I disagree about price tag. With the standard engine Passat is in line with the competition cost wise. Also Passat standard engine is better than the competition too.
What is with that smiley , at least he owns a car, and it is Passat , so he may have an idea of what he is writing about
Tested is a $37,000 diesel sedan, which is actually more expensive than the 3.6L V6 offering, which has not only more horsepower, but also more torque. It is more expensive than almost all of its competitors, yet omits features like HIDs or automatic headlights. There may be others.
Then comments as to the 'premium nature' of the standard engine are made. If the premium is justifiable to him, that is fine, but to assert that it is "in line" cost-wise, while having a 'better' standard engine, is to agree that the car is, in fact, a premium.
James's comments do not support that assertion. I can assert (I won't) that the Corolla is better than a Civic, but I have extensive use of one and not the other.
This Passat TDI is $2,000 more than the V6 Camry recently tested. Hell, the Passat V6 would be ~$2,000 more than the V6 Camry recently tested. How is it not priced at a premium?