| gen Passat Wagon. Just right. | | | | is not a sport wagon. Oh, sure it's sporty, riding on |
| We hope you've enjoyed your trip through the mind of | | | | sizable 17-inch tires and snaking through our slalom test |
| the average Volkswagen Passat Wagon buyer. | | | | at a very respectable 62 mph, but it isn't a very |
| Please watch your step when debraining. | | | | engaging drive. When you're holding the keys to this |
| For nine years, VW's midsize wagon has carved a | | | | machine, spending your day driving mountain roads |
| nice little niche for itself. It's been more refined than its | | | | won't occur to you. |
| domestic and Japanese competition, yet more | | | | Three inches of additional width give passengers more |
| affordable than other similarly sized European wagons. | | | | hip and elbow room, plus rear legroom has been |
| Although its mission of affordable luxury remains the | | | | increased by 2.4 inches. Cargo volume is up as well, to |
| same, the 2008 Volkswagen Passat Wagon is | | | | 35.8 cubic feet, which means it can swallow quite a lot |
| essentially an all-new car. VW has given it the same | | | | of Freeda's fruitcake. The BMW offers 33.6 cubic feet. |
| extensive redesign it laid upon the Passat sedan in | | | | The rest of the interior is identical to the two Passat |
| 2006, which means it has grown a little larger, a little | | | | sedans we've already tested, which is to say |
| heavier and a lot more powerful than its predecessor. | | | | beautifully screwed together and richly appointed. |
| Net-loving VW shoppers can find redemption in the | | | | Problems are still limited to seat bottoms that lack |
| Passat's acceleration, which makes the BMW 530xi | | | | shape and thigh support, cupholders with little hold, and |
| sport wagon feel like it's running on four. The VeeDub's | | | | the misplacement of the push-button parking brake. |
| 3.6-liter V6 makes 280 horsepower at 6,200 rpm and | | | | Instead of down by the shifter where it belongs, VW |
| 265 pound-feet of torque at 2,750 rpm. It also makes | | | | put it way over left of the headlight switch. |
| this 3,953-pound wagon quite quick. | | | | We also found the optional navigation system to be a |
| Zero to 60 mph takes just 6.7 seconds. The | | | | bit lethargic. Although it has thoughtful features like |
| quarter-mile is left behind in 15.1 seconds at 93 mph. | | | | "Back" and "Gas Station" buttons, it seems to think |
| Both performances better the BMW by a bunch. | | | | slowly compared to other units. |
| If it isn't quick enough, leave the 4Motion all-wheel-drive | | | | Another plus is the heft of the Passat's doors. They |
| system off your order sheet. It'll save you $2,000 and | | | | just feel substantial, as do its chunky pull-type door |
| about 250 pounds. The last front-wheel-drive Passat | | | | handles. Visibility is also excellent and the felt-lined big |
| 3.6 sedan we tested weighed 3,576 pounds and ran a | | | | bin left of the steering wheel is a nice touch. But the |
| 14.7-second quarter-mile. | | | | biggest ergonomic improvement is the growth of the |
| Much of the Passat's thrust can be credited to its | | | | Passat's door bins; they've gone from miniature to |
| tightly geared six-speed automatic transmission. It's a | | | | massive and can now hold a good-size water bottle. |
| Tiptronic, so manual shifting is available should you feel | | | | Like its four-door brother, this latest round of redesign |
| racy, but we seldom felt the need. When left in "D," the | | | | has been good to the Passat wagon. It's improved in |
| transmission does well enough on its own, so we just | | | | every measurable way, and it continues to deliver on |
| left it there most of the time. We didn't even make | | | | the promise of an affordable midsize luxury five-door. |
| much use of its Sport mode, partly because the | | | | Although there's now more competition in the wagon |
| gearchanges and throttle inputs become too abrupt for | | | | world, maybe even more than in the days of Vista |
| smooth city driving and partly because it's just | | | | Cruisers and Country Squires, the Passat Wagon 3.6 |
| unnecessary. | | | | 4Motion should once again find a loyal following. |
| Despite that propulsion, the Passat Wagon 3.6 4Motion | | | | |