The 2001.5 Passat is one of the top German passenger cars available for the money. It is in line with the Audi's but for thousands less. In fact, the body style now even slightly resembles its Audi A4 counterpart, and it comes standard with the same 1.8t 4-cylinder engine as the Audi. Did I mention that it is almost $3k less than the A4? Of course Audi makes good use of that extra 3k by TAKING AWAY the traction control found standard on the Passat.

I have had my 2001.5 Passat for almost a month now, and it has performed admirably.
I purchased mine with the following options:
Standard 1.8t engine (170hp) - Which sports plenty of power
Auto Trans w/tiptronic - Kind of fun for you stick enthusiasts
Luxury package (Alloy wheels, Sunroof, wheel locks, sunshade) - Mainly wanted the alloy wheels
Monsoon Sound pkg - Didn't really want it, but it was already installed in the car I wanted.
One of the great things about these cars is they come with a lot of "standard" features that are options (or even not available) on other cars. Front and side airbags, full size spare, daytime running lights, 4 wheel antilock brakes, traction control, and keyless remote entry just to name a few.

The new body style closely resembles its Audi counterpart, which figures since it borrows a lot from it. In my opinion the new body style is a little sportier, and not quite as "scrunched" as the 2000 model. It also doesn't resemble the Jetta's styling quite as much as it did in previous years. The engine is quite peppy, compared to my other vehicle which happens to be a Lexus RX300 SUV (I know SUV's aren't meant to be "peppy") and I have to watch myself carefully. However, the engine since it is a 4cyl. is a little bit louder than the v6 model on the inside of the cabin, but it isn't overbearing by any means. Gas mileage is pretty good also, being at 24/31 (although I have been getting closer to 24/30). Handling is quite responsive for regular driving, and its turning radius is quite good compared to some cars I have driven. The 2001.5 model sports cup holders in the front and the back, a feature that was surprisingly missing from the 2000 model. I don't know how you could forget to add cup holders to a car, but they did, and now they rectified it thank goodness. The cabin inside is well designed, with most everything within arms length of the drivers seat. The back seat isn't quite as roomy as my SUV but still plenty of room for 3 average size adults. The instrument panel is one of my favorite parts, and comes standard with a digital information computer placed nicely between the odometer and the speedometer gauges. The computer tells you information about MPG, average speed, if you have a door open (it tells you the which door to some degree), miles till empty, etc. The speedometer shows a mark for every 10mph, while I am used to every 5mph, and that takes some getting used to. The AC controls are adequate but nothing spectacular to speak of. The Monsoon system sounds decent, however I would have preferred getting the base system then upgrading with a 3rd party system at a later time. The fact that the slot for the radio is a standard size for a head-unit makes this quite easy. Being somewhat of an audio enthusiast, I tend to think that stock radios don't sound good. One of the coolest things is at night when you turn on the lights the dash lights up in VW's trademark orangish-red and the gauges light up in blue. It is very easy on the eyes and really neat. I suppose the novelty will wear off eventually though. The seats are manually controlled (I kind of miss my power seats) with all the standard capabilities and a couple of extras. One is that you can raise and lower your seat with a lever, you basically jack it up or let it down. Another extra is the lumbar support, which is your typical dial control. However I do have a problem with the tilt adjustment for the back of the seat in that it is also a dial control. I am used to the spring loaded lever control. The dial control is slow and rather cumbersome for a seat back, also the first couple of times I tried it without looking, I kept mistaking the lumbar control for the seat back control. The trunk has plenty of room for at least 3 dead bodies... uhhh I mean 3 large suitcases. Coupled with the dual drop down back seats, there is plenty of room to hall most of those supplies from Home Depot.

Well so far the car has been really nice and fun to drive. In the month that I have had mine, I have had to get so picky as to complain about the seat back adjustment dial, and the fact that the sound system doesn't really meet my desires, just to find anything bad to say about the car. The fact that I am getting so much car, for my money is great. It drives and handles well, and it’s comfortable to sit in. It gets good gas mileage and has plenty of power. Like I said before, it comes chock full of features standard, so while the base price may be a little higher than some of the other cars in its class, once you add in all the features that are standard I think you will be pleasantly surprised.

Amount Paid (US$): 23,125
Condition: New
Model Year: 2001
Model and Options: 1.8t, Automatic, Luxury Package, Monsoon Sound System