Range Good
Didn't realize the VW Passat was going to require premium gas. It needs a minimum of 91 octane. I've never put $51.92 in a tank before. Ouch. And this wasn't even an empty tank! I put in 16.23 gallons to fill up an 18.5 gallon tank. Now the good news is I'm getting 28 to 30 miles per gallon where I was getting 18 to 20 with the Cherokee. So my range is almost 500 miles vs. 320 miles. Range good.
When Mary Sydney bought her brand new Lexus in 2003, they told her (& the book told her) that she needed to use Premium Gas. So, she did for more than 2 years. Then she found out that it's really fine to use regular and she's been using it every since with no problems. I think I'd ask Clark Howard if I were you. I would believe him before the VW book.