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Gas
prices continue to soar and demand is literally fueling consumer interest for
more efficient transportation. Entering this large void essentially inhabited by
hybrids and miniature sized coupes is the family sized Volkswagen Passat TDI
diesel wagon with its 35-mpg real world fuel sipping ability.
That price
includes plenty of standard features including air conditioning, remote entry,
power everything, a smooth five speed automatic transmission, a turbocharged
four cylinder engine that produces 134 horsepower and a sensational 247 pounds
of tire chirping torque, and a very roomy and easy to load 57 cubic feet of
cargo room.
There is a lot
to like with the Passat TDI wagon besides the fuel mileage and reduced
maintenance a diesel engine offers since it does not have an ignition system to
fuss with or tune. Since we have owned diesel-powered vehicles for 25 years we
know the territory and we found the Passat remarkable with very little clatter
or smelly exhaust. Volkswagen has done a good job of removing these two
obstacles most often cited by potential buyers. Perhaps our greatest surprise
was that the Passat wasn’t slow. We were easily able to enter the fastest moving
traffic with ease and the transmission was great at keeping the slow revving
engine on task and eager to please.
The greatest
compliment we paid this Passat was that it did not feel like you were driving a
diesel. Unfortunately, with diesel fuel such a high pollution threat you cannot
get the TDI Volkswagen everywhere. Another concern is that in colder climates
diesel engines do require extra care. Overall, this is the most economical and
roomiest family mover on sale.
Mom’s view:
We are veteran diesel owners and so I was a bit taken back by the fact that
there was virtually no glow plug warm-up time with the Volkswagen. It was ready
to go in an instant and only the feeling of the typical diesel rough idle
enabled me to tell I was driving anything but a gasoline-powered wagon.
It may come as
a surprise to some that the Passat isn’t a bad-handling vehicle even though it
is a station wagon. The steering is quite precise, although a touch light for
me, and only the standard gas mileage oriented tires prevent it from being more
accomplished on curved byways. The ride can be choppy over roughened roads
probably because a wagon needs firmer rear springs to handle heavier loads. When
we traveled with the entire car family onboard it was much smoother.
It is very
quiet inside, with a sternly understated Teutonic interior that is easy to
master, but a little too gaudy for my tastes. The night lighting is adequate,
but the gaily-lighted interior gauges are wonderful. The TDI was a very obliging
vehicle with the typical safety equipment offered. The only thing I really
faulted were the seats so make sure you take a long test ride and don’t worry
about running out of fuel. Basically, the TDI is best summed up as compelling.
Dad’s
view: Clean air standards prevent this diesel from
being sold because despite its good features, it does not qualify for sale in
many parts of the world. It is not
really the engine’s fault, but the lack of better quality diesel fuel that
prevents the spread of the TDI Passat.
I was most
surprised by the gentle demeanor of the 2-0 liter, four-cylinder, 134-horsepower
engine and its impressive 247 pound-feet of torque. Although it did not
accelerate rapidly, it did quite well in traffic and when passing. The automatic
transmission was most gracious in the way it finessed the power and the fuel
mileage in a most seamless manner. Only on occasion, such as a downshift, would
there be some miscommunications.
However, the
real concern for potential buyers is whether the Passat wagon with the diesel
engine is what you are going to have to sacrifice to get the better gas mileage
and less maintenance diesels offer. Compared to the similarly priced gas powered
four-cylinder turbocharged Passat GLS wagon the only notable difference is
horsepower. On the other hand the diesel version offers more torque so although
you don’t have the acceleration of the premium gas wagon, but you have more
pulling power. This is especially important if you use the wagon for what it was
intended, hauling people and cargo, as the diesel version is far less concerned
about weight than a gasoline engine. To give you an idea, to get a gasoline
engine that has the same 247 pounds of torque that the TDI 2.0 diesel provides
you would have to order a vehicle with a 3.5 six cylinder that produces 250
horsepower. That gas engine would get at least ten miles per gallon less than
the diesel.
Passat’s TDI
derives moderately frisky performance thanks to a great deal of technology such
as a new fuel injection system that uses cam-driven injectors that spray diesel
into every cylinder several times during each engine revolution making it easier
for the mixture to burn cleanly and thus produce more energy. Since VW is the
world's leading diesel maker this type of engineering should not be unexpected.
What is unexpected is that despite all these improvements and the availability
of the diesel in a variety of VW products from the
V-10 Touareg to the Golf and
New Beetle, it only represents about ten percent of Volkswagen’s sales despite
the attractiveness of an EPA mileage rating for the Passat TDI at 27 mpg city/38
mpg highway (US).
Young working woman’s view: Although the pricing is fair, in a world
where many people treat gasoline expenses as a necessary write-off and not
something that they should concern themselves with, the diesel provides little
to stimulate their interest. Even the exceptionally roomy cargo hold, the low
liftover height, and the confidence the engine supplies in rainy climates where
its lack of an ignition system removes wet wiring problems is not going to sway
them. Volkswagen knows that and sees Europe as its prime diesel buying public.
Driving the
Passat borders on amazing as it goes up hills without hesitation even though its
power is essential only made in the thin corridor between 1,800 rpm, and 4,000
rpm. The five speed automatic transmission is a jewel and keeps the engine on
task. Under passing acceleration the TDI scoots around cars with ease and there
was no sign of torque steer from the turbocharged engine. My only problem was
finding diesel refueling stations that didn’t have gas nozzles that were greasy
or smelled. Ladies, when you drive a diesel powered anything, keep a pair of old
gloves in the trunk for such occasions because that smell does not attract the
right kind of attention.
Young
working male’s view: Now this is a car I could own if I didn’t want to
impress young ladies. It does nothing for your ego to own one. Only those who
treasure the joy of quoting gas mileage figures, talking about driving range
between fill-ups, or talking to truck drivers would bask in its slightly oily
fumes. To those of us of the younger set the diesel powered New Beetle would be
the model to own. That is a babe magnet with the heart of a tight wad.
Describing the Passat TDI would best be compared to a date blind date whose
friends describe as having a nice personality. That sums up the Passat wagon
well. It has an exceptionally roomy interior, is easy to maneuver in traffic,
can park in the tightest of spaces, seldom causes you concern, and is
surprisingly livable. The Passat is like the friend you made who was good in
algebra just before the test. It was friendship, but certainly not love.
Family conference: There is an old saying that a fast car can pass up
anything but a gas station. With the TDI Passat it is not the car’s gas tank
that limits your travels, but your ability to sit in the fairly bare bones seats
that is curtails the longer journeys.
Written by
the Car Family |
