2008 Volkswagen Passat

I must start today's blog by adding a word of thanks for the encouragement from the pros....Erica, Mindy, and Nicole! I'm excited to be joining the blogging world and although it may take me some time to really get this down, I am working at it and having fun along the way!

This week, I've been driving a new VW Passat. In case any of you aren't feeling old, let me tell you this....a friend of mine asked me about the car I was driving and in talking to him about it, I mentioned the term, fahrvignugen (sp?). He is in his 20's and looked at me like I had lost my marbles. He clearly had no clue what I was talking about. Even after explaining it, it was almost as if he didn't believe me that a car company would have such a slogan!! Am I the only one who remembers this slogan? Holy crap, I thought for sure everyone was familiar with that one! I think my brother even had a shirt with the logo on it.

Anyways, generally speaking, with the exception of the old, classic VW bug, I am not a big fan of VW. I know how much the parts cost when things go out and it has been my experience (through others) that the parts go out often and the cars aren't quite put together like any other car. To add to my preconceived notions, I cannot count how many people asked me about this car and then recited some horror story about a VW they had owned and had nothing but trouble with. I have personally known 3 people who have had them and had nothing but problems from the beginning, being plagued with repairs for the duration of their ownership. Regardless, the new models do appeal to my senses so I was happy to try one out. The fit and finish on the passat is great. The leather interior is of high quality and comfortable. Of course, being a VW, it has to be different from anything else. I suppose that if a person purchases one of these,"Made in Mexico" German creatures, that after a few weeks, one would get used to the little oddities that it seems to have. Still, I am left wondering why we should have to. If practically every other car in the world has a parking brake lever or foot pedal, why should we have to deal with one like the passat that only has a button. That's right, a button on the dash which sends an electric signal to set the electronically controlled parking brake. Wow, wonder what that will cost to replace and how difficult it is to adjust such a device? In addition to this little freaky feature, which took me 2 days to locate, the speedometer and tachometer feel out of place to me. VW placed the mpg meter, fuel gauge, and temp gauge right in the middle of the gauge cluster. In other words, when you are driving and you glance down, it is much, much easier to tell what kind of mileage you're getting, how much fuel you have, or what the outside temperature is than it is to tell how fast you're going or how hard the engine is working! You have to look to your right or left for that information. Perhaps in Germany it doesn't matter but the law here does like us to keep an eye on these things. I digress. Aside from these complaints, the interior is comfortable and has a very tight, sealed, feeling to it. From shutting the doors to operating the power windows, it has a first class feel. As for the drivetrain, this model has a 2.0 litre, 4 cylinder engine with a turbocharger. It's got plenty of get up and go when you stomp on the gas but it does still have that buzzy, little, 4 banger feeling to it. Nevertheless, for a 4 cylinder, it is smooth and sufficient. I was on the road with this car for a few hundred miles and found it averaging 27-28 on the highway and 22 in the city. Obviously, the less one punches the turbo, the better. On the road, the car handles well but you do feel the road a bit more than I expected. I am a little picky in this category but I like a nice, quiet, smooth ride. Remember, although these cars may have come a long way, they are still, at heart, a small, somewhat lightweight vehicle and they just aren't going to ride as quietly and smooth as a vehicle with a little more heft! Overall, the passat is a nice car that, if proven to be dependable, would suit most city dwellers just fine.

My report card:

styling: B
comfort: B
Ride: B-
Economy: A
Drivetrain: B+
Overall: B