Spy Shots: 2009 Volkswagen Passat "Coupe"

Spy Shots: 2009 Volkswagen Passat "Coupe"

The VW Passat is a good-looking sedan that hasn't exactly set the world on fire since its redesign for the 2006 model year. In fact, July sales of VW's biggest car were down a staggering 34% from July 2006. It doesn't help that the Passat carries a hefty premium vs. other midsize sedans, costing over $30,000 for the base V6, which is $7,000 more than a V6 Accord.

To further spur Passat sales, VW is in the final stages of testing a four-door coupe variant. Shy photographer Hans G Lehmann caught the sleek, Mercedes Benz CLK-like coupe in testing, and from the looks of the nearly undisguised pics, VW has a good looking vehicle on its hands. Our problem with said coupe is the premium position VW is planning, with prices starting somewhere in the neighborhood of $40,000. For those of you scoring at home, that's base 5-Series money. For $40k, VW had better be planning on adding AWD and a turbo 3.6, or sales will be less than stellar. We'd be interested to hear whether you feel America is ready for a $40,000 Passat, or is the luxurious four-door coupe destined to be the next Phaeton?

[Source: Inside Line ]

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Audis are unreliable? That sounds like a 1980's remark from over 20 years ago. Jumping back to 2007, Consumer Reports thinks they are reliable. VW admittedly at the bottom of the list, but Audi leads the rest of the European cars. Audi's are excellent vehicles that deserve the increasing market share that they have attained. You won't find a BMW or Mercedes that matches the interior in an equivalent priced Audi. BTW Mercedes rides the reliability wave with VW, except Mercedes is #36 out of a possible 36 makes....

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Gregg: Impact is defined in the dictionary as a noun or a verb. Both pronunciations of \"often\" are correct. Both are recognized in the the dictionary as such. Instead of calling these cars sport sedans (which they are), these automobile companies are making up these contradictions in terms to create a new segment in the market. Definitions of words don't change. New definitions of words may be added to an existing word, but they're usually a logical addition to the word.

BLS: A sedan, by definition, is \"an enclosed automobile body having two or four doors.\"...

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Source: [url=http://www.autoblog.com/2007/08/21/spy-shots-2009-volkswagen-passat-coupe/]Autoblog[/url]