Overview & Reviews

The VW Passat has been redesigned inside and out for 2006. The current version is 3 inches longer and 3 inches wider than its predecessor, with a more spacious cabin. Initially, VW will offer only a sedan, but the wagon rejoins the lineup later in the 2006 model year. Engine choices include the 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder and a 3.6-liter V6; last year's diesel engine option has been dropped. Trim levels have been renamed and recast; the Passat now comes in Value Edition, 2.0T, 3.6 and 3.6 4Motion trims.

• Powerful engines, excellent ride and handling dynamics, roomy and upscale interior, outstanding build and materials quality, available all-wheel drive.

• V6 models are expensive compared to Japanese rivals.

User Reviews:

Showing 231 through 240 of 403.00

• 

  Best Ive Owned - 2006 Volkswagen Passat
  By Jim - January 1 - 2:10 am

  Best car ever owned. Bought for the safety features, 30+ MPG, four adults capacity and could not be more pleased. Using mid-grade gas, average 33 MPG in easy driving and 25 when pushed hard. No reliability issues whatsoever. Great driving experience feeling like a much more expensive car. Very stable and cruises at 85 without feeling sensation of speed. Surprised by the power of the Turbo 4; more surprised at the combo of power and excellent gas mileage. Major complaint is the original equip Goodyears slipped badly when wet / cold. Bought a set of dedicated snow tires for my snowy CT winters and replaced the summer tires with Continentals -- problem solved. Id buy again!

• 

  Terrific car - 2006 Volkswagen Passat
  By Turbonium - December 14 - 9:00 pm

  This is a terrific car. Luxurious, perfectly designed interior with so many nice touches that it is hard to remember them all. Its luxurious, with soft leather, and lots of legroom, especially for rear passengers. The 2.0T engine is very refined for a 4- cylinder engine, very smooth, with lots of power, matched to a firm but comfortable suspension, coupled with very effective electromechanical steering. It has great brakes. Dont buy the car without the Dynaudio stereo. The navigation system is useful but costly. The car feels and drives like something special, not just a means of getting from point A to point B. I keep finding excuses to drive the car. "What, were out of milk? No problem! Ill get it!

• 

  Blew Me Away! - 2006 Volkswagen Passat
  By danfan521 - November 20 - 5:46 pm

  I first drove the 06 Passat in October 05 before the review on Edmunds.com. The Value Edition had enough standard features and styling to convince me at first glance. After that initial drive I was still not convinced, so we spent a week test driving the Nissan Maxima, Honda Accord, Toyota Camry LE, Ford Fusion and the Ford 500 - thoroughly comparing features. The Passat won hands down. It has better interior styling, and its solid German road feel left us speechless everytime we saw it. We purchased a 2.0T in Mocha Brown with the Latte interior. Its upgrades were package #2 and the 17" wheels. I highly recommend the wheel upgrade. The Dynaudio stereo is a great options, but we opted out on these. Im blown away!

• 

  Teutonic Solidity - Fun To Drive! - 2006 Volkswagen Passat
  By m-photo - November 17 - 3:23 am

  Ive had the car for seven months now. Its had zero problems so far, no defects. The 2.0T engine is very quick! The car is nimble and crispy. The platform is really rigid. Im an auto enthusist so I drive the car hard. The brakes are excellent. I love the "brake assist". The steering is pretty good, but its a little light. Under hard acceleration theres quite a bit of torque steer - meaning the car veers to the right somewhat. Most people wont notice it, but I really dig into the accelerator. This is normal w/ Front Wheel Drive cars. The transmission is pretty good. It downshifts quickly for passing. I would prefer the Tiptronic function to be adjacent to the Sport setting though.

• 

  Love/Hate Relationship - 2006 Volkswagen Passat
  By Adriver - November 14 - 1:46 pm

  Bought 3.6 Luxury model with less than 7K miles. Absolute pleasure to drive, when its not in the shop. I love this car but it has been at the dealer at least once every month for a repair - usually electrical stuff in the past. Now with 31K miles they are installing a new engine! Oil pump bolt came loose. My wife wants to sell it and get another Subaru. I cant argue too much - weve had 4 Subs, all went over 200K without a problem. Last VW, 01 Jetta TDI, replaced Turbo at 118K miles, glow plug problems often, check engine light on often - it too was fun to drive but I want to give the Passat one more chance to stay out of the shop, but I think Ill have to face reality & sell it.

• 

  2006 Passat - 2006 Volkswagen Passat
  By Ptmarlowe - November 2 - 11:06 pm

  This is my second Volkswagen Passat and there is no comparison. The new 2006 Passat is awesome. The 2.0 liter tubo engine is a pocket rocket. The interior feels like I am in a Mercedes. For the money it is the best overall car around.

• 

  What a Car! - 2006 Volkswagen Passat
  By Brian - October 28 - 2:36 pm

  This is a great car! This is my second Passat, I just came off lease of my 2002. I have had my new 2006 since May and it is a dream to drive. I drove to Chicago and averaged over 35 mpg and thew car had plenty of power for the major Highways. The fit and finish is way above the average Chevy type of car and I feel it is on par with higher so called luxury cars. I dont understand the knock on reliability, I have not had any trouble with either car. With 35 mpg, I do not know why Volkswagen doesnt push the mileage and compare it with the so called Hybrids. If you have a Passat you get almost as good mileage as a Hybrid without the extra expense.

• 

  Sporty Sedan - 2006 Volkswagen Passat
  By Scott - October 26 - 3:20 am

  The new 2006 Passat is a car with a lot of enthusiasism. The 4-cylinder turbo engine gives you the boost on demand for highway driving. The handling is as good or better than the more expensive BMW 3-Series. The interior room is great if you have a family. It has a lot of trunk space and the back seat has room for multiple baby seats. So if you travel with children the space is a big plus. The leather interior and in dash CD player add a nice luxury touch to this model. It is fun to drive and covers all the practical bases for family use.

• 

  Very Satisfied - 2006 Volkswagen Passat
  By DB - October 17 - 5:03 am

  I have had the car for two weeks now. I got a 2.0T with Luxury package 2, Dynaudio, and 17 inch wheels. Simply put, it is a great car to drive. It feels solid, and the 2.0T engine wants to go! My average gas mileage during break-in has been 25.8 mpg. I test drove most of the cars in the $28,000 - $35,000 range and the VW was the best value and most fun to drive with a luxury sport sedan feel. I read some reviews regarding the windnoise at 60 mph plus, just get the upgraded Dynaudio system and there is no need to worry! ;-) The transmission shifts smoothly and has a nice power band, theres no need to get to 4,000 rpms to get performance.

• 

  Passat Value - 2006 Volkswagen Passat
  By BILLARAUZ - October 15 - 10:56 am

  This is an under rated car - if you really compare vehicles youll find that for the money this is a superior buy. If you want to go for the brand names go ahead and spend 20-30 thousand more and youll find that you didnt get much more car.