1998 Volkswagen Passat V6 Synchro Estate review from UK and Ireland

The engine has a slight mis-fire, acceleration is non-linear, this improves with 97RON or higher fuel, but is not eliminated.

The exterior temperature gauge sticks to very high readings even when the temperature has dropped considerably - the one in my 156 V6 was spot-on.

When accelerating gently with plenty of steering lock on, there are strange (if not that bad) noises from the front end, and the steering wheel jumps about slightly.

I bought this as a tow-car (for my Caterham 7) and day to day car. I didn't expect it to be as much fun as my Alfa 156 V6 was, and it isn't! It is however a highly competent and capable car, and very comfortable for long journeys.

The handling is pretty good once you accept that it rides quite high on quite soft suspension. Cornering is quite good, especially on poor surfaces, but it does rise and dive too much under acceleration and braking.

The engine has heaps of torque from 2500 revs, but it seriously lacks character compared to the Alfa 2.5 V6, it makes little or no noise below 4500 revs and lacks high-rev performance.

The flywheel is heavy, making gearchanges ponderous, the gearbox itself is a bit of a mess, with a long, imprecise throw.

The comfort of the car, the driving position, and quiet cruise, and climate control etc are all superb.

Despite being heavier than the Alfa, it returns better mpg (usually around 27mpg), except at very high cruising speeds where the aerodynamics presumably cause issues.

The car has the same engine, front suspension, and much of the same drivetrain as the Audi A4/A6 2.8 Quattro for much less money second hand.