Category: Large Family 
Price Range: £15,150 to £31,825
Much better to drive than previous model, build quality, enormous boot.
Styling on the dull end of scale, rear seat legroom not brilliant.
With hugely improved dynamics and excellent perceived quality, the Passat takes the fight to Mercedes and BMW.
VW is claiming that the new Passat's body is 57 percent stiffer than the old car's. That enormous rigidity - the old car wasn't exactly floppy, either - should translate to a long and rattle-free life.
The engines are all well-proven units, and the visible quality in terms of material and fit and finish is right up to VW's high standards. We are, though, going to hold off on the full five-star rating because past Passat models have had a patchy record in customer surveys.
Latest Readers' Drives About the Volkswagen Passat
wrote on 06 06 2006