VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT 3.6

To view this page ensure that Adobe Flash Player version 9.0.124 or greater is installed.

Please login or register to make a comment!

the new key-fob ignition lock. You push the fob all the way into the spring-loaded dashboard slot until the car starts,and like all such devices,we 9re not quite clear on its benefit. But that 9s where the market is headed,and at least this fob will open the sunroof and/or windows as you head across the parking lot.

We also have trouble getting excited about the refrig- erated glove box,but it 9s a big refriger- ated glove box,in case you need to stash a leftover rack of ribs. Other features are de rigueur for this class:Airbags galore,a 60/40 split- folding rear seatback with a pass-through to the vast trunk (14 cubic feet),and as noted,there 9s more room in this car than its predecessor. And the level of fit, finish,and general solidity (think Diebold safes) is exemplary.

But for all that,we think the Passat may face an uphill fight for its place in the U.S. mid-size-sedan market. Beyond the noise and suspension-clatter issues, there 9s that price.

The least expensive Passat 4VW calls it the Value Edition (read cdecontented d),with a 197-hp,2.0- liter turbo four and six-speed manual transmission 4starts at $23,565. That 9s only about two grand less than a Honda Accord LX with ... more. less.

a V-6. The starting price for the Passat 3.6 4$30,565 4is in BMW 3-series territory. And our subject car 9s as-tested number is enough to bolt you into a BMW 330i. Who ya gonna believe? Thanks to the highest production costs of any European carmaker,and the strength of the euro,VW,long the people 9s car company,is forced to posi- tion its offerings at the premium end of their respective segments. How well that will work with the new Passat remains to be seen,but like the theory of intelligent design,it looks like a tough sell. 84 www.CARandDRIVER.com DECEMBER 2005 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT 3.6 Vehicle type: front-engine, front-wheel-drive, 5-passenger, 4- door sedan Price as tested: $38,265 Price and option breakdown: base Volkswagen Passat 3.6 (includes $615 freight), $30,565; Package #2 Sport (includes sport suspension, 12-way power leather sport seats, 3-spoke leather steering wheel with Tiptronic controls, fog lights, rain-sensing wipers, heated front seats, dual climate control, bixenon head- lights, and Dynaudio premium sound system), $5550; DVD nav- igation system and glove-box-mounted 6-CD changer, $1800; rear side airbags, $350 Major standard accessories: power windows, seats, and locks; remote locking; A/C; cruise control; tilting and telescoping steering wheel; rear defroster Sound system: Dynaudio AM-FM radio/CD player and changer, 10speakers ENGINE Type. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . V-6, iron block and aluminum head Bore x stroke. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89.0 x 96.4 in, 3.50 x 3.80mm Displacement. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 220 cu in, 3598cc Compression ratio. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12.0:1 Fuel-delivery system. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . direct injection Valve gear. . . . . . . . . . . . . chain-driven double overhead cams, 4 valves per cylinder, hydraulic lifters, variable intake- and exhaust-valve timing Power (SAE net). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 276 bhp @ 6200 rpm Torque (SAE net). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 266 lb-ft @ 2750 rpm Redline. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6500 rpm DRIVETRAIN Transmission. . . . . 6-speed automatic with manumatic shifting Final-drive ratio. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.45:1 GearRatioMph/1000 rpmMax test speed I3.955.435 mph (6500 rpm) II2.309.260 mph (6500 rpm) III1.5513.789 mph (6500 rpm) IV1.1618.3119 mph (6500 rpm) V0.8624.7132 mph (5350 rpm) VI0.6930.7132 mph (4300 rpm) DIMENSIONS Wheelbase. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106.7 in Track, front/rear. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61.1/61.1 in Length/width/height. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188.2/71.7/58.0 in Ground clearance. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.2 in Drag area, Cd (0.28) x frontal area (26.3 sq ft, est). . . . 7.4 sq ft Curb weight. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3592 lb Weight distribution, F/R. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58.5/41.5% Curb weight per horsepower. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13.0 lb Fuel capacity. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18.5 gal CHASSIS/BODY Type. . . . . . . unit construction with 1 rubber-isolated subframe Body material. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . welded steel stampings INTERIOR SAE volume, front seat. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51 cu ft rear seat. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 cu ft luggage. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 cu ft Front-seat adjustments. . . . . fore-and-aft, seatback angle, front height, rear height, lumbar support Restraint systems, front. . . . . . manual 3-point belts; driver and passenger front, side, and curtain airbags rear. . . . . . . . . . manual 3-point belts, side and curtain airbags SUSPENSION Front. . . . . . . . ind, strut located by a control arm, coil springs, anti-roll bar Rear. . . . . . . . . . . ind, 1 trailing link and 3 lateral links per side, coil springs, anti-roll bar STEERING Type. . . . . . . . . . . . . . rack-and-pinion with electric power assist Steering ratio. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16.4:1 Turns lock-to-lock. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.9 Turning circle curb-to-curb. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35.8 ft BRAKES Type. . . . . . . . hydraulic with vacuum power assist, brake assist, and anti-lock control Front. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12.3 x 1.0-in vented disc Rear. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11.0 x 0.4-in disc WHEELS AND TIRES Wheel size/type. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.5 x 17 in/cast aluminum Tires. . . . . . . . . Michelin Pilot HX MXM4, 235/45R-17 97H M+S Test inflation pressures, F/R. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34/34 psi Spare. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . matching aluminum wheel C/D TEST RESULTS ACCELERATION Seconds Zero to 30 mph. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.2 40 mph. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.3 50 mph. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.4 60 mph. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.9 70 mph. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.6 80 mph. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9.4 90 mph. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11.5 100 mph. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14.2 110 mph. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17.3 120 mph. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21.2 130 mph. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27.1 Street start, 5 360 mph. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.3 Top-gear acceleration, 30 350 mph. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.1 50 370 mph. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.3 Standing 1 / 4 -mile. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14.3 sec @ 101 mph Top speed (governor limited). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132 mph BRAKING 70 30 mph @ impending lockup. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180 ft HANDLING Roadholding, 300-ft-dia skidpad. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.86 g Understeer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . minimal moderate excessive FUEL ECONOMY EPA city driving. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 mpg EPA highway driving. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 mpg C/D- observed. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 mpg INTERIORSOUND LEVEL Idle. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 dBA Full-throttle acceleration. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74 dBA 70-mph cruising. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68 dBA CURRENT BASE PRICE * dollars x 1000 40 20 8162432 0 0 0510152025 150200 160 0.60 0.500.700.800.901.00 170180190 481216 BRAKING 70 30 mph, feet EPACITY FUEL ECONOMY ROADHOLDING 300-foot skidpad, g mpg ACCELERATION seconds 0 360 mph 1/4-mile Honda Accord EX (3.0-liter, 244 hp, 5-sp auto) Pontiac Grand Prix GXP (5.3-liter, 303 hp, 4-sp auto) Saab 9-3 Aero (2.8-liter, 250 hp, 6-sp man) Volkswagen Passat 3.6 (3.6-liter, 276 hp, 6-sp auto) Pontiac Grand Prix GXP Volkswagen Passat 3.6 Honda Accord EX Saab 9-3 Aero Volkswagen Passat 3.6 Pontiac Grand Prix GXP Saab 9-3 Aero Honda Accord EX Honda Accord EX Saab 9-3 Aero Volkswagen Passat 3.6 Pontiac Grand Prix GXP Pontiac Grand Prix GXP Volkswagen Passat 3.6 Honda Accord EX Saab 9-3 Aero * Base price includes freight, any performance options, and applicable gas-guzzler tax. CD12 PASSAT LAYOUT 10/20/05 5:46 PM Page 5

less