Another alternative would have been opting for Volkswagen's TDI turbo diesel technology, second to none in North America.
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| The Passat features a gargantuan 565 litre (20.0 cubic foot) trunk (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press) |
For good reason TDI-powered cars and SUVs make up about forty percent of the brand's Canadian sales, but unfortunately a new TDI Passat won't be part of the equation anytime soon. No doubt, this is not due to any lack of desire by the automaker's Canadian executive staff, but rather is the result of the fact no diesel made by Volkswagen or any other automaker for that matter meets the upcoming 2007 emission requirements. Volkswagen, which intends to meet these standards in order to satisfy demand (see automotive news section for Dec 13, 2005: VW to Switch to Common-Rail Diesel Technology from PD-TDI), obviously
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| If I had seen output figures as high as those that come standard with Volkswagen's 3.6 in years past, I'd have thought it was some rarified tuner model created by Abt, Mugen or some other VW-Audi chop shop. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press) |
didn't feel it was worthwhile to invest in a diesel engine that could run on our poor quality diesel fuel for a mere year or two, before it would be replaced by a more refined version. So what do disenfranchised Passat TDI fans do now? Well, all is not lost. It just so happens that the outgoing 2005 Passat is similarly sized to the all-new 2006 Jetta, which, incidentally, is available in TDI guise. The old Passat had a 2,605 litre (92 cubic foot) passenger volume compared to 2,577 litres (91 cubic feet) in the new Jetta, while the outgoing Passat's trunk featured only 283 litres (10 cubic feet) of space and the new Jetta has 453 (16). The Passat features a gargantuan 565 litre (20.0 cubic foot) trunk! In other words, disenfranchised Passat TDI fans can find solace in the new 2006 Jetta TDI, and do so at a savings to boot.
But despite such useful information, I've digressed from what was initially a Passat 3.6 article. If I had seen output figures as high as those that come standard with Volkswagen's 3.6 in years past, I'd have thought it was some rarified tuner model created by Abt, Mugen or some other VW-Audi chop shop. Or maybe they'd be more apropos beside the automaker's now deceased W8 Passat. No, these are stock output ratings covered by Volkswagen's comprehensive warranty.
