2003 Volkswagen Passat

We bought a 2003 Passat GLX Wagon to finally escape from the boredom of minivans, and be able to get 4WD and still carry a reasonable quantity of stuff for lifestyle and hobbies. After looking at the top-of-the-line Subarus, we chose the Passat for two reasons: much tighter, solid construction, and, just as important, enough room for the toes of folks in the back seat (strangely, the Subaru leaves just minimal space). Ours is the GLX, which comes with a lot of standard stuff (including some neat gadgets, like rain-sensing wipers), and our only extras are the 4WD ($1,750) and Tiptronic Transmission ($1,075) extras. We're glad we have both (especially the Tiptronic, which makes in-traffic handling smoother and more fun in which to drive), but the rest of the standard GLX items add plenty of luxury, even the "Monsoon" radio/CD/tape stereo system, which has plenty of power and rich audio (and steering wheel controls, too).
The GLX has a 190hp six, and that gives it plenty of performance. It handles smoothly, and visibility is terrific. The car is very comfortable in front (even though I'm 6'1") and rear space is pretty good for full-size, adult passengers, although it's a little tight for legroom (recent passengers on a 100-mile trip have said it was fine, however, and heck, we ride in front anyhow!)
On the GLX model, the rear cargo area comes with a "roller-shade" cover, which we like, and the cargo deck is fitted with nice carpeting with strips to support heavy items. These look nice, but the carpet and strips combine to be a little slippery, and there's no standard cargo net for grocery bags, an inconvenience. We've ordered a rubber pad for the area to provide better cargo security. More news follows on this, a minor inconvenience.
There are lots of cubbies and storage, and VW does one thing (as does Audi) that emphasizes their user-friendly emphasis: They even provide a specially little hidey-hole for the owner's manual! All together, this is a remarkable compact car that is virtually completely satisfactory.
And, it had ZERO DEFECTS! Perfect as it came. And still fine after over 1000 miles.
(The above was written in October, 2002, when we had about 1000 miles on the car. Now, April 2003, after 5,000, we have confirmed the quality of the vehicle, still nice and taught...but fuel mileage is a real concern: we've gotten, at best, a little over 20mpg when doing real highway driving, clearly not where it should be [sticker showed 19 city, 26 highway]. Our dealer is following up with VW; more news follows.)
If you live in the Northwest as we do, the 4WD makes it a good ski and mountain traveler, too.