2003 Volkswagen Passat Station Wagon

(Click on the image to enlarge)

The advent of a new car is always a joy, and the new Passat wagon that lives at our place is no exception to that idea.  After 95,000 miles spent with the previous Passat, the choice to buy another was easy.  This car is different in the details, however.   Most obviously, this car is a station wagon.  I've long thought the Passat wagon is the best looking of Volkswagen's line; the lines are clean and uncluttered and add a notion of elegance that is not as evident with the sedan.  Fortunately the excellent Passat dynamics are not diminished by the different structure.  The car handles crisply and precisely, and inspires confidence on curving mountain roads.  The brakes are smooth and powerful, and more than make up for any exuberance with the gas pedal.  So, much like my previous Passat, this new car is a joy to drive.  However, there is another major difference from the old Passat: this car has an automatic transmission.  I have always preferred a manual shift, but availability of a VW wagon with a light colored interior and a manual transmission was nil in southern and central California.  So, this one is automatic.  Fortunately, it is a Tiptronic transmission, with two shifting modes: one full auto, and the other being a manually shifted mode.  The manual mode actually is far more worthwhile than I expected.  In brisk city traffic, it is a delight to be able to keep the car in the gear I want while still being able to shift accurately to another gear while under way.  On the other hand, in sluggish city traffic, it is a delight to not have to hold the clutch pedal to the floor for what seem to be hours on end.  The 1.8 liter turbo four cylinder engine is better than the old in that it has had its output boosted by 20 hp for some additional pep. The new car also has a few more creature comforts than the old car, and some improvements on previous attributes--enough to reassure that this car is actually far different than the old one.

So, the new Passat is a joy so far.  It is fun to drive, a pleasure to look at, and has the additional possibility of great utility.  To paraphrase two fictional guys at an airport in North Africa 60 years ago, I think this is the start of a beautiful friendship.