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By now, it’s become a familiar formula.

Before bringing out the next generation of a vehicle, an automaker sits down with current owners to ask what’s on their wish list.

Inevitably the next generation is a little larger, a little more powerful and a little more fuel-efficient and sports a few new features owners can brag about.

That’s what Volkswagen did and that’s why its 2006 Passat sedan not only sports all-new sheet metal but also is 2 inches longer and 3 inches wider. It responded to the gripe that it was a tad snug in the cabin.

Besides the added width, it also rides on a 3-inch longer wheelbase in answer to those who demanded a larger footprint on the road for improved highway manners.

VW also obliged those who wanted to complement the package with a few goodies to boast about.

But first the essentials. Passat had shared platforms with the Audi A4, but for 2006 it shares platforms with and is roughly the same size as the larger Jetta.

A gripe was with the previous generation was that it needed a power boost, with some complaining it tended to plod rather than perform.

So a 2-liter, 200-horsepower, turbocharged 4-cylinder is now the base engine, an upgrade version of the 1.8-liter, 170-h.p. turbo 4-cylinder it replaces. It comes with a 6-speed manual or optional 6-speed automatic.

And the 3-liter, 190-h.p. V-6 that developed 180 foot-pounds of torque has been replaced by a 3.6-liter V-6 rated at 280 h.p. and 265 foot-pounds of torque. It comes only with 6-speed automatic.

We tested the Passat V-6. Off-the-line movement is much more spirited and pulling out to pass doesn’t require a running start before you grab the turn signal. Much more lively movement.

With the larger dimensions and peppier engines, VW revised the suspension to allow for surer grip and minimize lean into or out of corners. An optional sports-tuned suspension is even stiffer to make more aggressive maneuvers with better control for less lean or sway. But it is not advised for those looking to be well-cushioned on the commute.

A trio of keep-it-on-the-road systems are standard–electronic stability control, traction control and four-wheel anti-lock brakes. VW’s 4Motion all-wheel-drive system will be offered late this year or early next.

With the focus on driving control regardless of weather or road surface, have to gripe about the brakes on the test car. If you’ve driven a VW before, you know there’s no need for any chimes, bells or whistles as a warning to buckle up your safety belts. As a rule, hit the brake pedal and the vehicle stops. Do it once without your belts and the act of peeling your nose off the windshield is enough to persuade you to use the belts next time.

In the Passat tested, however, the brakes were a bit spongy. It was surprising because Passat comes standard with a feature called “disc wiping,” or imperceptible taps on the brake discs to remove moisture for more responsive braking. Yet the sponginess in the brakes was in dry weather. Go figure?

Also, in keeping with its character of engineering first, frills second, typically you don’t find a lot of surprise-and-delight features in a Passat. Yet the new Passat has a host of noteworthy features, with the best being Auto Hold.

If, for example, the stoplight or sign is at the top of an incline and your vehicle is idling at an angle, you just press the button on the center dash, release your foot from the brake pedal and the car stays in place while idling without rolling. Tap the gas pedal and off you go again. No need to stand on the brakes until ready to move.

Another nice touch is that rather than a parking brake pedal or a lever between the seats, a button on the instrument panel button applies or releases the brake.

Rather than an ignition key you slip an ignition fob into the slot to start the engine.

Since the car is loaded with cupholders, VW directed an air conditioning duct into the center compartment under the armrest and into the glove box to keep pop and/or snacks cool.

The coolers in the center console or glove box are in keeping with a dictate by Wolfgang Bernhard, the former Chrysler Group chief operating officer who now heads VW. He insisted “our cars must appeal to Americans, not just Germans.” Cupholders are much more popular in the U.S. and VWs are hotter sellers in Germany.

Other neat touches include manual sunshades (optional) for the rear and side windows. And the “VW” emblem on the deck lid is useful as well as ornamental. Press the emblem and it serves as the deck-lid release.

To satisfy those who wanted more cargo capacity, there’s a small stowage compartment along the sidewall in the trunk. But if you remove the compartment, it provides the room you need to slip a golf bag inside horizontally without having to leave the club heads hanging outside.

Stowage was a big gripe of current owners and the new model is jammed with little pockets and compartments to store or hide items. They are everywhere from the dash to the doors.

Other new features include 60/40 split folding rear seats with a pass-through to the trunk; active head restraints that automatically rise and move forward to cushion the head to prevent whiplash in a rear-end impact; blinkers on the outside mirrors so those approaching from the front or those behind can better see when you signal a turn; and a CD changer that pulls down from the roof of the glove box.

Another Bernhard directive holds more promise than pop-can coolers. He has said the price of a newly designed car should be lowered to attract attention.

So the base price of the 2-liter Passat was reduced to $22,950 for ’06 from $23,400 for ’05 and the V-6 came down to $29,950 from $30,865 despite adding such items as auto hold and automatic headlamps as standard.

Also standard are power sunroof, power mirrors, tinted glass, rear-window defroster, power locks, AM/FM radio with CD changer and MP3 format, side-curtain air bags, power seats, power windows and pollen and odor filters.

While price cuts are always appreciated, Passat still carries a hefty sticker that can quickly swell with the frills included in the “luxury” option package that runs $5,250.

The luxury package adds such items as heated power mirrors/power leather seats/windshield washer nozzles, adaptive headlamps that turn in the direction you turn and a warning system that beeps when you’re too close to an object ahead or behind when parking.

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2006 Volkswagen Passat 3.6

Price as tested $38,000*

WHEELBASE: 106.7 inches

LENGTH: 188.2 inches

ENGINE: 3.6-liter, 280-h.p., 24-valve V-6

TRANSMISSION: 6-speed automatic with Tiptronic manual mode

CITY: 18 m.p.g.

HWY: 27 m.p.g.

THE STICKER

$29,950 Base

$5,250 for Luxury package No. 2, includes leather seats, wood trim, automatic headlights, fog lights, rain-sensing wipers, heated power front seats, heated power side mirrors, heated washer nozzles, dual-zone climate control, rear and side window sunshades, adaptive headlamps and park distance control

$1,000 for Dynaudio premium sound system

$1,800 for DVD navigation system

*Add $615 for freight

PLUSES

– Larger midsize sedan that now shares the same platform with Jetta.

– More powerful engine.

– A host of neat features, such as push-button emergency brake and push-button auto hold to stay in place on a hill. Air conditioned glove box and armrest that serve as coolers. VW emblem that doubles as trunk release and stowage everywhere.

MINUSES

– Decent price until you start checking off the options.

– Spongy brakes.

– Have to wait until December for all-wheel-drive 4Motion.

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Read Jim Mateja Sunday in Transportation and Wednesday and Friday in Business. Hear him on WBBM Newsradio 780 at 6:22 p.m. Wednesdays and 11:22 a.m. Sundays.

jmateja@tribune.com