Acceleration, handling, safety, appearance...you name it.

Cup holders...but they have changed the design in the newer models.

I love my car. The passat is quick, responsive, and very fun to drive. Even though it''s "smaller" than most cars, I feel very safe with all the safety features volkswagon has included. I will be getting a new Passat in about a year and can''t think of a reason not to go back to Volkswagon. My service from the dealer has been great.

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None

Good handling, great power, great looks.

Bad dealer service. Requires premium gasoline.

I love my car. It is very responsive and quick. When driving on the highway it feels as if you are floating -- but not in a dangerous, out of control way. The only negative I have is the dealer service. Since service is included as part of the price, it makes no sense to go to anyone but Volkswagon for service -- however, they are inept at best... and from reading other reviews, it seems as if this is a global Volkswagon problem and not just in my area. If the dealer could effectively execute even the simplest of service (changing the oil), I would be much happier.

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Acura Integra, Honda Accord Couple 6Cyl

Great standard features; power windows, moonroof(rocks!), roof rack, too many features to mention! This is a well made car, solid body, excellent handling. I see this car lasting for 300,000 miles easy. It''s true, the car will wear out before the turbo diesel injected engine.

Paint job is so, so, easily scratches and then rust.

Purchased this vehicle based on driving habits, covered an average of 50,000 miles a year. The sales person recomminded the Turbo Diesel Injected engine for extremely great gas mileage; 44-city/46-50-Hwy!! Car handles very well;cornering, etc.

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Toyota Corolla Station Wagen

The 2002 Passat has the best fit and finish in its price range, and is more typical of pricier German cars. Handling is typically German (excellent for those not familiar with German handling), with a firm but not harsh ride to boot! The V6 automatic with Tiptronic is smooth and handles the 190HP with great skill. The Tiptronic is better than the Japanese versions that I had on my Acura TL. The cockpit is well designed, and the seats are a firm non slip leather. Love the 3 memory position seats, the traction control, and the front, side, and side curtain airbags. The red lighting of the dash and accessories is BMW terrific.

Being picky, I dislike the station control of the radio on the steering wheel. Instead of going to the next preset, it goes to the next station, which requires me to reach for the presets on the radio. On a $30,000 car, do we really need an external antenna? Center armrest has the smallest storage, and the glovebox is pretty shallow.

Passat GLX for 2002 is definately best in class, and competes very well with much more expensive sedans. With over 2300 changes made to the car for this model year, you can imagine that the car has little faults!

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Acura GS-R, Acura Legend Coupe, Acura TL (new 3.2 version).

Looks, handling, gas mileage, fit and finish

Reliability, dealer inadequacies, Brakes,

Nice idea...I wish Honda built it. No wonder their ads state "Drivers Wanted". Who in their right mind would own two! The car is a beaut and it does drive well, but the Germans need to hire the Japanese to instill a little quality. I''ve got 50K miles on it now and must sell it. It''s running well for the moment but I am confident that it will meet my expectations and break down again soon. The rotors are a joke. Note the dust buildup around the wheels and wonder why it is worse than most other cars. The pads and rotor are cheap. $550 at 26K for the front only. The air box (ventilation system behind the dash) broke last week. The $1400 repair bill was a nice surprise. Windshield cracks due to frame stress, headliner peeling, dash lights failing, three (yes three) gas gauges replaced, etc. The radio code was wrong in the VW computer and I had to search the net for an answer to recode it. The dealer said that they have to do that to as the VW updates are often wrong. So far, a more unreliable car than my 1991 Grand Caravan. The Dodge is a paradyme of reliability next to this monument to German incompetence. So my advice is...think Japanese. So what if the Camry and Accord are boring, so are dealer service waiting rooms..and they''re expensive.

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Maxima, Dodge Caravan, Altima, Odyssey

power, handles better than my boys 2000 a4 quatro, luxury, loaded w/ crazy features like folding side mirrors and a self dimming rear view mirror w/ two laser shooting down on the stick so you can see when it pitch dark, climate control system, cooling fan in glove box, chrome trim in trunk, built in amp rack and place for c/d chager which is hidden, get the glx its sickly loaded

damn, vw, where are the xenons, now i have to go buy transformers and bulbs, 17 inch wheels? now i have to pay 2 geez for chromies

awsome car, i''d take my passat over any 323 beamer. the car has class. I have a silver glx w/ blacl leather in 5 spd, if you find one, oh they are rare, buy it, you won''t regret it. your bassically paying $28K FOR AN AUDI W/OUT THE NAME

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nissan 200sx se-r, that car is a piece compared to the passat glx

Handling, air conditioning, cruise control, smooth engine and transmission.

Continual electrical problems from the first week of ownership. Radio kept going out, horn kept beeping on its own, windshield wipers never worked right, hoses breaking, bad balljoint ruined front tires ($140 to replace each one). I''''''''m glad I took the extended warranty. Even with three years left on the extended warranty (which paid for everything), I just couldn''''''''t take the hassle. I was afraid to go on a trip.

Owned for 4 years. Good power, fun to drive. Unique styling. I couldn''''''''t take the continual reliabilty problems. Traded it in at 27,000 miles. I now own a 2001 Honda Accord.

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My new 1972 ford pinto. It''''''''s a tie.

style, handling

RELIABILITY, sight lines (due to thick roof pillars and high rear end), engine noise at highway speeds, lousy low beam headlights

My Passat has 24k miles and the clutch just burned out. The warranty only covers the clutch for 12k miles, so neither VW of America nor my dealer will do anything to help. It is going to take $1,100 to $1,800 to fix the clutch. Before the clutch, the only real problem was a loud rattle in the driver''s door when the body would flex. It took my dealer 3 tries to fix it. By the way, my Toyota has 96k miles and it''s clutch works just fine.

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None

to few to mention

too many to list....save your money,don''t make the same mistake i did. buy a toyota or honda

A real sophisticated looking car, everyone had told me to buy a VW they go forever.Since i''ve had this car i''ve had nothing but nightmares and no money left in my pocket the people who work on them don''t even know what they are doing. I''ve had my car to about five different people yet no one has fixed any of it''s problems. That will be the last vw i''ll ever buy, they are expensive to fix and the most unreliable vehicle i''ve ever owned. These are the problems i''m having with it......Transmission, inermittent stalling, air conditioning doesn''t always work, door handles broken etc........

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Looks nice. Seems to perform best at speeds above 60mph. Love those blue dash lights when they work.

Unreliable and expensive to drive - runs only on premium. 1.8 engine w/automatic trans is nearly dangerous in its hesitation and lack of acceleration from a standing stop, and the erratic power curve is unnerving at speeds less than 60 mph. Not what I consider a "drivers car." An ''88 Honda Civic SI I owned was twice as responsive. The body panels are the softest of any vehicle I''ve owned and "dings" appear faster then I can have them repaired. The "built to spill" cupholders are annoying. This is German engineering?

Bummer. After owning three dependable Hondas in a row (1 Civic, 2 Accords) I decided to make a change. Attracted by the styling of the Passat and the allure of "German engineering," I bought one. Stupid me. My ''98 Passat had a variety of electrical problems during the two-year warranty period -- radio failed, rear defogger failed, climate control lighting failed, and coolant level sensor failed. These were repaired, but who likes to leave a new car at the dealer every other month? My Passat has the 1.8 engine w/auto "tiptronic" transmission. The first few months I had it, it would upshift to 4th gear at about 25mph, and would buck and chug along in city traffic. The dealer supposedly reset the shift control so that it could "learn" my driving habits. The problem did not go away, and I learned to live with it, or throw it into manual and put it in the correct gear when it was especially bothersome. After warranty expired (at about 32,000 miles) two more sensors failed (coolant temp and knock sensors), costing $300 to repair. The low speed upshift problem then disappeared. Nice. Now at 40,000 the "check engine" light has come on once again, and the car is undrivable. It bucks and chortles and lacks power as if it''s not firing on all cylinders, and the exhaust smells like ether. I suspect more sensor problems, but won''t know until I can get it towed to the dealer. I''ve heard about the brake problems from other Passat owners but seemed to be spared thus far.

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Honda Accords and Civic.