications (Passat 2.0T):