Daytime running lights are also standard, operating the low-beam headlamps, tail lamps, and parking lights at reduced intensity. You hardly know they're there, but motorists in the Denver area certainly took notice of them. After slaloming through clogged rush hour traffic on C-470 one afternoon, we found a decrepit Mercury Grand Marquis spewing noxious emissions and featuring a bent rear wheel acting as a left lane bandito. Within a minute, the brain surgeon behind the wheel took note of the Passat, swerved into the right lane where she belonged, and made a lovely gesture with one of her snaggly fingers. We have minor complaints about the Passat.
Controls sometimes require reference to the owner's manual to operate properly.
There is no glovebox. Instead, deep bins in the front doors and center console are designed to serve as storage for pens, insurance cards, registration papers, oil change receipts, wet wipes, and old wads of gum. This can make for a messy, paper-strewn interior. Radio reception is horrible, and the premium audio system in our test car allowed tapes to warble uncertainly on rough pavement. Finally, the steering wheel could use a telescoping function to move it closer to drivers with extra-long legs.