 As an update to my previous review, we now have close to 10,000 miles on our '07 Passat wagon.  Its gas mileage has decreased due to the installation of a bike rack on the roof.  We're now averaging about 25 mpg, with mixed highway/urban/rural driving, which is still pretty good compared to all of the SUVs out there.  I LOVE the interior of this car; its ergonomics are excellent and the heated base seats are awesome.  There is no need for leather, IMHO. Power is abundant in the 2.0T engine. Floor it in S or Tiptronic modes and 60 comes VERY quickly.  There is some torque steer, however.  The handling is the one area where I could see an improvement- there is significant understeer, although the car feels composed at all speeds.  My Passat has had no reliability issues.