- sedan 213,719
- Greer, SC
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- autoshopper.com
- sedan 213,719 gasoline silver manual
1998 volkswagen passat review this car review is specific to this model, not the actual vehicle for sale. A new kind of volkswagen. introductionsome people are fanatical about volkswagens. They cherish their ancient beetles while awaiting a people's car revival later this year, buy golfs and jettas when they need new cars, bemoan the loss of the practical, roomy vans that were once a company mainstay. Vocal as they can be, however, vw enthusiasts are not a numerous bunch. there's another, larger group whose members wouldn't recognize a current vw if it slid down their chimneys wrapped in a neat bow. The latter are the potential customers the company is targeting with a complete reworking of its midsize passat sedan. in its quest to generate sales, vw has taken two major steps. The first, and most obvious, is a move away from the anonymous styling characteristic of past passats. Of equal or greater importance is the use of components shared with corporate sibling audi. volkswagen's own hardware is plenty good, so this borrowing of powertrains and chassis platforms might seem unnecessary to aficionados. And, given the origins of its major elements, will it keep faithful volkswagen fans happy?. walkaroundthe 1998 passat presents a fresh face to the world, one that sets it apart from the competition. It doesn't look like any volkswagen we've seen, but some of the new design elements seen here are an indication of upcoming vw products, particularly the new beetle. in general, the passat is smooth, a clean shape with some attractive details. One of these features is the semicircular arc described by the roofline. This shape, along with thin pillars, guarantees good visibility and generous front headroom. Another new design feature is the rounded nose with flush-mounted headlights, which helps lower the passat's coefficient of drag to an impressive 0. 27, the lowest in its class. This aerodynamic efficiency reduces wind noise and improves fuel economy, particularly at higher speeds. viewed from the front or the sides, the passat has a distinctive appearance that should age well. The rear view is a little less impressive. As is true of most sedans, there's a large, squared-off trunk lid flanked by large taillights. It's an efficient design -- every bit of the passat's 15 cubic feet of cargo space is usable -- but the look borders on generic. initially, only one model will be available. Within the year, the gls tested here will be joined by a glx with fancier trimmings and a v6, along with a tdi model powered by a fuel-efficient and remarkably smooth turbodiesel engine. A station wagon is expected to join the current 4-door sedan body style later this year. a full-time all-wheel drive system will also be available later this year. The dashboard is contemporary in appearance, with rounded shapes and a distinctive instrument pod that houses the speedometer, tachometer, water temperature gauge and fuel level indicator. A multifunction trip computer supplies temperature, time, speed, distance and fuel consumption data. Minor controls are well-located, though the rearview mirror adjustment buttons are placed on the upper door panel and seem a bit awkward to operate. in european fashion, the top of the dashboard, the steering wheel and the upper inside door panels are formed of attractively grained dark plastic that contrasts well with the upholstery color. The front seats, too, are noteworthy. Fore-and-aft adjustments operate smoothly, employing ball bearings on the mounts. The seats are supportive. The height can be adjusted and lumbar support reduces back fatigue. A split/folding rear seatback increases cargo-carrying space considerably. safety concerns are seen to by dual front airbags, supplemented by seatbelt tensioners that deploy instantly during a collision. A fifth person will be almost as comfortable, at least for short drives. There's plenty of room in the front seat for hat wearers, but rear-seat passengers taller than six feet may find their heads rubbing the headliner. driving impressionconsider the passat a superb driver's car. The chassis, shared with the audi a4 -- a superb car for driving pleasure -- has been tuned to offer an excellent blend of ride comfort and responsiveness. There's little body roll during cornering and precise, low-effort steering makes aiming the car easy. The all-season tires scream loudly when pushed to their limits, however. The ride is slightly firmer than that of competing japanese models, but the passat's handling qualities are markedly better. The five-speed automatic can be left alone change gears automatically. In this mode, it's a smart transmission that uses adaptive electronics to control shifting based on whether the driver is being gentle or is seeking maximum acceleration performance. those seeking greater control can shift the transmission into the tiptronic mode, a design licensed by porsche. Sliding the shift lever into a separate area to the right of the normal shift gate permits manual shifting. A forward push on the lever causes upward gear changes, with a light pull back for downshifts. Safety measures have been built in to protect the inattentive. The unit won't downshift when speeds are too high, or start from rest in fifth gear if the driver forgot to downshift when coming to a halt. The tiptronic is a fine dual-purpose transmission, sporting or unobtrusive as the driver wishes. summaryquality has seldom been an issue with volkswagen products, and it isn't here. The only potential stumbling block to its success is the window sticker, but closer inspection reveals base prices aren't the whole story: at a glance, the volkswagen passat seems more expensive than some of its rivals, but their advantage quickly vanishes when comparisons are made between similarly equipped examples. well built, fun to drive, economical, comfortable and carrying a long list of standard safety and convenience features, the stylish new passat is highly recommended. assembled ingermany. options as testedsunroof, leather upholstery, tiptronic transmission, cd changer. model testedgls. Tachometer✔ CD Changer✔ Alloy Wheels
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