1998 Volkswagen Passat GLS

The first sentence from the initial press release reads, "With the all-new 1998 Volkswagen Passat hitting showrooms this fall, the tranquil midsized family car market in North America is about to get a loud wake-up call from Germany."

This should give you an idea of how serious VW is about making its presence felt in the far-from-"tranquil" midsize car market-the best-selling Honda Accord, the highly respected Toyota Camry, and the most recent challenger, the Chevrolet Malibu, are all under fire. It's the market where sales volume not only wins the top-dog bragging rights and generates all-important brand visibility, but also pays the bills and keeps a company afloat.

Volkswagen owners are among the most loyal in the community, but these aren't the only people VW is targeting with the new-for-'98 Passat. Be that as it may, VW fans finally have something to celebrate-and the competitors have something to fear-in the new, German-made Passat. Sure, VW also produces torquey VR6s, cute Cabrios, and sporty GTIs, but the new Passat is more apt to be remembered for its modern design and fun-to-drive character. With the current VW mantra, "Drivers Wanted," still echoing in our ears, the next step appears to be "Families Wanted."

Why has VW chosen the perennially slow-selling Passat nameplate to lead the way? Part of the answer is simple life-cycle timing, and part of it has to do with reintroducing the model to the American market where it has been overlooked in favor of the more popular and less expensive Jetta, while possibly getting current Jetta drivers to upgrade to a new Passat. If VW can successfully market this model, then the hot-selling Jetta (next in line for remodeling) should be a shoo-in.

The most noticeable feature of the new Passat is undoubtedly its carved-from-a-single-block, rounded appearance. This not only makes the sedan attractive and coupe-like, but also helps it achieve its remarkably low drag coefficient of 0.27 (by comparison the new Porsche 911 only boasts 0.30) and an overall 10 percent gain in bodyshell strength over a '97 Passat. The new body also features what the German company has described as raumwnder or "miracle of space." Basically, this is Volkswagen's version of cab-forward design, which allows the Passat to have a great amount of interior space (true five-passenger capacity approaching American-car standards) with a small amount of exterior size (slightly smaller than a Camry).

Sharing a great deal of hardware with the Audi A4, but stretched for a smoother ride, and recently released A6, the Passat offers more interior room than its mechanically related A4 brethren, especially in rear seating, which remains one of the only criticisms of the acclaimed A4. Other commonalities with the A4 include the much-admired 1.8-liter, turbocharged engine and powertrain. Our manual-transmission-equipped test car hit 60 mph in a mere 7.9 seconds, more than a half-second quicker than the previous-generation Passat VR6. With this impressive acceleration, we expected this small-displacement, turbo-equipped car to be sluggish off the line. Not so. Our test drivers couldn't believe the response and more than one asked, "Are you sure this is a turbo? It feels like a V-6." The Passat's big-engine feel is no accident. The nearly undetectable turbocharger is tuned for low-end torque where the smallish 1.8-liter engine needs it. At higher rpm, the free-breathing 20-valve cylinderhead takes over to keep output high. The turbo-enhanced torque curve is virtually flat from its maximum boost at a low 1750 rpm all the way to 4600 rpm. This provides for a quiet and potent, 150-horse motor with 155 pound-feet of torque that achieves 23 city mpg and 32 mpg on the highway.