By: Julia Serafine – Two for the Road USA
Exactly! I was so glad I had the opportunity to drive the “familia” to the Italian Festival this past weekend in the 2012 Volkswagen Passat 2.5L SE. We had been planning this outing for quite some time and the very thought of big hair, spray tans and of course, fantastic Italian food, made me so excited.
I was even more excited when I saw how much room my kids had in the backseat!
Volkswagen has increased the size of the Passat for 2012. Our fellow journalists are incredibly pleased with this change, which gives the back seat plenty of legroom. One test driver says the legroom is so abundant it verges on full-size sedan status.
The base Passat comes with fabric seats, while higher trim levels offer leather. Heated front seats are standard on the SE trim level, as well as an eight-way power adjustable driver seat. The SEL trim gets power lumbar support for the driver’s seat which I need, while the SEL Premium and TDI SEL Premium have leather-trimmed seats with faux suede inserts.
With everyone seated comfortably, including two child safety seats in the rear, we were on our way…Ciao!
I enjoyed driving the 2012 Volkswagen Passat 2.5L SE very much. Just like the Italian tradition, I love a vehicle that has been around for a long time and that is trustworthy. I don’t need something with a million bells and whistles like the more trendy vehicles you see these days. Now I’m not an engineer so I listen when knowledgeable opinions are spouted to me so it’s been said the VW Passat’s available powertrains maintains Volkswagen’s reputation of building cars that are fun to drive. Fun being the operative word.
The 2012 Volkswagen Passat has three engine choices and four transmission options. With the price of gas, shoppers will like that Volkswagen offers a diesel version of the Passat. The base 2.5-liter inline five-cylinder engine makes 170 horsepower and is bred to either a five-speed manual or six-speed automatic transmission with manual mode. This engine gets an EPA-estimated 22/32 mpg city/highway with a manual and 22/31 with an automatic. Not bad!
The mid-level engine is a 2.0-liter inline four-cylinder turbodiesel engine that produces 140 horsepower. This diesel engine gets an EPA-estimated 30/40 mpg city/highway with an automated manual transmission and 31/43 with a manual. The diesel engine can be combined with either a standard six-speed manual transmission or an optional six-speed DSG automated manual transmission. A strong safety rating comes with this vehicle.
Standard safety features on the Passat include anti-lock brakes, hill climb assist for models with a manual transmission, six airbags (dual front, dual front-side and dual side curtain front and rear) and Volkswagen’s Intelligent Crash Response System.
In an accident, the system automatically shuts off the fuel supply, unlocks the doors and turns the hazard lights on. … but can it stop my little girls from crying?
The starting price for the 2012 Volkswagen Passat 2.5L SE with Sunroof starts at $26,000, but the base model for the 2012 Passat starts at $20,000
With our tummies full and a stroller full of every stuffed animal known to our two year old, we slowly piled into our VW, opened the sunroof and stared at the moon…which just happened to look like a big pizza pie!
Exactly! I was so glad I had the opportunity to drive the “familia” to the Italian Festival this past weekend in the 2012 Volkswagen Passat 2.5L SE. We had been planning this outing for quite some time and the very thought of big hair, spray tans and of course, fantastic Italian food, made me so excited.
I was even more excited when I saw how much room my kids had in the backseat!Volkswagen has increased the size of the Passat for 2012. Our fellow journalists are incredibly pleased with this change, which gives the back seat plenty of legroom. One test driver says the legroom is so abundant it verges on full-size sedan status.
The base Passat comes with fabric seats, while higher trim levels offer leather. Heated front seats are standard on the SE trim level, as well as an eight-way power adjustable driver seat. The SEL trim gets power lumbar support for the driver’s seat which I need, while the SEL Premium and TDI SEL Premium have leather-trimmed seats with faux suede inserts.
With everyone seated comfortably, including two child safety seats in the rear, we were on our way…Ciao!I enjoyed driving the 2012 Volkswagen Passat 2.5L SE very much. Just like the Italian tradition, I love a vehicle that has been around for a long time and that is trustworthy. I don’t need something with a million bells and whistles like the more trendy vehicles you see these days. Now I’m not an engineer so I listen when knowledgeable opinions are spouted to me so it’s been said the VW Passat’s available powertrains maintains Volkswagen’s reputation of building cars that are fun to drive. Fun being the operative word.
The 2012 Volkswagen Passat has three engine choices and four transmission options. With the price of gas, shoppers will like that Volkswagen offers a diesel version of the Passat. The base 2.5-liter inline five-cylinder engine makes 170 horsepower and is bred to either a five-speed manual or six-speed automatic transmission with manual mode. This engine gets an EPA-estimated 22/32 mpg city/highway with a manual and 22/31 with an automatic. Not bad!
The mid-level engine is a 2.0-liter inline four-cylinder turbodiesel engine that produces 140 horsepower. This diesel engine gets an EPA-estimated 30/40 mpg city/highway with an automated manual transmission and 31/43 with a manual. The diesel engine can be combined with either a standard six-speed manual transmission or an optional six-speed DSG automated manual transmission. A strong safety rating comes with this vehicle.
Standard safety features on the Passat include anti-lock brakes, hill climb assist for models with a manual transmission, six airbags (dual front, dual front-side and dual side curtain front and rear) and Volkswagen’s Intelligent Crash Response System.
In an accident, the system automatically shuts off the fuel supply, unlocks the doors and turns the hazard lights on. … but can it stop my little girls from crying?The starting price for the 2012 Volkswagen Passat 2.5L SE with Sunroof starts at $26,000, but the base model for the 2012 Passat starts at $20,000
With our tummies full and a stroller full of every stuffed animal known to our two year old, we slowly piled into our VW, opened the sunroof and stared at the moon…which just happened to look like a big pizza pie!
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