Feeling Like a Million is Only $30 Grand Away
The mighty family sedan: a proud and solid vehicle, the official transportation of the suburbanite. Every day, millions of North Americans wake up, grab their keys and head out into this bright world of ours, behind the wheel of a midsize family sedan - if not a minivan or sport
utility vehicle. It appears that in the midst of getting reliability and comfort right, someone along the way - most likely at one of those gigantic Japanese corporations - decided that soul couldn't be lumped into a roomy, comfortable five-passenger vehicle for a reasonable price.
With each new family sedan introduced, all claiming to be much improved over the vehicle it replaces, the mid-size sedan segment of today is reaching perilous heights of boredom; once inside one of these metal contraptions there's little to do but go about your daily chores. It's difficult to feel the road communicate through the steering wheel, and if anything, cornering is done via a steady albeit blunt understeering path. Ownership often amounts to little more than the
convenience of a dependable appliance, filling it with fuel every once in a while and taking it in for servicing when recommended. Unfortunately such automotive valium alternatives have made for some rather boring reviews, and I have to admit, a sleep inducing ordeal writing about them.
The antidote to this problem, in my opinion, is to try something totally different, something that's not driven and ridden in by every man, woman and dog. The new 2006 Volkswagen Passat fits the bill very nicely. Like the fourth-generation VW Golf/Jetta, the now outgoing fifth-generation Passat transformed the face of Volkswagen in North America. It was a bold move for Volkswagen to start with Audi's premium A4 as a basic structure, but one that paid off, bringing high-end refinement, European road manners, and a well-built, stylish interior and exterior that effortlessly outclassed its rivals. The folks at VW must have felt smug hearing that its rivals at home and abroad have since used the Passat as a benchmark for their own midsize machines.
The mighty family sedan: a proud and solid vehicle, the official transportation of the suburbanite. Every day, millions of North Americans wake up, grab their keys and head out into this bright world of ours, behind the wheel of a midsize family sedan - if not a minivan or sport
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| 2006 Volkswagen Passat 2.0T: the antithesis of boring family sedans. (Photo: Justin Couture, Canadian Auto Press) |
With each new family sedan introduced, all claiming to be much improved over the vehicle it replaces, the mid-size sedan segment of today is reaching perilous heights of boredom; once inside one of these metal contraptions there's little to do but go about your daily chores. It's difficult to feel the road communicate through the steering wheel, and if anything, cornering is done via a steady albeit blunt understeering path. Ownership often amounts to little more than the
 |
| The folks at VW must have felt smug hearing that its rivals at home and abroad have since used the Passat as a benchmark for their own midsize machines. (Photo: Justin Couture, Canadian Auto Press) |
The antidote to this problem, in my opinion, is to try something totally different, something that's not driven and ridden in by every man, woman and dog. The new 2006 Volkswagen Passat fits the bill very nicely. Like the fourth-generation VW Golf/Jetta, the now outgoing fifth-generation Passat transformed the face of Volkswagen in North America. It was a bold move for Volkswagen to start with Audi's premium A4 as a basic structure, but one that paid off, bringing high-end refinement, European road manners, and a well-built, stylish interior and exterior that effortlessly outclassed its rivals. The folks at VW must have felt smug hearing that its rivals at home and abroad have since used the Passat as a benchmark for their own midsize machines.