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Volkswagen Passat sedan reveals trend-setting crescent shape
Bob Plunkett
Date Posted: 5/10/2005
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ROMANCE, Ark. -- Expect the unexpected, if you like I get the chance to drive Volkswagen's redesigned Passat.
This mid-size sedan, providing seats for five and a high caliber of precision mechanicals for which German automakers excel, drives with the no-nonsense spirit of a sports coupe but carries comfort assets of a family sedan.
Unlike any other German sedan, however, Passat bears prices pegged well within the realm of affordability -- beginning below $22,000.
And get this: The new edition contains commendable safety gear on the long list of standard features, including not just two but four airbags, plus computerized anti-lock brakes, even a traction control system.
How good is Passat?
Well, the European edition, which emerged last year, won high praise from automotive critics, with accolades like "New Car of the Year" and "Best Car of 1997."
This revised edition, based on a stretched chassis borrowed from the impressive Audi A4, reaches our market wearing 1998 tags and a unique exterior design that's so slippery it scores as one of the world's most streamlined car shapes.
The profile amounts to a graceful arc from tip to tail across a bowed roofline supported by thin pillars, with flared wheel arches emphasizing the crescent theme. In front, rounded bumpers and a prow marked by horizontal grille and Euro-style halogen headlamps rakes rearward to initiate the arc, while in back the window slopes almost to trailing edge of an integrated spoiler followed by a sheer cascade to tail bumper.
Remember those circles: They establish an interesting new design theme for Volkswagen which sets Passat apart from all of the fluid designs of Asian cars and the angular interpretation of European sedans -- and hint of similar arched lines coming later this year in a revived New Beetle.
One look at the new crescent shape of Passat and you'll quickly realize this is not just one more mid-size sedan to add to the tally. There's something unusual developing here, and tests prove it amounts to pure automotive magic.
Consider the shapely new form of Passat as an initial volley in Volkswagen's declaration to return to a prime position among world automakers.
At one time, Volkswagen -- meaning the "People's Car" in German -- was recognized as epitome of wee wheels and cheap, cheap prices with the original Beetle. Those days are long gone, of course, but so too are Volkswagens like the old Beetle, from which VW's reputation was extracted.
In the decade of the 1980s, Volkswagen in North America lost its identity in the face of Asian imports packed with so many bells and whistles and creature features. In the 1990s, the automaker fought back by providing a selection of serious automobiles, such as the subcompact Golf hatchback and its Jetta sedan equivalent, along with a Cabrio ragtop.
For the near future, Volkswagen promises the New Beetle, as well as more products designed to position the line in direct competition with elite German ultra labels.
But first comes the unexpected Passat GLS.
This preliminary generational successor for Passat, rigged with a turbo-charged 4-cylinder engine pumping 150 hp, precedes the 1999 Passat GLX packing a 190 hp V6, plus entry Passat TDI with 90 hp direct-injection diesel four.
Dressed with that fluid new exterior and the kind of luxurious interior elements you would expect to see in a deluxe Japanese model, Passat GLS rolls into the Class of 1998 with superior features but pared prices as an incentive from Volkswagen which seems to suggest: Consider this too.
And Passat should definitely be considered, although its explicit road manners and precise controls may not please an indiscriminate driver. Perhaps its best buyer target would be someone like myself who lusts after the no-excuses acrobatic features of a mid-size German touring sedan but cannot justify hocking your homestead to come up with the 50,000 bills it takes to buy one.
Tests of new Passat included a lively dance on twisty circuits through the Ozark Mountains of Arkansas, followed by a week of home chores conducted amid town traffic.
Everything about Passat feels tight and right and good.
Its seats, for instance, fit firm with support, the way all good German automobiles feel.
Its controls -- precise and to the point with power rack and pinion steering and an independent suspension system plus full disc brakes -- are the type that will appeal most to the enthusiast sport driver who loves to be in constant command of the car.
Its multi-link independent front suspension manages the impossible for front-wheel-drive vehicles by eliminating torque steer, whereby the car pulls to one side when rapidly accelerating or drifts to the other when braking hard.
Its punch, extracted from the feisty 1.8-liter turbo four plant that kicks out 150 hp and can run up to autobahn speeds, delivers more than adequate passing power. Off-the-line acceleration, while not for the record books, feels fine in the absence of the typical turbo's power lag.
Its manual 5-speed transmission, a treat for do-it-yourself shifters, has a short-throw stick and notchy feel for gear placement. Yet the optional automatic 5-speed performs quiet shift sequences in a sporty mode, then adds Porsche's Tiptronic clutchless manual shifting feature.
Its chassis, stretched in wheelbase for three inches over the previous Passat, integrates energy-absorbing crumple zones fore and aft of a steel safety cage wrapping around the passenger compartment. Dual front airbags and side-impact airbags surround front riders, and height-adjustable 3-point safety belts pin them in place.
Its safety systems extend to the computerized anti-lock brakes, plus typically pricy and optional traction control.
Its spacious interior encompasses more cubic feet of space for people and gear than most in this class. Room for heads and legs is excellent, even in the back seat, thanks to that crescent roofline. And in the trunk, the 15 cubic feet of cargo room scores as best in class.
And its list of standard features, far too long to itemize here, starts with favored items like air conditioning and cruise control, power windows with 1-touch up and down movement, power door locks with central locking and power mirrors with anti-fog feature, then adds an adjustable steering wheel, trip computer, stereo sound package with eight speakers, 60/40 split rear seat with trunk pass-through, and anti-theft vehicle and radio alarms.
1998 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT SEDAN
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| Vehicle Specifications: |
| 1998 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT Specs |
| Description: |
Mid-size sedan |
| Model Options: |
Mid-size sedan |
| Wheelbase: |
106.4 inches |
| Overall Length: |
184.1 inches
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| Engine Size: |
DOHC 1.8-L I4 Turbo
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| Transmission: |
Manual/5, Auto/5 Tiptronic |
| Drive: |
Front |
| Braking: |
Power 4-disc/ABS/TCS |
| Airbags: |
4 |
| Gas Mileage: |
M/5: 23/32 mpg
A/5: 21/31 mpg |
| Price: |
$ 21,259 to $ 24,000 |
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