DRIVEN: 2005 Volkswagen Passat 1.8T 4Motion

By Michael Banovsky
Photos by Michael Banovsky

If you’ve flown anywhere in the last oh, say 20 years or so, you should be familiar with the Boeing 767. The first variant, the 767-200, was originally launched in 1978 and produced from 1981 to 1984. Most worldwide airlines still use them extensively for long-range journeys. In fact, it even broke the flying distance record for twin-engined aircraft several times.

The only problem with the aircraft (besides having its origins in the Jimmy Carter presidency) is that its chief rival, the Airbus A330, practically killed the 767 in the commercial jetliner business.

So what does all of this have to do with the 2005 Volkswagen Passat 4Motion? I’ll get to that later.



I’ve never driven a car as anonymous as the Passat. Forget beige Toyota Corollas and silver Honda Accords, the Volkswagen Passat will get you unnoticed. Walking up to it while the lights flash as the doors unlock is like finding a wanted man.

Think about it: All of the artist’s renderings of what criminals look like now, 10 years after the deed, have a bit of someone you know built into them. Your wife’s eyes, your best friend’s nose, the cable guy’s hairline. But they never add up to anyone specific. The Passat is the man on the 6 o’clock news, ten years later – and all grown up.

Because while its rivals have been introducing hybrid drives and sharper styling, Volkswagen engineers haven’t done more than nip and tuck the Passat since its 1998 introduction. So the current car is yes…gasp…almost seven years old. That means I was just entering high school when it came onto the market.

I won’t describe the year-by-year changes since its introduction, because they’re rather boring. The Passat did briefly feature the much-vaunted W8 engine, but the projected customers were already too attached to their BMWs.



The important thing to consider is that when Hyundai, Subaru, Honda, Nissan, Toyota, Ford, Chevrolet, Chrysler, and Mazda were designing their current-generation cars, the Passat was sitting in their laboratories being dissected. It’s that build quality, those materials, and this comfort customers want.

Think rubber-coated switches are neat? Red gauges? Vibration-damped door handles? Side airbags? Traction control? Volkswagen pretty much brought those touches to the masses as standard, circa 1998.

Its been around so long that some of its parts have found a home in more exciting automobiles. The 170 horsepower 1.8L turbocharged inline-4 cylinder engine? Found in the 180 and 225 horsepower Audi TT in a slightly different tune. Its 4Motion all-wheel-drive is merely a re-badged version of Audi’s World Rally Championship-winning Quattro system. Other interior parts have found their way into other VW-group cars, and for good reason: in 1998, there was no Phaeton or Touareg. The Passat was the top-of-the-line Volkswagen.



So back to those airliners. Just last weekend I took the Passat, my girlfriend, and some luggage to Montreal. On the highway this car is a gem. The seats kept me fresh and un-cramped for 6 hours. The steering was nice and light. The centre armrest could be extended to support my right arm. The glovebox is air-conditioned. The rear sun shade kept the interior relatively cool. Simply put, the car was rock-solid (both inside and out).

The accommodations are very much like a Boeing 767 jet. So instead of getting a container ship full of cup holders, there’s two. Instead of integrated power plugs for your cell phone, you get a cigarette lighter.

In fact, if you don’t mind throwing all of your crap in the trunk, you’ll be amazed to find that other than the two cupholders and door bins, there’s practically no room for anything else. Where competitors have fitted a coin holder, VW gives you an ashtray. Where other midsize cars have under-armrest storage for CDs, VW gives you two slots – both big enough for even the largest packet of sugarfree gum. So it really is like an airliner, then.



On the highway, I did Toronto-to-Montreal on half a tank of (recommended) 91 octane gas. So impressive is the fuel consumption that the trip gauge was (for about 45 minutes) showing increased range.

At just-below-what-the-police-set-their-guns-for, the Passat is gold. I think for the highway portion I was averaging about 7L/100km – or a real-world range of slightly over 700 kilometers. Not bad for a non-diesel, non-hybrid car.

But as soon as the Passat enters the city, things change. The turbo, usually dormant on the highway, starts pushing you into the seat like a jet does on takeoff. The steering becomes numb, and the gearshift an anesthesiologist’s wet dream. It becomes an airplane taxiing into a gate. In other words, in the city it’s absolutely useless.

So as Boeing watched their market share dwindle with the 767, so did Volkswagen with the Passat. With each, the competition simply caught up. But both companies have a plan: Boeing has the upcoming 787, and Volkswagen the new Passat.

For the 767 and the current Passat, its successors are considerably roomier, quieter, and even more capable. But the reason for spending almost $39,000 on a largely outdated model is that, like the 767, the things that made it so successful in the first place are still there. The features and engineering that made the Passat a benchmark in the mid-size pack are all packed under its German skin.

On the right road, with the cruise control set and the stereo tuned into smooth jazz, the Passat does the most convincing impression in its class of an airliner. For those who don’t mind its obvious shortcomings, your flight has arrived.