Third, the new U.S.-spec Passat can be had with a choice of three and only three engines, one of which, the base 2.5-liter in-line five-cylinder, is a hunk of lumber pulled from the ribs of an ancient Norse longboat.

WSJ: 2012 Volkswagen Passat 2.5 SEL Review: Cost-Cutting Done (a Little More) Right | Rumble Seat by Dan Neil

Above the central mass sits the cubic base of the bell tower, which in turn rises solidly as a cylinder, then a drum capped by the dome.

WSJ: Prim Grandeur, Elegant Geometries | Charles Bulfinch | Lancaster Meetinghouse | By John Wilmerding