2009 Volkswagen Passat wagon

You would also have to spring for one of the upper-level Outbacks to get an engine that can match the Passat's, according to reviews. The Volkswagen Passat wagon's 200-horsepower, 2.0-liter turbocharged engine is "an excellent four cylinder powerplant" that gets from zero to 60 in "a respectable 7.4 seconds," writes Alex Dykes at The Truth About Cars.

Car and Driver uses the same adjective -- respectable -- to describe the Passat wagon's acceleration. Testers there find its steering "precise" and its reflexes quick; unlike the vast majority of wagons they test, they say the Volkswagen Passat has "a high fun-to-drive index." However, some other reviews find nothing particularly special about the Passat wagon's handling. When Dykes tries it on hard curves, "the Passat gets scared and runs for the edge of the road."

Reviewers don't agree about the Passat wagon's reliability. Owners report good reliability in J.D. Power and Associates' survey, but another leading consumer survey predicts that it will be less reliable than the average car. The VW Passat wagon is covered by a three-year/36,000-mile basic warranty, with a five-year/60,000-mile powertrain warranty.

The Truth About Cars conducts the most in-depth comparison test we found for the 2009 Volkswagen Passat wagon, although the reviewer compares it with only three other wagons -- all luxury models. Edmunds.com, Car and Driver and Kiplinger's Personal Finance magazine also road-test the Passat wagon, although they don't test it head-to-head against other cars. ConsumerReports.org tests only the Passat sedan, but some of its results apply to the wagon. J.D. Power and Associates rates the Passat wagon in several categories based on owner surveys, not expert tests. We found fuel-efficiency ratings at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's website, and crash-test scores at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the nonprofit Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.