VW Passat ~ Audi A6, same way VW Jetta ~ Audi A4
As such, Passats drive & handle wonderfully. They are a pleasure to drive.
But, VW quality is not up to Audi standards. Matter of fact, they are the most trouble-prone of the German auto makers. Tops is Merc* & BMW, followed by Audi.
I wonder if we can get 60 Minutes or Dateline or some other newsfotainment teevee show to rig up some bogus problem like the old Audi "unintended acceleration" deal of the 1980s, the Chevy truck "Sidesaddle Tank of Boom" or the recent Toyota "unintended acceleration"?
Makes resale market tank on the auto maker's product & thus more affordable.
Like I wrote, they drive great, just not as reliable as the parent design from Audi.
* Late 1990s/early 2000s Mercedes had a spell of poor quality