Borrowing from an upscale Audi,
this VW is both sporty and practical

Many of us have warm memories of the Volkswagen Beetle. It was well-built for its time, economical and practical. It had that indefinable at-traction for drivers, people who like driving, and those who didn’t know they could enjoy driving. Since that time, VW has produced many cars that are enjoyable to drive. The new 1998 VW Passat probably is the most enjoyable of them all.

This is a driver's car, par excellence, a sporty back-road handler with a near perfect balance of ride, handling, braking and power. VW took the highly-regarded Audi A4 from its Audi division and developed the Passat using essentially the same body structure, driveline and new 4-link suspension. It will soon include the Audi Quattro 4-wheel drive system.

    The Passat, however, not only inherited the Audi A4 essentials but improves upon them. The Passat is six inches longer than the Audi A4 and has a longer wheelbase, improvements which give the VW great legroom in the rear seats, an enormous trunk and even better ride and handling than the more expensive Audi.

    This car is competition for the Honda Accord and Toyota Camry. With the standard equipment the Passat GLS comes with, it has a price advantage over its Japanese counterparts. It also is more fun to drive on any road, as I discovered while driving a car from the knowledgeable and friendly Metro Volkswagen/Audi dealership on Kettner Boulevard in Downtown San Diego.

    The Passat is friendly to motorists with wildly different driving habits. It best shows off these traits with its clever automatic/manual transmission called the Tiptronic. With this transmission, a "sporty driver" can shift manually, without having to use a clutch, by pushing the shift lever into the right-hand slot and nudging it up (towards the "plus" sign ) or down (towards the "minus" sign) to engage each gear. Those who want no part in pretending to be race car drivers can keep the shift lever in the left-hand slot where the transmission is fully automatic, complete with the familiar "PRND4321" designations.

    The Passat GLS engine is a turbocharged, 20 valve (yes, 5 valves per cylinder) 1.8 liter. It produces a smooth 150 hp with almost imperceptible turbo lag. The manual 5-speed transmission is a delight to use, as is the Tiptronic auto/manual system.

    This car is a fuel miser with EPA estimates of 23 mpg (city), 32 mpg (highway) with the manual transmission and 21 mpg (city), 31 mpg (highway) with the Tiptronic transmission. Expect about 24-25 mpg overall.

    The GLS model comes very well- equipped with air conditioning, an alarm system, power windows and door locks with remote entry, 4-wheel anti-lock disc brakes, fog lights, dual heated power mirrors, cruise control, tilt and telescopic adjustable steering wheel, traction control, am/fm radio with cassette and CD controls and a trip computer. The only available additional accessories are the Tiptronic transmission ($1,075), an all-weather package which includes heated front seats ($325), a moonroof ($1,000), leather seats and wood trim ($950).

    The front seats are manually adjustable in every direction, including fore and aft, seat tilt, back tilt, up and down and back support. This feature, along with the tilt and telescopic steering wheel adjustment, and excellent headroom makes it easy to adjust everything for any size or shape of driver.

    The Passat's overall warranty, at 2-year/24,000 miles, doesn’t quite measure up to those of its counterparts. However, the car includes a 10- year/100,000-mile driveline warranty and 2-year/24,000-mile free scheduled maintenance with 2-year/24,000-roadside assistance. Bear in mind that Volkswagen has not had the best reliability record in the last few years. However, Audi, on which this car is based, has had a better record over the last few years. Audi's version of this car has a 3-year/36,000-mile overall warranty with the 100,000-mile driveline protection sold separately.

    A diesel version of the Passat, the GLS-TDI, will be available in the first quarter of 1998. With a 1.9-liter 90-hp turbo diesel it is said to sip fuel at a miserly 39 mpg (city) and 50, yes 50, mpg (highway).

    A six-cylinder Passat also is available. Developed from the Audi A6, the GLX has a 2.8-liter, 30-valve, 190-hp V-6 engine with EPA fuel consumption estimates of 20 mpg (city) and 29 mpg (highway). This car includes all-weather package, moonroof and leather seats.

    Passat prices start at about $21,000. If you are looking for a lot of driving fun in an economical and thoroughly practical car at a reasonable price, give this VW a try.

    Motoring since 1952, Austin Lynas has owned 54 cars and at one time raced mini-sedans in England. An aerospace engineer, he was instrumental in developing the anti-skid systems used in British military aircraft that preceded today’s ABS systems.