Yahoo Autos Tested: 1993 Volkswagen Passat GLX Pairs Stealth with Speed
From the February 1993 issue of Car and Driver.
The sport of rapid propulsion requires the proper equipment: a good radar detector, knowledge of local gendarmerie methods, and, most important, a stealthy accomplice. Which, if you look around, is no longer easy to find.
The last wave of high-performance sedans—the Taurus SHO, the Infiniti Q45, the Saab 9000 Turbo—kept their rorty powerplants and exceptional handling hidden beneath anonymous styling. Fashions change, and the current speed demons—cars such as the Pontiac SSEi—wear their prowess like a codpiece.
Enter Volkswagen with its revamped Passat sedan tagged the GLX. The $21,520 GLX shares its drone-like profile with the standard Passat but covertly adds a 172-hp version of the company's new VR6 engine.
The VR6's 38-hp boost over the base 134-hp four-cylinder transforms the formerly mild-mannered Passat into a deceptively quick ally. Zero-to-60-mph times drop from 9.3 seconds to 7.7 seconds, quick enough to keep close company with the toughest Maximas and Camrys. VW claims a top speed of 130 mph, but our car's governor pulled in the reins at 121.
For traveling incognito, it's hard to beat the Passat's clean, riffless lines, especially in our test car's Johnny Cash outfit. Even dripping in hellfire red paint, like the long-term GL model we had last year, a Passat runs virtually unnoticed by lawmen looking for scofflaws. The VR6 model can be distinguished from the base car only by a few extra exterior badges, fog lamps, handsome BBS wheels, and a conservative spoiler. Volkswagen also sells the GLX as a wagon, which, as you might guess, looks even more innocuous.
You won't mistake the interior of the Passat for a Pontiac, either. The dash sits high, and knee bolsters add to its visual mass. The switches vary in shape and texture, but they're all made from hard black plastic. The appearance is conservative and tasteful but stark. Optional leather trim livens up the dark interior immensely. (Our test car wore grippy black velour peppered with multicolored confetti.)
Like all Passats, the GLX is a feat of packaging. It can carry four full-sized adults and all of their luggage without injury. The driver and front passenger have plenty of room, even though the standard power sunroof takes a moderate bite out of headroom. The huge amount of rear legroom allows VW to equip the back seats with recliners, so passengers can lounge in peace on long hauls. The rear seats also flip down to create a large, flat cargo floor.
Handling remains the Passat's strongest virtue. The VR6's additional power makes it easier to push the firmly tuned suspension to its limits. Pressed hard, its secure front-wheel-drive grip gives way to predictable, benign understeer. The steering feel remains a bit controversial—some of us like its heft, others think the artificial loading makes it twitchy on highway slogs—but it snaps off-center and builds force progressively.
The GLX also retains the controlled freeway ride and excellent braking of previous Passats. Although the suspension feels quite firm, it executes deep knee bends over larger ruts, filters away smaller road imperfections, and still circles the skidpad at an impressive 0.82 g—better than a Taurus SHO's 0.81 g. Four-wheel disc brakes, with great pedal feel and without fade, stop the GLX from 70 mph in 185 feet.
