The ’98 Passat: Riches for the Common Volk
Here’s a list of cushy conveniences usually found on those luxury sedans that never see the steamy insides of Sammy’s Wire Brush Car Wash:
* Mini spotlights mounted above the vanity mirrors to soften the face looking back at you. Subdued lighting also may save you the cost of a jowl tuck.
* Air-conditioning ducted into the glove box. It keeps a spare Diet Pepsi close to Eskimo Pie temperature.
* Safety doors that unlock automatically. They facilitate extraction of occupants should the car become an accordion against some unyielding object.
* A full-sized spare, no dumb doughnuts.
* Remote unlocking of doors in tandem with the lowering of windows to allow summer to escape from an overheated interior.
* Second-generation, less volatile air bags that on deployment will not give you ear-to-ear nostrils.
* And a lined trunk with an auxiliary power outlet, spring-loaded tie-down hooks, plus a cushioned loading edge designed not to scuff luggage, and power windows that are one-touch up and down.
Here’s the surprise and, for once, a pleasant sticker shock:
All this comes on a Volkswagen: the spirited and splendidly equipped 1998 Passat GLS--for $20,000 and change.
Which--with intriguing equipment upgrades and increased size, is a far departure from Beetlemania and Volkswagen’s near-indelible reputation as a purveyor of student transportation.
In fact, the Passat--all slow curves with a pleasant, natural arch shared with the incoming A4 and A6 from companion company Audi--is now firmly positioned to go up against such stalwarts as Saturn, Camry, Accord, Taurus and the Chrysler twins, Cirrus and Dodge Stratus.
And Passat’s resemblance to Audi is more than skin-deep.
Its platform is adopted from the A4 and A6. The sophisticated, multi-link front suspension and optional five-speed automatic transmission--mated to a Tiptronic sequential shifter--are of A4 descent. So is the turbocharged 1.8-liter, five-valve, 150-horsepower, four-cylinder power plant. Next year, when a V-6 powered Passat is shipped here, its 2.9-liter engine will be borrowing from the Audi A6.
Despite all this cross-pollination, the Passat retains a presence that is quintessentially Volkswagen. It is inexpensive value, a car that is quick and flat on its wheels and enormous fun to drive. Outside lines are clean and the interior layout quite unfussy. It has all the handling fizz of a compact, yet provides enough shoulder and leg room for those who like to lounge at the wheel.
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Volkswagen engineers and marketeers talk of the Passat GLS as a moment to think small but live large, a time to relish the dynamics of personal excitement and the emotional connection between owner and pet chariot. Which, of course, is a load of bratwurst.
The proof of any car is its ability to get from one point to another--whether in puttering commute mode or driving hard on an interstate--without breaking. Plastic bits must not fall off. A good automobile is reliable, durable, economical and will not make your neighbors wince with sympathy, because it is not a mainstream piece of design studio plagiarism.
Which makes the Passat--depending on the passage of time and strength of those plastic bits--a very good automobile indeed. It certainly should sell here as wildly as it has in Europe, where it has collected a continuing stream of public awards, general applause and industry accolades.
One inch wider and 3 inches longer than before, the Passat has grown into a five-passenger sedan, although three in the back should be limited to short trips and teenage triplets. When there are only two rear riders, there’s enough head, leg and shoulder room for 6-footers, even with front seats shoved back to accommodate another pair of 72-inch humans.
Quite apparent is Volkswagen’s decision to increase the quality of materials and accessories until the Passat sets new standards in value. And from a rubber-lined cubby with a lip to reduce the risk of airborne sunglasses to heating-cooling vents that fold flat like Venetian blinds, this is an abundance of thoughtful value.
Grab handles have been silicone-dampened so they don’t smack back into place and snag fingertips. Smooth rollers make seat adjustment a whispering glide. Trunk space is a fully lined grotto.
And there’s a monster list of standard equipment; anti-lock brakes, traction control, power steering, air-conditioning, daytime running lights, metallic paint, alarm system, cruise control, auxiliary power jack, tilt and telescopic steering wheel, rear seat heating and cooling ducts, and remote controls for doors and trunk, with a panic button for personal security while crossing dark parking lots.
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Underway, there are all sorts of mechanical things going on that will be virtually invisible to the average driver. The turbocharger cuts in and goes away with none of the lurching, whistling and surging usually associated with blown breathing. Although the Passat is a front-driver, there isn’t a quiver of torque steer no matter how heavy the right foot, how acute and crude the steering input.
The five-speed is precise without being grabby, so blame yourself for any missed shifts. The automatic thinks for itself, adjusting its shift pattern to individual podiatric demands. And the Tiptronic (think of it as the sequential shifter on a motorcycle, but without the clutch) is quick, disciplined and will distress no die-hards of manual shifting.
Although the car has a relatively small engine--and certainly no intimidating powerhouse--performance is quick from rest, with power that doesn’t peak until well into the zone where highway patrolmen narrow their eyes and start looking scary.
Flaws? Its base price--due to all those extra goodies--is a little higher than the competition. A fair amount of tire and road noise intrudes into an otherwise quiet cabin. And the cup-holder is a retracting, dash-mounted boomerang that seems poised on the cusp of collapse and will hold no cups known to modern man.
Passat GLS, at a base price of $20,750, is here now. A turbocharged diesel, priced at $21,200, will be available early next year; so will the V-6 Passat GLS at $23,190. Then comes a station wagon and a GLS with all-wheel drive.
So Volkswagen is moving up-market; building bigger and better, charging a little more, yet moving closer to the thoroughness and worth of stablemate Audi.
One thing hasn’t changed.
Volkswagen.
It’s still German for “people’s car.”
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1998 Volkswagen Passat GLS
The Good: Larger car, higher quality, mechanically and visually skims the best from Audi stablemates--including high standard of fit and finish. Roomy with long list of expensive features as standard equipment. Turbocharged performance beyond its price, small luxuries beyond its class.
The Bad: No price advantage over Camry or Accord.
The Ugly: Sci-fi look of unusable cup holder.
1998 Volkswagen Passat GLS.
Cost
* Base, and as tested: $20,750. (Includes dual air bags, anti-lock brakes, traction control, air-conditioning, power steering, tilt and telescoping wheel, power doors and windows with remote controls and alarm, cruise control, daytime running lights.)
Engine
* 1.8-liter, 20-valve, in-line four developing 150 horsepower.
Type
* Front-engine, front-drive, five-passenger sedan.
Performance
* 0-60 mph, as tested, 8.3 seconds with five-speed manual.
* Top speed, electronically governed, 125 mph.
* Fuel consumption, EPA city and highway, 23 and 32 mpg.
Curb Weight
* 3,120 pounds.
