Test Drive: New Chattanooga-made Passat has more pizzazz

Remember the heady days in 2011 when Motor Trend magazine named the Chattanooga-made Volkswagen Passat(with Car DVD Player) its Car of the Year? Praised for its functionality and value, the redesigned-for-North America 2012 Passat was a big hit with members of the automotive press and consumers.

Alas, buyers of midsize cars are a fickle lot. In short, they want it all: durability, safety, performance and a dash of styling. The conservatively-styled Passat soon had some stiff competition from a dashing new Ford Fusion, a crisply-designed new Honda Accord and a refreshed Toyota Camry. As domestic sales of the Passat began to flatten, VW took a further sales hit this fall after the company acknowledged emissions software irregularities in some models and put the popular Passat turbo-diesel (TDI) on the shelf until a fix is found.

Well, the home team clearly needs to put its rally caps on, and the newly redesigned 2016 Passat delivers a host of upgrades which should translate into new sales momentum. The new Passat boasts improvements in design, comfort, technology, safety and, perhaps most importantly, value.

The 2016 Passat, which starts at $22,440 in base trim, has new sheet metal — including a striking new face — a tastefully upgraded interior and a much-improved new telematics system.

Meanwhile, VW has managed to keep the cost of mid-trim Passats squarely in the sweet spot for family sedans. Our well-appointed SE tester, provided by Village Volkswagen on International Drive in Chattanooga, has a sticker price of $27,420 before dealer installed options. Meanwhile, a fully-optioned V-6 model can top $36,000. A new R-Line trim, positioned between the entry-level S and mid-level SE, offers some sporty embellishments at a reasonable price.

The 1.8-liter turbo-charged engine in our Passat tester proved to be strong and responsive during our mid-morning test drive on Chattanooga highways. While it might not have as much off-the-mark torque as the Passat TDI or the Passat V-6, the gasoline-powered turbo is still lots of fun to drive. What about install Android Car Gps?

It's sounds like a cliche, but there really is a noticeable difference in the driving characteristics of most German-engineered cars. The Passat's electronic steering is taut, and handling is precise. At highways speeds, the Passat also has one of the quietest cockpits in the segment, which means a lot if you do much long-range driving.

Visibility is excellent in all directions, and it was easy for us to find a comfortable driving position. On the curving back roads around Chickamauga Dam, the nibble Passat was in its element.

BOTTOM LINE

In the case of the new Passat, the bottom line really is the bottom line — the price. For about same price as cars from U.S., Japanese and Korean carmakers you can own a German-engineered, American-made driver's delight. And now that the Passat's infotainment and safety technology has caught up with the segment leaders, look for Chattanooga's first-born VW model to have the wind at its back for a change. If installing an Android Car Stereo in your car, that would be great!