Author by : James Raia

While negotiating the auto route and back roads of France during the month of July for the past several years, no vehicle has appeared more confident on the road than the Volkswagen Passat.

The European version looked different than the U.S. models I’d seen, but the Passats scooting down the highway and being adeptly driven through city traffic never got close enough for me to get a better look.

The newly designed 2006 Passat available in the United States, however, looks more like the European version. And after a weekly test drive of the 3.6-liter, 280-horsepower, V6 with a six-speed automatic transmission, it was easy to understand why the vehicle is so popular in Europe.

From a design perspective, the new Passat offers more room nearly everywhere — it’s three inches longer and wider, and the cabin is substantially more spacious with 2.4 inches of rearseat legroom. The rear storage area is slightly smaller than previous editions at 14.2 cubic feet. But there’s more usable area, thanks to the newly designed and more compact rear suspension.

My test vehicle’s exterior color, a rich dark blue, was nicely matched with a two-tone black and tan interior. The combination of new design and superior color coordination prompted a fair share of complimentary looks and comments from passersby.

The interior redesign also features some clever innovations. The Passat no longer has an ignition switch; Instead, a key fob is inserted flush into a dashboard slot.

Further, the Passat has double front-window visors, an umbrella holder in the driver door and an automatic hatchback operating system. The hatchback opens via the key fob and it closes via a push button inside the hatchback hood.

These nice features aside, driving the Passat is even more impressive. My test vehicle included Volkswagen’s all-wheel drive feature called 4Motion, a new fully independent suspension and a sports package option featuring 18-inch wheels.

As such, the vehicle has an impressive grip on the road during as well as impressive acceleration and power. The manufacturer says the vehicle performs the standard 0-60 mph test in 6.2 seconds, which is slightly faster than the front-wheel drive version.

The Passat is more than adequately comfortable, with its leather seats firm and conforming. A leather shift knob and leather-covered steering wheel are also part of the $3,000 sports package option that also includes 12-way power front seats, steering wheel radio controls, automatic headlights, foglights, automatic climate controls, rain-sensing wipers, navigation system and satellite radio. The 3.6-liter Passat version also includes a power sunroof, AM/FM radio with in-dash, six-disc CD/MP3 changer.

The Passat’s one overt shortcoming is that it’s not particularly quiet. Road noise isn’t the issue, rather the engine growls heavily during acceleration.

As a midsize vehicle, the Passat is a more expensive choice than its primary competitors, the Toyota Camry and Honda Accord. But the Passat has been a reviewers’ favorite for several years, and it’s hard to argue the succinct summation of Edmunds.com:

“With its fun-to-drive character, premium interior furnishings and wide range of features, the Passat is one of our favorite midsize sedans and wagons. Don’t buy your next family car without driving one of these first.”

The Weekly Driver: 2006 Volkswagen Passat

Safety Features – Dual front, side and side curtain airbags.

Fuel Mileage (estimates) — 19 mpg (city), 28 mpg (highway).

Warranty – Bumper to bumper, 4 years/50,00 miles; Powertrain, 5 years/60,000 miles, Corrosion, 12 years/unlimited miles; Roadside Assistance, 4 years/50,000 miles; Free scheduled maintenance, 2 years/24,000 miles.

Base price – $31,900.

[tags]Volkswagen, Passat, New Cars, Car Reviews, Automobiles, Auto[/tags]

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Author by : James Raia

Golf courses to restaurants, the quaintness of the small towns to the Pacific Ocean, there’s nothing quite like a visit to the Monterey Peninsula. But the 200-mile drive from Sacramento is also an ideal route for testing cars. The high-speed interstate to narrow city streets, there’s no place to hide a car’s faults and there are plenty of opportunities for a vehicle to showcase its best attributes.

My weekly test drive on a recent visit to the Monterey Peninsula was the 2006 Volkswagen Passat. It’s available in three versions, the 4-cylinder Value Edition and 2.0T (turbocharged) models and the higher performance V6 marketed as the sports model.

I drove the 2.0T, which was plenty sporty and responsive on the high-speed, often crowd open roads of Interstate 5 to the winding, more subtle state routes of approaching the peninsula.

With the exception of the wheelbase, which is the same as the 1998-2005 sedans, Volkswagen redesigned its midsize car for ‘06. The body has been extended three inches in length and it’s wider, too.

For the first time, a navigation system, steering-linked, bi-xenon headlamps and either manual or automatic six-speed transmissions, instead of five, are all standard. Front-wheel and VW’s 4-Motion all-wheel drive are also both available, with my tester including the front-wheel drive option.

The V6 Passat with its various options can exceed $35,000. But my Passat for the week was more than $10,000 less. And in nearly every category — acceleration, steering and handling and comfort — the Passat has a lot to offer for a fair price.

Most impressive is the combined effect of the Passat’s steering and handling, acceleration and ride quality. The car just feels right on the road. It has quick (but not overpowering) acceleration at any speed, with the standard 0-60 mph test (with automatic transmission) reported at 7.4 seconds.

The Passat smoothly and confidently maneuvered through every driving scenario presented — winding country roads to intense freeway traffic. Some major car review publications have cited wind rush from the windshield at high speeds, but that wasn’t the case during my drive.

Volkswagen takes a straightforward approach with the Passat’s interior. The exterior “shadow blue” color was nicely matched with the two-tone interior, beige leatherette seats and charcoal gray console and paneling.

The instrumentation panel and radio gauges are also straightforward and require little learning curve. The Passat interior isn’t luxurious, but nor are its interior materials cheap.

As a midsize, four-door sedan, the Passat is more spacious for front-seat riders, but its rear seating isn’t cramped via either its leg room or head room. The trunk isn’t particularly large, but the pass-through feature with a 60-40 rear seatback split is a nice addition. The trunk also has two side storage pockets, good for small bags or fragile items that need sequestering.

The Passat has a good variety of standard features: a push-button parking brake located to the left of the odometer to front and rear reading lights and cupholders. There are power windows and power locks, daytime running lights and a full-featured, in-dash AM/FM radio with CD/MP3 player. The 2.0-turbocharged edition adds front-power reclining seats, the aforementioned trunk to rear seat pass-through and alloy wheels.

The Passat’s only disappointment during my test drive, which included about 500 miles of primarily freeway driving miles, was lower-than-promoted gas mileage estimates. Consumer Guide rated the Passat’s freeway mileage at 26.9 mph, slightly more than five mph less than the manufacturer’s estimate. My gas mileage was very close to the review guide’s average.

Still, the Passat is largely matched against the Honda Accord, Mazda 6 and Toyota Camry, and it’s a good alternative positioned against strong rivals.

The Weekly Driver: 2006 Volkswagen Passat

Safety Features — Driver and front passenger front, side and side curtain airbags.

Fuel Mileage (estimates) — 23 mpg (city), 32 mpg (highway).

Warranty — Bumper to bumper, 5 years/60,000 miles; Powertrain, 6 years/60,000 miles; Corrosion, 12 years/unlimited miles; Roadside Assistance, 4 years/unlimited miles.

Base Price — $23,900.

[tags]2006 Volkswagen, Passat, New Cars, 2006 Cars, Car Reviews, Autos, Automotive[/tags]

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