2006 Passat 2.0T

[Canadian Turbo]

Some of you may know that the Calgary Herald Driving/Wheels section has a regular feature called the Peoples Test Drive; normal everyday people are given a new car to try out and they review it for the Herald readers. I have been fortunate enough to have been selected to drive and review a 2006 Passat for the paper. I just picked up the car last night and I will be driving it for the next week, so I thought I would post up some initial impressions.

Firstly the 2.0T is so nice, power delivery is so smooth and it is always available. My car is equipped with a 6 speed tiptronic (sadly not DSG) but the shifts are very smooth and the car is not sluggish at all in full auto mode. There is a sport mode and tiptronic but I have not had much time to test them out yet.

The exterior styling of the car is very nice, much classier than previous designs but it is still a family sedan. Projector headlights are very nice, Xenons are available but my car does not have them even thought the dealer says it did. The rear lights are led and look very nice.

For the interior the standard VW Blue/Red lighting scheme contiues and still looks so nice at night. The new gauge design with the small temp and gas gauges in the centre looks really cool at night and there is a large MFD display with all the good info. I find the dash of the car high, but I could be used to a higher seating position in my Smart. The stereo is nice with 6 disc in dash with MP3 and a large display. Interior is roomy and the trunk is absolutley massive, you could fit a lot of bodies, err I mean stuff in there!

Overall my early impression of the new Passat is very good!! This is not really a car that would suit my lifestyle but it makes me appreciate VW and the direction they are heading and it really makes me want a new GTI

[Smarty39]

Re: 2006 Passat 2.0T

That's pretty sweet that you get to do that Blair! Make sure you give us a rundown at the end of the test drive

[Aleks]

Re: 2006 Passat 2.0T

do you sign up on a list and get selected from there? Or do they pick people at random (I doubt that.....) I wouldn't mind the opportunity....

[Canadian Turbo]

Re: 2006 Passat 2.0T

do you sign up on a list and get selected from there? Or do they pick people at random (I doubt that.....) I wouldn't mind the opportunity....

I applied over a year ago, not really sure how the process works but I got picked anyway

[James]

Re: 2006 Passat 2.0T

Im not gonna bother because I know if i did get selected it would be to test drive a Kia

[Mr. Burns]

Re: 2006 Passat 2.0T

Haha, you could always turn it down no?

[R_Ethug]

Re: 2006 Passat 2.0T

yea i just got back from NL today.. they had a few 2.0T jettas but no dice on a test drive for me.. and a new 2.0T passat same color as the one up in edmonton i saw but actually had wheels on it this time.

[VAG_Tech]

Re: 2006 Passat 2.0T

You should top off the test drive at the fall dyno day!

[Canadian Turbo]

Re: 2006 Passat 2.0T

You should top off the test drive at the fall dyno day!

I have to return the car by then, have my photoshoot and interview tomorrow after work. I spent the weekend in Montreal so not much driving but they did have a lot of billboards for the new Passat down there but I did not see one on the streets.

I am still enjoying the car lots though, but will be tough when I have to put some gas in it compared with the Smart!

[Canadian Turbo]

Re: 2006 Passat 2.0T

Well my time is nearly up with the Passat returning it later today, but I really enjoyed the car. The best part by far is the 2.0T engine, very fast and smooth. Even in a large car with an automatic and 4 passengers this car is quick, 200hp seems like a conservative rating and with a chip these things will haul ass!

The interior of the car is nice, dash is high and large, but I think would look great with a few more options such as climate control and navi. The seats are comfortable but lack support as bolsters are non existent, I think sport seats are an option. The back seat is very roomy and comfortable and a huge trunk can fit lots of bodies, I mean goodies. The fuel tank is very large, I let it go till the refuel light came on and put in over 62 litres, which cost me over $67 a far cry from my Smart. For the test I averaged about 22mpg which is not that great but I was more on the aggressive side for most of my time.

Overall I really liked the Passat and it is making me want to get back into a VW again especially something with a 2.0T. The Passat would make a very nice family car and starting at 32,500ish I think offers fairly good value. I would definetely get a few more options but I think this car should do well for VW and I like the direction of the new generation of cars!

EDIT I had my photoshot Wednesday so not sure when it will be in the paper but I will keep you all posted.

[Derick]

Re: 2006 Passat 2.0T

Haha, that's awesome Blair! I look forward to reading your in-depth review once someone posts up that article!

[R_Ethug]

Re: 2006 Passat 2.0T

sweet blair yea scan the article for sure

[Kor]

Re: 2006 Passat 2.0T

I got to ride in Blair's demo as a passenger, so here are my initial impressions as well.

First of all, I completely agree with Blair's evaluation of the the engine. It feels very strong even with the heavy Passat and 4 people in the car. The 200hp in the specs is probably low. There is no way any passenger could tell this was a turbo engine, it sound and feels like a N/A car such as the VR6. The power felt very linear, I was quite surprised by this, the difference between the 1.8T and the 2.0T is huge. It is probably not quite up to the 3.5L Nissan engine used in the Maxima/Altima however it feels pretty close! The handling felt good to me too (but I wasn't driving it)

The only other thing I really experienced was the interior. The back seats are very nice and classy. The overall build quality is IMO much better than the Jetta V in terms of fit and materials used. Some things like the inside door handles really feel great and not plasticy at all, they even eclipse the Mk4 which has some of the nicest interior plastics. Headliner is nice and the fake air-leather seats were fine for me too. The dash does look a little bit big but this just adds to the feeling of space and luxury which I think Passat owners would want.

Criticisms... the sunroof looks too small, the car is very large, and some parts of the dash are kind of sparsely positioned or look gimmicky depending on where you are looking.

Potential... definitely would look very nice dropped about 2 inches. The wheel gap is not huge on this car but it still needs improvement. The 17" (I think) wheels that it had stock looked TINY and I would say on the Passat big wheels is important, you would want to try to squeeze 20's in there! With a drop, some tint and some nice wheels the car would turn a lot of heads, no need to really mess with more.

Overall I would probably get a base Passat 2.0T over a Jetta V 2.0T just for the nicer interior and better body style (if a little large). It truly feels like this car is related to an Audi, I would say its the closest VW has come to a "budget version Audi" which is really what they are doing by making a $35,000 large semi-luxury sedan.

[Khyron]

Re: 2006 Passat 2.0T

Ahah - congrats. Only advice I can give for your review is look up "nice" in the thesaurus. I'd love a chance to do that for any car really. Even a Kia.

Khyron