ROBUST? SURE, BUT WHERE’S THE MUSTARD?

THE ALL-NEW Passat entered this year’s contest with some of the strongest credentials in the field—a 3.6-liter, 280-horse V-6, a six-speed automatic, 0 to 60 in under six seconds, and a quarter-mile trap speed of over 100 mph. For a family sedan, the Passat possesses the goods of a musclecar. Yet despite its robust qualifications, the Passat failed to make it to the second round of 10. So what gives? All of the Passat’s spanking power seems to have supplanted the refinement that made its predecessor such an engaging car. For instance, corralling the new car’s 280 ponies through the front tires, especially during acceleration testing, proved to be a frustrating exercise in moderation. As a result, maybe a Passat 2.0 would have fared better, especially since its seamless and…

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MotorTrend (Digital) - 1 Issue, January 2006

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