2009 Volkswagen Passat Sedan And Wagon Features And Prices

The 2009 Volkswagen Passat offers a nice combination of sophisticated handling and high-quality materials. Now available with a single engine choice, an energetic turbocharged four-cylinder, the new Passat has been noted for both its ride comfort and athleticism, its upscale interiors, and its respectable gas mileage performance.

The big change for the 2009 model year is the availability of just one powertrain: a turbocharged 2.0 liter four-cylinder engine coupled with a six-speed automatic transmission. The V6 engine has been eliminated. And while there's a new hard-drive-based touchscreen navigation system with digital music storage capability, Volkswagen also dropped several other features, including leather upholstery, a premium sound system and xenon headlights. Why the changes?

Well, it's looking like a smart business move that could pay big dividends. You see, the dollar has been falling in value against the euro, increasing the price of the Passat. Last year's V6 was priced at $36,000. Now priced in the high 20's, VW is banking on its top-notch interior, sporty design and athletic handling to siphon consumers away from previous V6 rivals like the Toyota Camry and Nissan Alitma.

And the strategy just might work. While at a power plant disadvantage, the Passat still sports fiesty acceleration, and achieves decent fuel economy at the same time. Engineered for the autobahn, the new Passat is still blessed with excellent high-speed stability. And the Passat's suspension maintains that particular German road feel that handles the bumps with no problem, yet is still impressive tackling the corners. Meantime, the interior is clearly a step above when it comes to design and quality.

Another big potential plus of this decision is the available wagon model. It's one of only two family-sedan-based wagons on the U.S. market (the other is the Subaru Outback). When gas prices went into the $3 and $4 range, SUV sales cratered. Should that happen again, and we're not far from there now, the Passat wagon could very well prove to be a popular alternative to poor-fuel-efficient SUVs.

Standard Features And Options:

The 2009 VW Passat is offered in one trim, the Komfort, for both midsize sedan and wagon models.

Standard features on the sedan includes 17 inch alloy wheels, air conditioning, a sunroof, heated windshield washer nozzles, power heated front seats, a leather-wrapped multifunction steering wheel, premium leatherette vinyl upholstery, and an 8-speaker audio system with a 6-disc in-dash CD changer, an auxiliary audio jack and satellite radio.

The wagon is equipped just the same, but also adds chrome roof rails.

Available optional features include sportier 17 inch alloy wheels, a choice of several exterior appearance packages (on the sedan only), an iPod adapter, and a touchscreen navigation system with a USB port, an iPod interface and 20GB of digital music storage capacity.

Engines, Powertrain And Gas Mileage:

Powering the front-wheel-drive Passat is the 2.0 liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine that produces 200 horsepower and 207 pound-feet of torque. It's coupled with a six-speed automatic transmission with manual shift control. And thanks to plenty of low-end torque, the new Passat sedan goes from a standstill to 60 mph in a fleet 7.7 seconds. While this may be a bit slower than its V6 competitors, it's still very quick and likely to satisfy most buyers.

Even with the Passat's peppy performance, the EPA's gas mileage estimate comes in at a very respectable 19 mpg city and 29 mpg on the highway for the sedan, while the wagon stands at 19 mpg city and 28 highway.

Safety:

Standard safety features on both sedan and wagon Passats include antilock disc brakes (ABS), stability control, anti-whiplash front head restraints, front-seat side airbags and full-length head curtain airbags. In addition, rear-seat side airbags are available as an option.

In government crash tests, the 2009 Volkswagen Passat received four out of five stars for protection of front occupants in head-on impacts. In side-impact testing, the Passat earned five stars for front passenger protection and four stars for rear passengers.

Interior:

The Passat has long been praised for its uplevel and comfortable cabin. The material quality is topnotch and its well-designed, user-friendly and beautifully finished. There's a real feeling of quality and precision to the controls and it is more luxury-based overall than most of its family-sedan competitors.

Storage capacity for the sedan is also adequate coming in at a solid 14.2 cubic feet. The wagon offers 35.8 cubic feet of cargo space, but with the second-row seats folded down, cargo space balloons to a huge 72.6 cubic feet ... about equivalent to a Honda CR-V or Toyota RAV4.

Drive:

While the 2009 Passat is tuned more to enhance comfort rather than for attacking those back twisty roads, its responsive steering and fiesty engine offer a nice balance of both. With plenty of power provided by the turbo-4 in most circumstances, the Passat is particularly solid at higher speeds due to its autobahn genes. This is a confident handler ... and it sounds great as well.

(Update: Bad Economy Leads To Lower Volkswagen Prices:

Following months of declines, VW sales were again down 18% last month versus 2008 levels, evidence of a continuing weak economy and an especially weak car buying trend.

A quick check at Edmunds.com just showed 100 Passat models sitting on dealer lots just in my area alone. Volkswagen needs to move these cars and there's some good deals to be had right now in this very soft car market.

How To Buy A New Volkswagen Passat At The Lowest Price: Before listing MSRP and invoice prices for the 2009 Passat, here's a technique that will show you the best way to buy one at or below invoice, especially given the current slow economic environment.)

Price:

2009 Volkswagen Passat:

Komfort Sedan: listed retail price: $28,300, invoice price: $26,436
Komfort Wagon: listed retail price: $29,690, invoice price: $27,727

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2009 Volkswagen Passat Features And Prices