Loving life with the "wee-eight".(Volkswagen Passat.)

Byline: ROGER HART

Solid, quiet and comfortable are words that keep appearing in the logbook for our W8. Those words, plus a debate on whether the uniquely designed eight-cylinder engine is worth the price, have dominated drivers' comments during the nine months we've been living with the priciest (to date) VW ever sold in the United States.

While debate on whether Passat is the right platform for an eight-cylinder powerplant remains a stalemate, there's little argument over the, for the most part, smooth power, smooth-shifting five-speed transmission and 4Motion system that make the W8 a pleasure to drive (we say for the most part, because the car can be slow to accelerate off the line).

Couple those attributes with firm and supportive leather bucket seats, Monsoon stereo, and one of the finest interiors in the business, and our Passat remains high on the request list-especially when the weather threatens.

That said, the third-quarter log- book shows a significant drop in miles driven as compared to the first six months we had the car. Our explanation is that the harsh winter forced us to keep extended road trips to a minimum.

The Passat did make a couple of trips to Michigan's frozen ...