A VOLKSWAGEN that costs almost as much as a 325i BMW may seem like a credibility stretch, but perceptions of the age-old people's car symbol are changing. The 2.8-litre Passat Syncro is certainly not transport for the proletariat. It does everything its donor car - the Audi A4 2.8 quattro - does, for substantially fewer dollars. Strong, spacious, comfortable and fast point-to-point, the latest Passat is a far cry from its mid-1970s ancestor.