Brian Chee’s Opinion of the 2006 Volkswagen Passat’s Quality:
Quality means different things to different people, of course, but one thing is clear: plastic says cheap like a cow says moo. Sadly, there’s plenty of plastic in the 2006 Volkswagen Passat’s cabin. It really stood out in the tan, two-tone interior of the Passat we drove, a cabin with luxury touches set against rivers of plastic that made the inside feel cold. It’s a problem that extends to some of the controls: switches lacked the feel of quality, sun screen hooks were flimsy, and the cupholders were subpar. Perhaps it’s the color that accented the amount of plastic inside; looking at photos of the Passat in black, the interior seems just like any other sedan in terms of plastics and grains used. In the lighter colors, however, my bet is that the cabin will look dingy pretty quickly, as dirt and grime begins to work into the grains and creases. Again, a strange confluence: luxury seats, luxury audio system and nice padded touches – set amid a waterfall of plastic.

Christian Wardlaw’s Opinion of the 2006 Volkswagen Passat’s Quality:
Rain kept me from doing a thorough build quality evaluation on the outside, but inside our Passat I found no obvious fit-and-finish flaws. Panel fit was tight and flush, with no unsightly seams or gap tolerance variations. Better yet is the quality of the materials inside the Passat. There’s plenty of hard plastic – after all, the base model sells for around $25,000 – but that hard plastic certainly doesn’t look cheap and even when you click your fingernails on it there’s a solidity absent from, say, a $35,000 Buick Lucerne. Using generous quantities of real aluminum rather than fake stuff gets extra points, too. The leather upholstery inside our Passat 3.6L was high-quality cowhide, smooth, soft, and appealing to the eye and nose. Overall, the Passat struck me as a quality piece of work. Let’s hope that, longer term, it helps to change VW’s track record of questionable durability.

Thom Blackett’s Opinion of the 2006 Volkswagen Passat’s Quality:
So the overpriced Phaeton sedan failed to find an audience – that’s no reason to abandon the idea of moving current Volkswagen models more upscale. Truth is, VW is already known for offering some of the best interiors in the business, often featuring materials and craftsmanship putting the competition to shame. The 2006 Passat does its part to protect that reputation with matte, padded plastics on the dash cap and door sills, attractive alloy on dash and center console, and chrome accents on the gauges, door handles, and shifter plate. Durable leather covers the seats. Above it all is a mesh material used on the headliner and pillar covers. The lower quality hard plastics are used on the bottom portions of the doors and dash, with the flimsy stuff found only on the lower center console. However, all of interior bits are tight and secure, and like the exterior panels, they feature tight and inconsistent gaps.