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CNET editors' review
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CNET editors' rating:
stars
Good
Detailed editors' rating
- Reviewed on: 05/23/2006
With 200 ponies under the hood, the Passat has power and quite a bit of punch--especially in Sport mode. Despite this, acceleration is a touch slow until the Passat gets up to around 3,000rpm. The car behaves well on the road but won't win any handling competitions. Safety systems include ABS brakes, a variety of air bags, and active front head restraints. Including the destination charge ($630) and the CD changer/XM Satellite Radio/sunroof package, our test car rang in at $28,430.
Over the past couple of years, Volkswagen has moved away the box-on-wheels look that was nearly synonymous with its brand, instead giving its new models a much more rounded and stylish profile. While the Jetta was restyled for 2005, the Passat had to wait a year for its face-lift. From the mirrored finish of the front bumper to the swooping roofline, we couldn't find fault with the styling of our 2007 Passat Wagon 2.0L, although if pushed, we might say that the standard wheels are a bit small. The front nose treatment will obviously receive the majority of the attention, and it's a shame that some people will be forced to cover that gleaming bumper with a license plate. Our other favorite design cues were the gorgeous headlights and the trendy look of the side windows, which narrow from front to rear.The Passat Wagon is available in four basic model types, starting with the value edition ($25,225), which is available with only six paint colors and a black interior and comes without satellite radio or the Luxury or Cold Weather package options. Stepping up the line, the Passat Wagon 2.0T ($26,175 base price) keeps the same 2-liter, 200-horsepower turbo engine found in the value edition but adds a 10-way partial power-adjustable seat as standard, as well as number of other options. These include more color choices (both interior and exterior), stereo upgrades, a navigation system, a power sunroof, heated front seats, and multifunction steering wheel. The Passat Wagon 3.6L begins at $31,350 and has a 3.6-liter normally aspirated engine and a few more options, including a HomeLink transmitter built into the sun visor. The top-of-the-range model is the 3.6L 4Motion ($33,100) which adds all-wheel drive to the 3.6L and qualifies for Lev1 California emissions. Our test vehicle was a 2.0T with Tiptronic transmission and the upgraded stereo/power sunroof package that adds a six-disc in-dash changer and XM Satellite Radio to the basic system at a cost of $1,625.
We were much happier with the Passat Wagon's interior than we were with the Jetta's, mainly thanks to cleaner, more modern styling. The two-tier dashboard, imitation carbon-fiber dash, and nicely styled driver armrest all make for a good-looking cabin that succeeds by not pretending to come from a Lexus or a Jaguar. Even the radio looks better in the Passat than it did in the '05 Jetta, even though it's the same unit.
Our test car's gray leatherette front seats were quite comfortable, but more shoulder support and a slightly wider seat back would have been welcome. Another gripe is that A/C unit lacked power; though it's noisy, it failed to keep the car cool on an 80-degree spring day. If you can bear to turn off the underperforming A/C and close the windows, the car is very quiet, registering just 65dB on the freeway.
We were disappointed that out test car didn't come equipped with some of the optional cabin technology. We would like to have tried out the navigation system and put the premium 600-watt 10-speaker Dynaudio stereo through its paces.
Nevertheless, our test car's basic 8-speaker stereo wasn't a bad unit. With the volume up high, the system delivers a fairly clean bass but sustained low-frequency sounds become distorted and buzzy. All of the basic controls were right at our fingertips, with only a few features--such as speed-sensitive volume settings--hidden behind menus. The bass, mid, and treble channels, as well as balance and fade, are controlled by small knobs below the display, and each input source (satellite radio, AM, FM, and CD) has its own button.
Navigating MP3 folders and XM satellite categories was easy with the use of a large folder/category rocker switch and a similar rocker for seek/track functions directly below. The system displayed ID3 information, such as artist and track, on the gray-on-black display, which can be a bit difficult to see in direct sun. Audio information can also be viewed on the center multifunction display, but we preferred to use that for vehicle information such as fuel economy and range.
Volkswagen offers no Bluetooth cell phone compatibility with the 2007 Passat Wagon for the American market. It will be cold comfort to U.S. buyers, but in Europe and Asia, the car will ship with the option of a Bluetooth car phone kit that uses the new SIM Access Profile. This system allow the car to temporarily "borrow" the SIM card from your cell phone, allowing the onboard phone interface to use an external GSM antenna. In the United States, only T-Mobile and Cingular use the GSM standard (that is, those with SIM cards), possibly explaining why the system isn't available here. Still we feel that VW seems to be ignoring the North American market by not offering a Bluetooth option that will work with the majority of America's Bluetooth-enabled cell phones.
Another conspicuous tech omission is lack of an auxiliary input jack. Considering VW's popularity among younger buyers, we are very surprised--and disappointed--that there is no way to hook up our iPod.
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