Wow, a review from snake. This is kinda rare, i can say, but it is definitely great. Well writen and very informative.

Now, about the cars.
I have seen the new Honda Civic in person, but had no chance to get in or even drive it. I had a ride in a 1998 Civic, if that matters, quite a good car, compared to my Clio. The plastics could be a lot better, as you already mentioned.

As for the new Jetta, i have seen tons of them, but never driven them. I have some experience with the Golf though, with the 1.6 FSI engine. The car belongs to a friend, it is a 3-doors silver one, and it looks really good, even though it reminds me of a plastic bag full of air. As for the drive, i liked it and it felt sporty. Nothing great though. It was just what i expected from a car of this price range.

Now let's get to the main topic. The Passat. I am quite skeptic about it. I have not settled yet on whether i like it or not, but it is a good car to purchase. For its price, gives much space and safety and i guess the 2.0TDI engine makes it quick enough, so that it is not safe or boring.

About the colour. Did you like it? It is a great colour. My S60 is coloured in a similar way - Volvo call this colour Ash Gold. Yes it looks gold under the sun, but if you look at the car at night or in a shade it looks spectacular. I have seen a Passat in the colour you refered to. It's worth it.

What else? Ah, the desicion what to buy, Jetta or Passat? I can't say. I don't know your needs and how much money are you willing to spend. I will only ask you one thing. With a X amount of money, would you better buy a full extra Jetta or a base Passat? The desicion is up to you.

Oh, would you mind giving me some prices on that cars and what engines are offered right now in Australia?

PS. About ESP. This thing is great. Two days ago it saved my life. No kidding. I was driving about 150 km/h in the highway, and a guy coming from the opposite direction, probably drank, got suddently in my way. Well, if it wasn't for ESP, then my car would have got out of the road and fell of the cliff. I had to do some kind of manoevres (or whatever this is called) to avoid a crash. And note that it was late at night and there were 5 people in the car.

Did i forget anything? Oh, the Phaethon and the A8. I have sat in both cars. They have high quality plastics and they have an extraordinary, for me, design. Many things to be placed, screens, buttons and staff, but all put in a great way, making the environment look LUXURIOUS, like you have never dreamt of...

I hope that on Thursday i will testdrive the new C70 and the all new S80, if it has arrived at the dealer. I will be there to solve some issues that i have with the car, and if all goes well i will have plenty of time to spend there. If i am in a good mood, expect big surprises. The BMW dealer is just 100 metres away...