Gas prices continue to soar and demand is literally fueling consumer interest for more efficient transportation. Entering this large void essentially inhabited by hybrids and miniature sized coupes is the family sized Volkswagen Passat TDI diesel wagon with its 35-mpg real world fuel sipping ability.

That price includes plenty of standard features including air conditioning, remote entry, power everything, a smooth five speed automatic transmission, a turbocharged four cylinder engine that produces 134 horsepower and a sensational 247 pounds of tire chirping torque, and a very roomy and easy to load 57 cubic feet of cargo room.

There is a lot to like with the Passat TDI wagon besides the fuel mileage and reduced maintenance a diesel engine offers since it does not have an ignition system to fuss with or tune. Since we have owned diesel-powered vehicles for 25 years we know the territory and we found the Passat remarkable with very little clatter or smelly exhaust. Volkswagen has done a good job of removing these two obstacles most often cited by potential buyers. Perhaps our greatest surprise was that the Passat wasn’t slow. We were easily able to enter the fastest moving traffic with ease and the transmission was great at keeping the slow revving engine on task and eager to please.

The greatest compliment we paid this Passat was that it did not feel like you were driving a diesel. Unfortunately, with diesel fuel such a high pollution threat you cannot get the TDI Volkswagen everywhere. Another concern is that in colder climates diesel engines do require extra care. Overall, this is the most economical and roomiest family mover on sale.

Mom’s view: We are veteran diesel owners and so I was a bit taken back by the fact that there was virtually no glow plug warm-up time with the Volkswagen. It was ready to go in an instant and only the feeling of the typical diesel rough idle enabled me to tell I was driving anything but a gasoline-powered wagon.

It may come as a surprise to some that the Passat isn’t a bad-handling vehicle even though it is a station wagon. The steering is quite precise, although a touch light for me, and only the standard gas mileage oriented tires prevent it from being more accomplished on curved byways. The ride can be choppy over roughened roads probably because a wagon needs firmer rear springs to handle heavier loads. When we traveled with the entire car family onboard it was much smoother.

It is very quiet inside, with a sternly understated Teutonic interior that is easy to master, but a little too gaudy for my tastes. The night lighting is adequate, but the gaily-lighted interior gauges are wonderful. The TDI was a very obliging vehicle with the typical safety equipment offered. The only thing I really faulted were the seats so make sure you take a long test ride and don’t worry about running out of fuel. Basically, the TDI is best summed up as compelling.

Dad’s view: Clean air standards prevent this diesel from being sold because despite its good features, it does not qualify for sale in many parts of the world. It is not really the engine’s fault, but the lack of better quality diesel fuel that prevents the spread of the TDI Passat.

I was most surprised by the gentle demeanor of the 2-0 liter, four-cylinder, 134-horsepower engine and its impressive 247 pound-feet of torque. Although it did not accelerate rapidly, it did quite well in traffic and when passing. The automatic transmission was most gracious in the way it finessed the power and the fuel mileage in a most seamless manner. Only on occasion, such as a downshift, would there be some miscommunications.

However, the real concern for potential buyers is whether the Passat wagon with the diesel engine is what you are going to have to sacrifice to get the better gas mileage and less maintenance diesels offer. Compared to the similarly priced gas powered four-cylinder turbocharged Passat GLS wagon the only notable difference is horsepower. On the other hand the diesel version offers more torque so although you don’t have the acceleration of the premium gas wagon, but you have more pulling power. This is especially important if you use the wagon for what it was intended, hauling people and cargo, as the diesel version is far less concerned about weight than a gasoline engine. To give you an idea, to get a gasoline engine that has the same 247 pounds of torque that the TDI 2.0 diesel provides you would have to order a vehicle with a 3.5 six cylinder that produces 250 horsepower. That gas engine would get at least ten miles per gallon less than the diesel.

Passat’s TDI derives moderately frisky performance thanks to a great deal of technology such as a new fuel injection system that uses cam-driven injectors that spray diesel into every cylinder several times during each engine revolution making it easier for the mixture to burn cleanly and thus produce more energy. Since VW is the world's leading diesel maker this type of engineering should not be unexpected. What is unexpected is that despite all these improvements and the availability of the diesel in a variety of VW products from the V-10 Touareg to the Golf and New Beetle, it only represents about ten percent of Volkswagen’s sales despite the attractiveness of an EPA mileage rating for the Passat TDI at 27 mpg city/38 mpg highway (US).

Young working woman’s view: Although the pricing is fair, in a world where many people treat gasoline expenses as a necessary write-off and not something that they should concern themselves with, the diesel provides little to stimulate their interest. Even the exceptionally roomy cargo hold, the low liftover height, and the confidence the engine supplies in rainy climates where its lack of an ignition system removes wet wiring problems is not going to sway them. Volkswagen knows that and sees Europe as its prime diesel buying public.

Driving the Passat borders on amazing as it goes up hills without hesitation even though its power is essential only made in the thin corridor between 1,800 rpm, and 4,000 rpm. The five speed automatic transmission is a jewel and keeps the engine on task. Under passing acceleration the TDI scoots around cars with ease and there was no sign of torque steer from the turbocharged engine. My only problem was finding diesel refueling stations that didn’t have gas nozzles that were greasy or smelled. Ladies, when you drive a diesel powered anything, keep a pair of old gloves in the trunk for such occasions because that smell does not attract the right kind of attention.

Young working male’s view: Now this is a car I could own if I didn’t want to impress young ladies. It does nothing for your ego to own one. Only those who treasure the joy of quoting gas mileage figures, talking about driving range between fill-ups, or talking to truck drivers would bask in its slightly oily fumes. To those of us of the younger set the diesel powered New Beetle would be the model to own. That is a babe magnet with the heart of a tight wad. Describing the Passat TDI would best be compared to a date blind date whose friends describe as having a nice personality. That sums up the Passat wagon well. It has an exceptionally roomy interior, is easy to maneuver in traffic, can park in the tightest of spaces, seldom causes you concern, and is surprisingly livable. The Passat is like the friend you made who was good in algebra just before the test. It was friendship, but certainly not love.

Family conference: There is an old saying that a fast car can pass up anything but a gas station. With the TDI Passat it is not the car’s gas tank that limits your travels, but your ability to sit in the fairly bare bones seats that is curtails the longer journeys.

Written by the Car Family