Somebody was in a similar situation a few months ago and they got a hyundai sonata for 250 or less a month, with around 4-5k negative equity. The hyundais can be also well optioned.
Why do I bring Hyundai when you only want VW? It’s because I think they are comparable cars (probably the Hyundai has higher reliability ratings) and therefore the Passat deal is IMHO not enough of a discount.