Volkswagen Passat reviews

1999 Volkswagen Passat Driving Impressions

The Passat is a superb driver's car. The chassis was tuned to offer an excellent blend of ride comfort and responsiveness. There's little body roll during cornering. Precise, low-effort steering makes aiming the car easy. This car is not intended to be driven as hard as an Audi A4, and the all-season tires scream loudly when pushed to their limits. Handling is markedly better than that of competing Japanese models and the ride is a bit firmer. Wind and engine noise are well muted.

Our Passat GLS offered quick acceleration. That's because this is no ordinary 4-cylinder engine: the 1.8-liter double overhead cam engine has been turbocharged and uses five valves per cylinder. It generates a healthy 150 horsepower. More important, it delivers 155 foot-pounds of torque at just 1750 rpm that continues past 4600 rpm. That allows the Passat to pull briskly away from intersections and accelerate athletically up hills. It also gives it lots of power for driving around town. In short, the turbocharged 4-cylinder engine delivers the performance of most V6 engines with better fuel economy.

If that's not enough, you can order the Passat with a V6 that delivers 190 horsepower. With five valves per cylinder, variable intake valve timing and a variable geometry composite intake manifold, this engine produces an impressive 206 foot-pounds of torque at just 3,200 rpm. It's a smooth engine that provides progressive pulling power at all engine speeds.

Buyers who choose the optional automatic transmission instead of the excellent five-speed manual will be in for a treat. The five-speed automatic can be left alone to change gears automatically. In this mode, it's a smart transmission that uses adaptive electronics to control shifting based on whether the driver is being gentle or is seeking maximum acceleration performance.

Those seeking greater control can shift the transmission into the Tiptronic mode, a design licensed from Porsche. Sliding the shift lever into a separate area to the right of the normal shift gate permits manual shifting. A forward push on the lever causes upward gear changes, with a light pull back for downshifts. To protect the engine, it won't downshift when speeds are too high, and it won't start from rest in fifth gear if you forgot to downshift while waiting for the light to change. The Tiptronic is a fine dual-purpose transmission, sporting or unobtrusive as the driver wishes. It provides some entertainment value in heavy traffic and is useful for holding the transmission in a particular gear when driving on twisty roads.

We drove our GLS on a 1500-mile trip from Southern California to Lake Tahoe. Long freeway stretches highlighted the smooth ride, comfortable seats and low noise levels. Mountain passes allowed us to make maximum use of the Passat's exceptional handling. It proved to be stable and secure in wet, snowy conditions.