Conflicting U.S. and European laws forced Volkswagen to launch its new Passat as a 2001 model, despite the old Passat having been sold since the fall of 2000 as a 2001 model also. To deal with this, Volkswagen's marketing people have dubbed the new Passat a "2001.5" model, a convention we'll follow to avoid confusion. Rush to your dealer and you may see the Passat being sold as a 2001.5; we view this as a 2002 model, however. We expect few changes between 2001.5 and 2002, except for the availability of an exciting new engine.