The 2018 Volkswagen Passat V6 SEL Premium.

Around 1980, Los Angeles Magazine did a comparison chart of old money versus new money, where people would live, what kind of watch they would own, what car they would drive, etc.  "New Money" was a red Mercedes-Benz 450 SL.  "Old Money" was a midnight blue four-door Honda Accord.

I was reminded of that chart during my week in the 2018 Volkswagen Passat V6 SEL Premium, because, to me, it's the perfect  blend of the virtues of a 1980 Benz (though not the SL) and the early Honda Accords.

2018 Volkswagen Passat V6 SEL Premium.

The Passat V6 SEL Premium is luxurious without being ostentatious...luxurious in the old Benz sense of everything is well-made, of good materials, comfortable and logical in terms of layout.  Best of all, like the Accords of today and yesterday, it's a one-price deal.  Choose the trim level you want and there are no extras.

$34,650 buys you the Passat V6 SEL Premium  Add another $850 for destination charge and the price out the door is $35,500.  For that money, you get a 3.6-liter, 24-valve V6 making 280 horsepower,  mated to a six-speed DSG automatic transmission with Tiptronic and sport mode.  The EPA says it's good for 19 city/28 highway.  We hovered right around 25 mpg in a mix of city street and urban freeway driving.

Also standard: 18-inch alloy wheels with all-season tires, automatic LED headlights, LED daytime running lights, LED taillights, halogen front fog lights with low-speed cornering lights, heated, foldable, power-adjustable side mirrors with position memory, rain-sensing variable-speed intermittent wipers, a power tilting and sliding moonroof, rear camera system, parking steering assist and park distance control, forward collision warning and autonomous emergency braking, blind spot monitor and rear traffic alert, lane departure warning, adaptive cruise control, remote engine start, keyless access, pushbutton start, and a hands-free easy open trunk lid release.

2018 Volkswagen Passat V6 SEL Premium interior.

Inside, there's VW's Car-Net, which brings smartphone integration, including Apple CarPlay, navigation, security and service and infotainment, as well as dual-zone climate control, a leather-wrapped, three-spoke multi-function steering wheel with shift paddles, heated, six-way power front seats with power lumbar support, heated 60/40 split-folding rear seat with armrest, storage and trunk pass-through, leather seating surfaces, ambient interior lighting and footwell lights and a self-dimming interior rearview mirror.

Flashy?  No.  Well-equipped?  Yes.  Luxurious in the classic sense?  Yes.  And at a price that's slightly below the average new car price in the United States in 2018...two or three-thousand dollars less than a comparably-equipped Honda Accord or Toyota Camry.   If Los Angeles Magazine were doing its chart today (now, of course, it would be a clickbait online slideshow),  the 2018 Volkswagen Passat V6 SEL Premium would be the obvious "old money" choice.

The 2017 Volkswagen Passat 1.8T SEL Premium.

Challenge:  Find a 2017 car priced only $100 higher than the same car's 2014 model.

You would be looking a long time.  Most cars have had several hundred dollars in price hikes over those four model years (2014-2015-2016-2017).  But the top-of-the-line 2017 Volkswagen Passat 1.8T SEL Premium has a base price of $30,995.  And that is a mere one hundred dollars more than the 2014.

2017 Volkswagen Passat 1.8T SEL Premium.

That would be a remarkable bargain even if the 2017 Passat 1.8T SEL Premium had been left untouched for those years, but there have been refinements.  Refreshed front and rear styling last year, forward collision warning and autonomous emergency braking since our review of the 2014 Passat 1.8T SEL Premium, as well as a blind spot monitor and rear cross-traffic alert.  Volkswagen has improved its infotainment systems in the intervening years.  And the 2017 now has the easy-open trunk---giving you the ability to open the trunk hands-free by putting your foot under a specific part of the rear bumper.

2017 Volkswagen Passat 1.8T SEL Premium interior.

What hasn't changed is the Passat 1.8T SEL's overall goodness.  The turbocharged four-cylinder engine is more than adequate in terms of power, and very efficient when it comes to fuel consumption, with an EPA estimate of 23 city/34 highway.  And the SEL is so jam-packed with standard equipment, including 18-inch alloy wheels, LED headlights and taillamps, fog lights, rain-sensing wipers, a power sunroof, dual-zone climate control, leather-trimmed steering wheel, shift knob and brake lever, heated power front seats with leather surfaces, a rear-view camera, navigation and an upgraded Fender audio system, that, apart from a couple of wheel choices and dealer-installed accessories, there aren't really any options.

And that is how our test vehicle came.  As tested, the $820 destination charge brought the total price to $31,815.   That is about two thousand dollars less than the average cost of a new car these days.  And the Volkswagen Passat 1.8T SEL is much more than an average car.