Those leather-covered seats were not very welcome until the seat heaters quickly warmed my torso and thighs. In the Golf, they proved to be pretty effective on cloth seats too. The Passat wagon also comes with rain-sensing variable intermittent windshield wipers, which is nice after a passing truck has literally blinded you with his spray, and the multifunction trip computer that I expect all VWs to feature. I also like the fog lamps that actually illuminate part of the road ahead and the supportive, power memory seats. The subtle persona of the dual rear exhausts is a nice touch, too.
Shortcomings are few.
The sunvisors seem to be an afterthought. Barely able to cover the front windshield glare, they are woefully lacking when swung around to keep the sun s rays entering from your side window. With no extenders, and no double visor, you find yourself flipping the flimsy visor back and forth when traveling in a quarterly direction to the setting, or rising sun. And, unfortunately, like in the Golf, the Passat s rear window is a veritable magnet for road grime. The rear wiper does a good job clearing the mess, but it seems some type of wind deflector is in order.