2003 Volkswagen Passat

I leased my 2003 VW Passat back in June and now have 5800 miles on the odometer and have found the car to have terrific charm as well as profound drawbacks. My version is the GLS with the 1.8T engine and 5 speed auto transmission (bad combination!). The engine is a nice piece of machinery meant to be driven hard (nice combo with a manual!) but mated to the auto stick produces mixed results. Hard to drive when turbo boost not on, too heavy of a car under those circumstances for the engine. Gas mileage suffers and paying for premium fuel hurts even more! Suspension and steering is gratifying for the price, sort of like an entry level BMW. Monsoon radio reception is horrible; only worth it's price when playing CDs. Terrific seats providing infinite adjustment for driver and front passenger. Tremendous interior volume for small car. Nice size trunk but small opening doesn't help; fold down rear seats do help with storage. Last but not least, ventilation system doesn't have traditional defroster/foot mode combination, which is a plus in winter driving. Traction control proved its worth in winter driving as well as cold weather package options.