Volkswagen Passat

[RichZ]

My wife is getting a new job, and she will have about 100 mile round trip. We need to get her a new car with good mileage. Someone suggested that we get a VW Passat. Does anyone have any experience with the Passat, good or bad?

Thanks for an info.

 

[cat fever]

I have the SEL TDI version. 2013 model year, it has been a good car. 45-50 MPG depending on speed.
It is one of the one's caught up in the emission scandal deal so I will be turning it in within a month or two. Not sure what I'm going to get next, maybe a Audi A4. Still thinking. Good luck.

I will add it's a little noisy inside depending on road conditions.

 

[Btown]

I have the SEL TDI version. 2013 model year, it has been a good car. 45-50 MPG depending on speed. It is one of the one's caught up in the emission scandal deal so I will be turning it in within a month or two. Not sure what I'm going to get next, maybe a Audi A4. Still thinking. Good luck. I will add it's a little noisy inside depending on road conditions.

I have 2 2013 Passat TDI's. Which tires do you have? I have the Continental tires they are much quieter than the other ones that came on the car. The Passat is nice and roomy. On the TDI VW has a few issues with some quality control on some diesel parts like exhaust flap, DEF tank heater ( I know, you can't drive the vehicle even in warm climates without the heater, like it was even working the way it was supposed to). I get the same fuel economy. Usually 45 mpg around town. Around 50 mpg on highway if you keep it at 70 mph for trips around an hour. The car really likes long trips. Took it to Florida and back several times averaged 48+ mpg.

 

[IslandTractor]

You cannot buy a VW TDI new these days so only the gas Tsi version is on dealer's lots as far as I know. That said, the Passat is a great road car and the new gas Tsi engine is a winner. Not quite up to TDI highway fuel economy but excellent mid thirties mpg on the highway. The Passat is very comfortable.

For better mileage the Prius or Ford CMax might be considerations. The Prius is a Prius so hardly exciting but very efficient and a tolerable ride. I own a CMax which I think is a great bargain used. Ford has lots of them coming off lease and they can be had with low mileage and well optioned for under $15K. I get 40mpg on the highway and 40+ in town. Drives MUCH better than a Prius and is quite peppy. Looks aren't everything.

 

[motownbrowne]

I don't have any experience with new VWs, but I'll say this. It's my opinion only, and I'm not trying to present it as fact.

VWs are German cars. Like BMWs and Mercedes, they are a luxury European brand. Yes, I'm sure they're very nice to drive, and yes the diesels get good mileage. They are, however more expensive to purchase and more expensive to maintain than another brand. Personally, I'd pick a Honda or Toyota over VW (or any European brand) every day of the week and twice on Sunday.

If I had a bunch of money laying around, had a thing for German cars, and was gonna trade it in after a couple years, sure I'd buy a VW. Until that day, I'll stick with Hondas and Toyotas. Though I will say that the American sedans have greatly improved in fuel economy and overall longevity, so I'd perhaps consider a new American brand. That'd be less likely, though.

 

[IslandTractor]

I don't have any experience with new VWs, but I'll say this. It's my opinion only, and I'm not trying to present it as fact.

VWs are German cars. Like BMWs and Mercedes, they are a luxury European brand. Yes, I'm sure they're very nice to drive, and yes the diesels get good mileage. They are, however more expensive to purchase and more expensive to maintain than another brand. Personally, I'd pick a Honda or Toyota over VW (or any European brand) every day of the week and twice on Sunday.

If I had a bunch of money laying around, had a thing for German cars, and was gonna trade it in after a couple years, sure I'd buy a VW. Until that day, I'll stick with Hondas and Toyotas. Though I will say that the American sedans have greatly improved in fuel economy and overall longevity, so I'd perhaps consider a new American brand. That'd be less likely, though.

Good point. The VW TDIs are fuel efficient but relatively expensive to maintain. Virtually any Japanese or US made car will be less expensive to maintain. I've owned a few VWs including last generation Passat and loved the cars but would never consider them economical.

 

[prichard]

I had the last Passat that had the VR3.6. That was such a fun car. It really drove like a luxury sport. Lots of power and smooth quiet ride. I traded it at around 110k.

It was obvious it was going to get expensive to maintain. Bad part about having a German car is electrical issues and parts cost. Just before warranty ended the entire dash had to be replaced. Then at 40,000 miles I got some unknown brake error. Took 3 months and a dozen trips to 2 dealers to resolve. They ended up replacing the entire ABS system - computers, sensors, wiring harnesses, etc. Fortunately, I got in touch with VW America as soon as it occurred and it was fully paid for even though slightly out of warranty. FWIW, every mechanic I ever talked to about that car cringed, their experience being they were great cars but extremely difficult to work on. And weird - my battery was in the trunk

I don't know what has changed since I owned that car and the new production facility in TN but thought I'd share my experience.

Edit: just checked. It was 2008, starting 09 you had to buy CC to get the VR6.

 

[tcartwri]

We had a 2012 tdi Highline. Beautiful car and huge inside. We called it the white bullet because it was an effortless hwy cruiser. Fuel economy is MUCH better than advertised, and there is little penalty for driving fast.

Things I didn't like;

*Brakes are ridiculously over assisted. Very tough to brake smoothly with anything but running shoes on. If you wore boots it was a real nuisance.
*The center console is a block of ice against your thigh in cold weather.
*Road noise could be improved.
*You have to drop the belly pan to change the oil.... I bought the dipstick extractor just for this.
*The DSG service interval is frequent and expensive. Stay away from those transmissions.
*VW spec synthetic oil only. Not expensive, but you are going to the dealer to get it.

I would probably get another one, and put a tune on it.

 

[RollingsFarms]

What happens if you have a tdi and don't turn it in or do any of the recalls on it?

 

[IslandTractor]

What happens if you have a tdi and don't turn it in or do any of the recalls on it?

We don't know yet. States may vary in allowing registration Etc. Feds might pressure states too.