- Joined
- Aug 27, 2020
- Messages
- 40
I spent 5 days in southern California thia past week with a 2021 Passat. It has EA888 2.0 turbo engine and a 6 speed automatic transmission. I drove just over 400 miles in it.
The torque from the turbo was really handy for passing cars or getting up to speed in the highway. Even driving up long steep inclines with 4 adults in the car didn't feel like a strain.
However, the transmission was lackluster. Shifts were smooth as expected, but it tended to upshift in situations that were not ideal. For example, when I would slow down to make a turn, the transmission would downshift as the car slowed slowed down (which I lik) but for some reason it would upshift before you got back on the gas when completing the turn. it had already downshift led to the right gear but upshifted too quickly. As soon as you got on the gas it had to downshift again. It was an annoyance but not really a big deal.
The ride quality was very good. A lot of the driving was done with multiple passengers in the car. Everyone was comfortable and had plenty of room. The trunk was able to hold plenty of luggage.
I did too much idling to get a true sense of fuel economy. I was mainly shuttling my girlfriend and her relatives around because of a death in their family. There was a lot of keeping the car running and cool inside before people got in for the sake of making everyone as comfortable as possible. Also I didn't get to really see how it handled on the winding roads the way I would if I was driving alone. It always felt composed but I was driving pretty conservatively.
The instrument cluster looks dated for a car in this class but that makes sense for a model that is being discontinued. Also the screen used for Android auto is positioned too low. Your eyes have to go too far away from the road to look at the map.
Overall it was a great ride. Passengers commented that the car felt really nice inside. Others who didn't ride in it wanted to know what kind of car it was. It definitely has me interested in a Jetta.
Also, of note for those who like to buy cars previously used as rentals, the odometer was 2000+ miles over the mileage listed on the sticker in the window. The sticker didn't show what mileage or date the previous change was done, so I'm not sure what OCI they are using.
The torque from the turbo was really handy for passing cars or getting up to speed in the highway. Even driving up long steep inclines with 4 adults in the car didn't feel like a strain.
However, the transmission was lackluster. Shifts were smooth as expected, but it tended to upshift in situations that were not ideal. For example, when I would slow down to make a turn, the transmission would downshift as the car slowed slowed down (which I lik) but for some reason it would upshift before you got back on the gas when completing the turn. it had already downshift led to the right gear but upshifted too quickly. As soon as you got on the gas it had to downshift again. It was an annoyance but not really a big deal.
The ride quality was very good. A lot of the driving was done with multiple passengers in the car. Everyone was comfortable and had plenty of room. The trunk was able to hold plenty of luggage.
I did too much idling to get a true sense of fuel economy. I was mainly shuttling my girlfriend and her relatives around because of a death in their family. There was a lot of keeping the car running and cool inside before people got in for the sake of making everyone as comfortable as possible. Also I didn't get to really see how it handled on the winding roads the way I would if I was driving alone. It always felt composed but I was driving pretty conservatively.
The instrument cluster looks dated for a car in this class but that makes sense for a model that is being discontinued. Also the screen used for Android auto is positioned too low. Your eyes have to go too far away from the road to look at the map.
Overall it was a great ride. Passengers commented that the car felt really nice inside. Others who didn't ride in it wanted to know what kind of car it was. It definitely has me interested in a Jetta.
Also, of note for those who like to buy cars previously used as rentals, the odometer was 2000+ miles over the mileage listed on the sticker in the window. The sticker didn't show what mileage or date the previous change was done, so I'm not sure what OCI they are using.
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