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I am not often impressed with the base model of a mid sized sedan, especially
one with a 4 cylinder engine, manual transmission and absolutely no extra cost
options. Give me a V6 with leather, GPS and a set of cool alloy wheels
every time. But Volkswagen threw me a curve with this $23,000 Passat Value
Edition. I did not expect to like it as much as I do. When I drove the
fully loaded Passat 3.6 with leather and navigation a few months back, I thought that it would compete favorably with the near luxury cars from Lexus,
Acura and Infiniti despite the Volkswagen nameplate, but the price tag on that Passat,
$37,000, was also in the same ballpark as those near luxury sedans, so no
bargains there.
But the Volkswagen Passat is also available with a 4 cylinder engine and
less content in order to bring the price down to a level that would allow it to
compete with cars like the Toyota Camry and Honda Accord so that is what we
decided to test for this report.
 Our test car is called the Passat 2.0T Value Edition and is the price leader in the Passat stable with a base
sticker of just under $23,000. This is still
several thousand more than the base models of the Accord and Camry, but even in
this lowest priced Passat, there is significant content to make it worth the
extra bucks.
Our
Value Edition with its 4 cylinder engine and manual transmission looked, with
the exception of the wheels and badging, exactly like the fancier 3.6. The
16 inch wheels where steel with plastic wheel covers that looked like a
set of alloy wheels unless you looked close. The interior also looked
expensive with black leatherette upholstery that gave the appearance of
perforated genuine leather.
Seats
are comfortable and supportive. The driver's seat is adjustable for height
with a lever on the side that you pump up and down to change cushion height.
Cushion angle is not adjustable. Seatback angle is adjusted with a large
knob on the side of the seat, but I found it hard to turn even when my
weight was completely off the backrest. There was a second knob above it to adjust lumbar
support.
The rear seat was comfortable and roomy with a seatback that was split
60/40 to revealed a wide pass-through that allowed the already large trunk to be expanded into
the rear seat area. The rear armrest covered a smaller pass-through for long
skinny items that don't require flipping the seatback down. The seatbacks
can be locked to protect trunk contents when in a valet parking lot.
 The dash looks like it belongs in a much more expensive car. The meters
light up at night with blue markings and red pointers, which is a signature
Volkswagen look. The numbers and markings are on the small side for people who normally use reading glasses.
Value
Edition is not just a fancy way to say this is the low end Passat. This
car actually contains some upscale features not often found in a car at this
price point. For starters, all four power windows have auto down AND auto up.
What this means is that you press the power window button past a notch and
release it for the window to open or close completely. This is a feature
that is usually found in cars in the $35,000 and up range.
You will more
commonly see this feature to open windows, but not to close them. This is
because there is a safety concern where a child may accidentally get caught in the closing
window. In order to be allowed to install the auto close feature, each
window must have an
obstruction detector so that the window will immediately stop and reverse
directions if it detects something (like a head or an arm) in its path.
This obviously adds cost to the mechanism which is why it is not normally found
on cars at this price point.
 While we're on the interior,
the Passat has a handy receptacle in the
edge of the driver's door for an umbrella. It even has a drain hole to let any water out.
Another unusual feature is a push button, electric parking brake to replace
the parking brake pedal or handle. You apply the parking brake by pushing
the button while your foot is on the brake pedal. To release the parking brake,
step on the brake and push the button again.
The main problem with this system, especially with
a manual transmission, is when you leave the car with a parking attendant.
You need to make sure that they know how to drive it. You may need to give a quick lesson to
the attendant, and hope that he will be the same person to bring the car back to
you. I speak from experience here. I had to leave the car in a
parking lot for a couple of hours and made sure that I asked the attendant if he
knew about this car. He assured me that he did. But when I came back
for the Passat, a different person went to fetch the car and, luckily I saw that
he could not figure out how to release the parking brake. He was
trying to get the car to move with the parking brake applied, so I quickly ran
over and relieved him of his duty and pulled the car out myself.
Volkswagen should include a laminated instruction card that you can hang from
the mirror for these occasions.
Starting the Passat also requires some instruction. There is no key to
speak of. Instead, you have a remote transmitter that you insert into a
slot in the dash. Once in the slot, you are in accessory mode where the
radio and other electrical items come alive. To start the engine, you push
the transmitter in past spring pressure (make sure the clutch pedal is depressed
if you have the manual). If you stall, which happens to the best of us
while driving a stick, you need to pop the transmitter out and reinsert it to
restart the engine. I doubt that you will see too many of these cars in
rental fleets.
 The real surprise was the way this car performed. This was no ordinary 4
cylinder engine. It was a 200 horsepower turbocharged and intercooled 4 with direct
injection that pulled strongly while still providing a respectable 23 miles per
gallon in the city and 32 mpg on the highway. Acceleration was impressive
with a 0 to 60 mile per hour time of 6.9 seconds. The smoothness and power of this
engine made it feel like a V6. There was some turbo lag when accelerating
from a stop, but once moving, throttle response was excellent. Engine
noise was well controlled, even at full throttle. Road noise was also well
subdued and there was virtually no wind noise, even at 80 miles per hour.
The manual transmission was equally impressive with six speeds and a slick,
positive, short throw shifter. There is also an Auto Hold feature for the
manual. When Auto Hold is engaged, the car will stay in place when you
come to a stop and release the brake pedal, even if you are on a hill.
This way, you can calmly step on the gas while you release the clutch without
fear of rolling back. The optional automatic transmission is
also a six speed unit with a manual shift gate so that you can shift it yourself
if you so desire.
On the road, this car was loads of fun to drive. Between the sharp
steering, responsive engine and smooth 6-speed shifter, this Passat made me forget
that I was in a 4 cylinder family sedan as I blasted down my favorite country
road. I did not notice any torque steer at all, even in some heavy rain
storms where it was easy to loose traction during acceleration. When this
happened, the standard traction control immediately took over and regained
traction. Stability control is also standard.
Volkswagen did a great job with the Passat body structure. This car
feels as solid as a car costing two and three times as much. The doors close with a satisfying wump. Ditto for the hood and trunk.
I took the car on a back road in my neighborhood that I use to test body
structure. This road is riddled with ruts and potholes making it ideal for
testing a vehicle for squeaks, rattles and body shake. The Passat handled
the road with flying colors. It was as good as any car I have taken on
this road.
Fit and finish on the Passat was excellent. The dash pieces fit
together precisely and looked upscale. Dash and door panels use soft-touch
materials for a quality feel. Upholstery was well tailored and
body seams were precise.
There are a number of safety features that are standard on the Value Edition,
including: ABS brakes, traction and stability control, Front-side air bags and
front and rear head curtain air bags.
The Value Edition is well equipped from the factory, but lacks features that
are available on the standard 2.0T. If you want to add a power seat, or other option packages like a sunroof,
leather seats or a navigation system, don't consider the Value Edition.
In fact, there are only three options available for the Value Edition: 17
inch Akiros Alloy wheels, Rear
seat
side air bags and an automatic transmission. That's it. If you want
more, look at the 2.0T model. It starts at $23,900, which is just over
$1,000 more that the Value Edition.
I thoroughly enjoyed my week with this car. It is fun to drive, has
plenty of power and is well equipped for its price. The engine is smooth
and satisfying, the handling is crisp and the car makes for a comfortable highway
cruiser.
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