From meagre beginnings as the people’s car, Volkswagen has metamorphasised into an automotive giant. Which I still have problems getting my head around, they tend not to beat their drums too loudly, and just get on with the business of producing industry leading vehicles. They now own such obvious brand names as Audi and Porsche in addition to Lamborghini, Bugatti and Bentley. VW have always been all about quality. I remember allthose years ago having to open my VW Beetle’s window a crack to allow the door to close, they were that air tight. I also remember a university prank of floating the history professor’s yellow Beetle in the school swimming pool. VW used to advertise that they floated, giving us the idea; and they did. Expulsion was avoided by the local VW dealer, who thought it great free publicity. A picture of the floater mad!” it to the front page of that weekend’s newspaper. He gave the distressed professor’sBeetle the once-over before returning it to her which kept everyone relatively happy. Being gated for the rest of the semester was the small change. Until now, VW’s claims that it was going to push the Passat up’ market has been just that. But the company has made no secret of the fact that it wants the Passat to leapfrog traditional rivals such as the Ford Mondeo and the Peugeot 407 and take on the likes of BMW’s 3-series and the Mercedes ( (lass. The new model launched earlier this year certainly moves the Passat into new territory and, shilling for shilling I’d say, it’s better value than the Beemer and Mere. But it’s not as simple as that. The entry level Passat 2.0 TDI manual pushing out an impressive 140bhp as tested here costs Kshs 3,795,000/- and picks up climate control, cruise control, trip computer, premium eight-speaker sound system with CD player, electric windows – front and back – power steering, electric driver’s seat, tinted glass and electro-mechanical steering. Throw in an electronic handbrake and one of those fancy push-in keys once restricted to top-end limousines and it’s hard not to be impressed. This Passat gets the same 2.0-litre turbo-charged direct injection diesel four as the Golf GTI and, while there’s more weight to tote around, it rises to the challenge. Smooth, quiet andeffortlessly flexible, it transforms into a feisty, rev-hungry animal when the foot is floored. And it’s not thirsty,