The 2002 Volkswagen Passat GLS sedan I bought on September 9, 2001 was the first new car I ever owned. I can’t say that it was love at first sight, though I did think her Reflex Silver exterior and sleek silhouette was quite appealing. It took just a little time to really fall in love with all the wonderful features that make this car such a treat.

Consumer Reports was our matchmaker, as the Passat was its number one choice for mid-sized sedan that year. Sure, I flirted with the Audi A4, even going so far as taking her out for a spin. Yet it came down to choosing the whole package, and VW Passat had it all: attractive appearance that stood out from the sea of Hondas and Toyotas; smart and thoughtful design elements unusual at this price point; practical features like good gas mileage and outstanding safety features; and all offered at a very reasonable price of about $22,000 before tax, title, and license fees.

It has been almost seven years since I first drove her home, and now that my husband’s grandparents have given us a near-new car (a 2006 Nissan Altima with less than 3,000 miles), it’s time to let my baby go.

This review is an ode to our love affair and my first foray in writing a car review. Forgive my sentimentality and please keep in mind I know nothing about engines. This is just one woman’s thoughts about a beautiful, well-designed and reasonably priced car.

About the Car
I opted for the base model GLS sedan with very few options. I negotiated with every dealer within a 100 mile radius to get the most basic car possible, with the exception of upgrading to the Monsoon Premium sound system and a 6-disc player in the trunk. Higher trim levels would have included such niceties as a V6 engine, alloy wheels, wood trim, leather seats, etc. Given my lifestyle and preferences, I’m pleased I bought the bare-bones model and saved the cash.

First, the Superficial and Subjective: Its Appearance
Take a look at it yourself. Opinions vary, but I think this is a more aggressively styled sedan than its Japanese competitors. I particularly liked that the 2002 models had an updated rear compared to the pre-2001 model. The round brake lights are pretty distinctive, too. I find that the sleek silhouette is easy to spot in a parking lot, even though I have a silver car that blends in with all the other silver cars out there.

I also think the car looks fairly proportional. I hate those cars who rear ends look smushed, because the front is so long. The Passat doesn’t look too wide or too long, compared to some cars that just seem to be boats on the road. Yet it also is not as compact and small as a sports car. To my mind, it exemplifies what one expects when you hear “mid-sized sedan.”

Finally I left the stock wheels on the car and did not make any aesthetic modifications other than getting tinted windows, but VW owners on sites like vwvortex.com have posted photos of some “sick” modifications that make a stylish car even sportier and more aggressive. They are probably not the kind of choices a suburban mom would make, but it’s worth checking out if you want a more distinctive look.

Engine, Transmission and the Guts of the Car I Know NOTHING About!
I read a few of the other VW Passat reviews on here and on other sites that contain technical information and informed opinions about them, but figured my experience will have to focus on other areas. I don’t know what a double-overhead-cam five-valve-per-cylinder design is, what 170 horsepower really means, or 166 torque, but apparently this is what the Passat has. For technical details, I encourage you to look elsewhere on-line. For a regular person’s view on this car, read on!

My GLS car came with the 4 cylinder, 1.8L Turbo engine with automatic transmission. This transmission option comes with the Tiptronic manual shift control, which allows the driver to manually “shift” gears. I never used this function and can’t comment on it at all as I’ve always been an automatic transmission driver and wouldn’t know when I was supposed to shift to take advantage of this feature. My guess is that it’s an attempt to appease those drivers who want the convenience of automatic but the flexibility of using manual when they feel like it.

I can tell you that the Turbocharged engine is much better than a typical 4 cylinder engine. Acceleration is more powerful with the turbo and it’s most obvious when you’re starting up from a dead stop at an intersection. Once you’re in gear and on the freeway (for instance), it’s hardly noticeable. My car will have a slight “hitch” when the Turbo kicks in if you’re starting up from 0 mph at an intersection, and it hums a little louder than I’d like, but I think it’s a nice compromise to maintain the fuel efficiency of a 4 cylinder engine yet still get access to power when you need it. In layman’s terms, I’d say it’s like a bicyclist getting an extra push when you’re first starting off. You don’t really notice the “pushing” once you’re riding along.

The major advantage of a 4 cylinder engine is the gas mileage. EPA rates the 2002 VW Passat as using 30 mpg/freeway and 21 mpg/city streets. I usually found I got 24-28 mpg, depending on the trips taken. I’m a fairly conservative driver who anticipates red lights and usually drives with a light foot, so I don’t know what kind of mileage aggressive drivers would get.

Keep in mind that the biggest drawback of the engine is that it requires Premium 91 octane gasoline. Ouch! I know it’s a lot, but I always figured that it’s better to invest in the right food for my “gourmet” car than scrimp and end up with some engine pinging. This is one expense I’m glad I no longer incur now that I’m selling my Passat.

Other technical features that I think can be taken for granted at this price point are power steering, cruise control, and the Anti-Lock Braking System.

I’ve driven this car up to 90 mph and found it a smooth satisfying ride. I find I can take turns/off-ramps pretty smoothly without braking at all if I coast into it, which helps w/fuel efficiency. That’s when you realize the car is built pretty well, as I do not feel the car is out of control or prone to tipping/floating on tight fast turns.

I also used the car for a couple years on a very bad stop-and-go freeway commute. Again, acceleration is a little rough when starting from 0, but if you’re already at 10-25 mph, it’s smooth as silk. At both ends of the extreme when it comes to commute styles, this car has performed well and I’ve found the engine/transmission/guts to meet my needs.

Inside the Cabin!
Since I opted for the basic GLS sedan, I got fabric seats. I’m pretty disappointed by how much lint and dog hair stick to the fabric (despite all my efforts to clean it off), but the seats remain firm and comfortable even years later. If I could do it again, I think I would have paid extra for leather, if only to avoid the dog hair issue.

Slip inside the driver’s seat and you’ll find a well-laid out dashboard, complete with really cool blue/red lit instruments at night. The chrome accents are sharp, too. But my absolute favorite part about the instrument control is the multi-function trip computer, which displays the current MPG estimate, remaining miles in tank, etc. It’s addictive. I often would drive would one eye on the computer read-out, as it would show that my acceleration uphill was yielding only 7 mpg or that my coasting down hill was getting me 82 mpg!

Other features I was surprised to get at this price point (and now miss dearly since I’m driving the Nissan), include:

• Power Door Locks (automatically lock above 8 mph, which is a great safety feature)
• Folding Side Mirrors with Defrost/Heat Function
• Outside Temperature Gauge
• Interval Wipers that adjust

Many of the other features are pretty standard, I think:
• Power Windows with one-touch up/down
• Day-time Running Lights
• Air conditioning
• Center Armrest w/ Storage
• Center Console Cup Holders
• Rear Defroster
• Remote Key-less Entry System and Panic Alarm
• Remote Trunk Lid

In terms of driver and passenger comfort, there is 39.78” of front headroom, according to one website, and I find I miss this a lot, too. My parents’ Acura, my Nissan, and various other cars make me feel like a giant because my head would scrape the ceiling when I leaned forward. In my Passat, I could adjust the height of the driver’s seat to the very lowest setting and still feel human.

In terms of length, there is 41.5” of front legroom. The Passat’s driver seat adjustment options have been good for us because my husband sets the seat height at its highest level and its legroom at its longest, while I set the height at its lowest and the legroom at almost its shortest length. For perspective, I stand 5ֻ” or so and I’m only 2-3” shorter than him.

The one drawback inside the cabin when it comes to passenger comfort/space is that it is a tight squeeze in the back seat, especially when putting a baby/toddler into a car seat. I think three adults in the back seat would be uncomfortable. Fortunately, I almost never sat back there or had anyone need to sit there longer than a short car ride.

Once I had a child and had to deal with the car seat, I found myself a little more disappointed with the back seat. I have to contort a bit and perch on the edge of the bench seat to lift my forward-facing daughter out of her seat. I also have to be cautious about not hitting my head (or hers!) when getting into and out of the car while holding her. This is something most other mid-sized sedans also face, as I have only found that vans and SUVs avoid the rear seat headroom issue.

Cargo Storage space
The back seat is a little tight, but I’ve managed to squeeze a low wide bookshelf back there. Other times, I just fold down the 60%/40% Split Folding, Lockable Rear Seat (which has 3 Headrests!). The trunk itself is large enough for my use, though its opening is a bit narrow, so a bookcase wouldn’t fit in the trunk opening unless it was not very deep. We’ve transported my husband’s fishing rods, a nightstand, and the aforementioned bookshelf in the Passat over the years. For any big items you have to transport, you’ll still need a truck/SUV/van.

Safety features
Back in 2001, I was delighted to find the car had so many airbags at this price range. There are the standard driver and front passenger airbags, but there are also two mounted on each side of the front seats and the side head curtain bags.

In terms of crash tests, the Passat received 5’s on the front crashes and 4’s on the side crashes. This is really good and probably equivalent to its competitors.

When I bought the car, I knew it would eventually be used for transporting future children. I was pleased that the car has LATCH and have found it very easy to install my daughter’s car seats. I will say that I am disappointed that LATCH is not available in the center seat position. However, that doesn’t seem to be unusual since other cars I’ve driven also require seatbelt installation in the center position.

Reliability and Fears of Major Repairs
I’ll admit that I had more than a little trepidation about buying a German car, as opposed to a solid, reliable Japanese car. Plus, I’m someone that doesn’t know anything about cars and naively agrees to every repair recommended by the VW dealership because I am too nervous about safety to refuse. Fortunately, my local VW dealers have been good to me and not taken huge advantage of my ignorance. In the almost 7 years that I have owned this car, the only repairs/replacements I have made other than scheduled service have been to replace 2 hoses, the turn signal fuse/switch, 2 CV boots, the valve cover gaskets and cam tensioner seals, the rear brakes in April 2008, and the Freon was recharged in May 2008. Those are pretty minor issues, in my opinion, so I think I’ve been quite lucky given the reputation of European cars.

Of course, this list doesn’t include the 3-4 VW issued recalls, including the infamous coil packs that apparently caused some cars to catch on fire. I never had any problems with my car, but some owners obviously did as VW had to issue several recalls for the 2002 year model. Still, all continues to be well with my car and the recalls were all done while I was getting the car serviced, so I wasn’t particularly inconvenienced at all.

My Experience
This is an overly simple, subjective statement, but I’m going to put it out there anyway: I love driving my car. There’s a sense of stability/solidness, without feeling clunky like a Volvo or Range Rover or too lightweight like a Honda or Toyota, while at the same time offering a “zoom” factor closer to that of a sports car like my husband’s old Nissan 300ZX. It gives the average suburban driver like me more zip than the typical plodding sedan without sacrificing on space for the tiny sports cars.

I also loved that I wasn’t just another Honda or Toyota driver in the vast suburban parking lots where I live. There’s something special about being a VW driver and I do enjoy their commercials. At the end of the day, nearly 7 years after buying this car, I am still deeply in love with her. If it weren’t for the fact that my husband’s grandparents gave us their nearly new car, which is larger, has leather seats, and has a navigation system, I would still happily drive my Passat. I try not to think of her as a jilted lover or the abandoned first wife. I hope to remember her as the high school girlfriend who taught me a lot about love and helped me to set expectations that all future loves will have to live up to.

Amount Paid (US$): 22000
Condition: New
Model Year: 2002
Model and Options: GLS sedan