I put some new Yokohama AVID ENVigors my 2008 Passat about 2 months ago. They were quieter than the Continental ContiPROcontacts that were originally on it. They give a much better ride. The only slight negative thing about them is that on tirerack's website, their winterrating(10 being best, and 1 being worst) was only like .2 worse than the conti set I had(conti had a 7.3 if I remember, which got me through the worst Cleveland winter I've ever been in(!) without a hitch! But, everything else was better, and was still cheaper by about 70 bucks from Conrads!! If I had to get another set of wheels, that's what I will go to next. They were also one of few wheels that I could get with a high speed rating for the Passat, as well as having a stiffer sidewall(helps in cornering and load handling).
I forgot to mention, I'm on my second VW, which is the second one to come with stock Continentals. Both stock sets had premature wear, and uneven wear, even I did all the maintenance at the dealer as I was suggested to do so. I'll never buy Continentals again...no matter how good they are! They are obnoxiously expensive just because they are made in Germany! The ENVigor line of wheels are made in the US, and surprised the crap out of me.