I have now had my Passat just a few weeks more than three years and thought I would share my observations on this car. While it is no longer available as a new vehicle, there should be a number of used ones around.
PROS:
1. Wonderful gas mileage on trips. This car has run from central PA to St. Augustine twice and on both trips I got essentially 43 mpg as measured by fill ups. I do use mid-grade Top Tier fuels, mostly Exxon but some Shell and Chevron when going south.
2. Excellent dependability. This is the only VW in about twelve years that I had in for warranty and it was just for a rear window that did not close properly. Dealer fixed it at no charge in about fifteen minutes. Other than that, zero issues. It now has just over 25,000 miles on the odometer.
3. This 2.0 liter Budack engine burns no oil between changes every 5000 miles.
4. The spacious interior makes this sedan a real pleasure to drive on trips. The seats are quite comfortable; I am six feet tall and have no trouble finding a comfortable seating position. Ditto for my wife who is about six inches shorter than I.
5. The size of the trunk coupled with the enormous back seat area make this car a real blessing on trips AND for hauling two grandsons around town. I lloked at a number of sedans when buying my first Passat ( a diesel) and nothing seemed to come close to the room this car offered.
6. I really like the feel of the electric steering in this vehicle. I get sufficient road feel but the steering is very comfortable to use both around town and on the highway.
7. This version of the Passat has regular speed control which I like. It makes me pay more attention to the traffic than the the variable radar-controlled speed control in my AllTrack.
CONS:
1. First gear in the six speed auto tranny seems to be too low. It took me a while to get used to it but I still would like to see a higher ratio used for this gear.
2. The engine can be noisy on acceleration from a stop. This seems to be due to the way the valves are controlled in the Budack engine. But then again, this is a Wolfsburg edition and there is no sound absorbing material under the hood which is just bare metal.
CONCLUSIONS:
This is a great car for a family with children or for anyone wanting to travel. The gas mileage to me seems exceptional for a gasoline powered vehicle and in these times of higher gas prices, it is an ideal vehicle to have. The car has been very dependable (I got a 7 year bumper to bumper warranty when I bought it) and I service it regularly every 5000 miles using the recommended VW 508 oil. It is a very comfortable car to drive. I can give this vehicle a strong recommendation!
PROS:
1. Wonderful gas mileage on trips. This car has run from central PA to St. Augustine twice and on both trips I got essentially 43 mpg as measured by fill ups. I do use mid-grade Top Tier fuels, mostly Exxon but some Shell and Chevron when going south.
2. Excellent dependability. This is the only VW in about twelve years that I had in for warranty and it was just for a rear window that did not close properly. Dealer fixed it at no charge in about fifteen minutes. Other than that, zero issues. It now has just over 25,000 miles on the odometer.
3. This 2.0 liter Budack engine burns no oil between changes every 5000 miles.
4. The spacious interior makes this sedan a real pleasure to drive on trips. The seats are quite comfortable; I am six feet tall and have no trouble finding a comfortable seating position. Ditto for my wife who is about six inches shorter than I.
5. The size of the trunk coupled with the enormous back seat area make this car a real blessing on trips AND for hauling two grandsons around town. I lloked at a number of sedans when buying my first Passat ( a diesel) and nothing seemed to come close to the room this car offered.
6. I really like the feel of the electric steering in this vehicle. I get sufficient road feel but the steering is very comfortable to use both around town and on the highway.
7. This version of the Passat has regular speed control which I like. It makes me pay more attention to the traffic than the the variable radar-controlled speed control in my AllTrack.
CONS:
1. First gear in the six speed auto tranny seems to be too low. It took me a while to get used to it but I still would like to see a higher ratio used for this gear.
2. The engine can be noisy on acceleration from a stop. This seems to be due to the way the valves are controlled in the Budack engine. But then again, this is a Wolfsburg edition and there is no sound absorbing material under the hood which is just bare metal.
CONCLUSIONS:
This is a great car for a family with children or for anyone wanting to travel. The gas mileage to me seems exceptional for a gasoline powered vehicle and in these times of higher gas prices, it is an ideal vehicle to have. The car has been very dependable (I got a 7 year bumper to bumper warranty when I bought it) and I service it regularly every 5000 miles using the recommended VW 508 oil. It is a very comfortable car to drive. I can give this vehicle a strong recommendation!
