Best family car overall 2009 Honda Accord *Est. $20905
Best budget family car 2009 Hyundai Sonata *Est. $18700
"Fun to drive" family sedan 2009 Mazda6 *Est. $18550
Large family car 2009 Toyota Avalon *Est. $27845

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2009 Volkswagen Passat

*Est. $28,300

Reviewed April 2009

Entertaining to drive
Spacious passenger cabin
Generous cargo space

Inconsistent crash-test scores
Below average reliability
Pricey for its class
Premium fuel is recommended
Some ill-fitting, cheap cabin bits

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Our Analysis

Experts love to drive the Volkswagen Passat. They say it's powerful and agile -- an "almost (BMW) 3 Series," Motor Trend says -- with plenty of room and comfort for a family. But its high sticker price and low reliability keep it off most recommended lists. In a comparison test of 10 family sedans at Motor Trend, the Passat beats them all. "If you're seeking a four-cylinder, four-door 'driver's car,' look no further," reviewer Arthur St. Antoine writes. "With the most potent engine in its class, the Passat leaves rivals gasping in its exhaust fumes."

Testers shower praise on the VW Passat's 200-horsepower, 2.0-liter turbocharged inline-4 engine and six-speed automatic transmission. Motor Trend clocks this combo's zero-to-60 time at 6.7 seconds -- a half-second slower than the V-6 versions of the new Mazda6 (*est. $18,550 to $28,465), and a full second slower than the Subaru Legacy 2.5GT spec.B (*est. $34,595) with its turbo four.

Those rivals deliver only 20 mpg in mixed driving. The Volkswagen Passat gets 23 mpg mixed (19 mpg city/29 mpg highway), just shy of the most fuel-efficient nonhybrid family sedans, such as the top-rated Honda Accord (*est. $20,905 to $28,955) and Hyundai Sonata (*est. $18,700 to $26,550). Costlier premium-grade gasoline is recommended for the Passat, however.

Experts caution buyers that the VW Passat has not been reliable. Owners rate it below average on every measure of dependability in J.D. Power and Associates' latest survey. While the Passat comes with the average three-year/36,000-mile basic warranty, Motor Trend notes that Volkswagen has tried to beef it up for 2009 by offering free scheduled maintenance during the warranty period.

Safety scores are mostly good, but other family sedans rate better than the Volkswagen Passat. It aces all crash tests -- front, side and rear -- at the nonprofit Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, but its scores in the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's government crash tests, although good, aren't outstanding like many other family sedans'. We found more consistent safety scores for the sporty Subaru Legacy (*est. $20,795 to $34,595) and the budget-priced Ford Fusion (*est. $19,270 to $27,675), among others.

Choosing which 2009 Volkswagen Passat sedan to buy is pretty easy, since it comes in only one trim: the front-wheel-drive Komfort sedan. Standard equipment includes features such as a power sunroof, a cooled glovebox, an alarm system and six months of satellite radio. A few options cost extra, including a navigation system (*est. $1,990), iPod adapter (*est. $200) and rear side airbags (*est. $350). "It's not cheap … and adding options quickly inflates sticker prices into premium-midsize-car territory," ConsumerGuide.com says of the Passat. "The best entries in that class have unassailable interior materials and something more than a four-cylinder as the base engine -- two things that Passat lacks."

Consumer Reports and Motor Trend both test the Volkswagen Passat and compare it directly with multiple rivals, making it easy to see how the Passat stacks up. ConsumerGuide.com also tests the Passat, but editors here rank it only against a "class average," not specific rivals. We found owner ratings for the Passat at J.D. Power and Associates, and official fuel-economy estimates at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Government and independent crash tests don't agree about the Passat's safety. MotherProof.com's review is thorough and test-based, but it is based on an expensive, luxury-oriented 2008 Passat trim that no longer exists.

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Our Sources

1. ConsumerReports.orgDetails/Subscribe

Consumer Reports conducts thorough tests on virtually every family sedan available, including the Volkswagen Passat. Editors also make reliability predictions for most of the cars they test, based on owner surveys from prior model years.

Review: Volkswagen Passat, Editors of ConsumerReports.org

2. Motor Trend Details/Subscribe

The Volkswagen Passat wins this comparison test of 10 family sedans. Experts say the somewhat pricey Passat is the most fun to drive, but they prefer the second-place Hyundai Sonata for families on a tight budget.

Review: The Familial and Frugal: Four-Cylinder Midsize Sedan Comparison Test, Editors of Motor Trend, June 2008

3. ConsumerGuide.com

In this review, ConsumerGuide.com road tests the Volkswagen Passat, then ranks it against the average scores of its peers. The Passat's overall score is almost equal to the average for the midsize-car segment, although experts here say its cargo room and value are unimpressive.

Review: 2009 Volkswagen Passat: Road Test, Editors of ConsumerGuide.com

4. SaferCars.gov

The Volkswagen Passat's federal safety scores aren't low, but they are lower than most other family sedans'. While most of its rivals earn perfect five-star ratings in most NHTSA crash tests, the Passat picks up mostly four-star ratings.

Review: 5-Star Safety Ratings, Editors of SaferCar.gov

5. Insurance Institute for Highway Safety

The Volkswagen Passat is a Top Safety Pick, based on its performance in IIHS front, side and rear crash tests. The Passat earns the best possible scores in every category.

Review: Midsize Moderately Priced Cars, Editors of Insurance Institute for Highway Safety

6. FuelEconomy.gov

The Volkswagen Passat isn't among the best midsize cars for fuel economy or annual fuel cost, according to this EPA chart that lists estimates for dozens of midsize sedans.

Review: 2009 Midsize Cars, Editors of FuelEconomy.gov

7. J.D. Power & Associates

The Volkswagen Passat's dependability falls to the bottom of the midsize pack in this most recent J.D. Power and Associates survey. The Passat had improved to "average" in the 2008 survey, but owners now rate it below average on every measure of reliability. J.D. Power and Associates also issues awards based on owner surveys; the Passat wins the Most Appealing Midsize Car award.

Review: 2009 Vehicle Dependability Study -- Midsize Car, Editors of J.D. Power and Associates

8. MotherProof.com

MotherProof.com gives the Volkswagen Passat its Best Sedan award, after reviewer Sherrice Gilsbach tests a loaded, $37,000 2008 Passat Lux trim that is not offered for 2009. She particularly likes the car's plethora of features, some of which are now extra-cost options.

Review: Passat Lux Takes Fully Loaded to a New Level, Sherrice Gilsbach, Oct. 2008