Passat wagon

[CL455]

pretty random thread - but while at mates detailing shop last nite there was a nice passat wagon had a look at it - very nice passat never thought i'd be impressed by one cause i never really viewed it as a car with a bit of grunt.. it was a v6 4motion which sounded very nice... had that nice throaty sound to it....

nice options, the key doesn't flip out like my golf u insert it and then u push the key in again to start the car... simply pull the remote and turns it off...

anyways my question is how much does a passat like this go for... possible trade up when i look into getting rid of the golf...

[3Putt]

V6 4Motion Sedan - Around $60K on road.

I leased mine in Dec 2006 - at the time they were around $60K onroad.

For that you got almost all you needed - leather, 4Motion (duh!), DSG (must have on a VW, best invention on a car since fuel injection!) etc.

Some options worth considering were - 18" wheels ($2000), Wagon ($2000), Dynaudio sound system, Fully electric seats with memory ($2000 i think), Active Xenons ($2500).

I think they may have come down a bit since i bought mine - mid fiftys on road maybe...

[Rocket36]

You can't just pull the key out to turn the car off... You need to push it first.

3.2 V6 FSI Highline 184kw (top of the range without going to an R36) prices are around $60,000.

3.6 V6 R36 220kw prices are around $70,000.

If I wasn't going to get an R36 though, I'd seriously consider the deisel. Torque is far better for a road car that top end power!

[passatpout]

As Rocket says, don't overlook the diesels. the 2.0TDI with 125kW and 350Nm stock performs quite nicely, roughly equivalent to a standard Falcodore, and puts out a nice little rumble from the standard pipes at the back. The torque is also fairly even throughout the rev range (max is developed from 1800-2500rpm), so it'll happily drop along in 6th at 60km/h.

Mine (ex-demo) with front fog lights, sunroof, tinted windows, leather, steering wheel paddles and towbar was about $48K on the road in September 2008. I wouldn't mind having the electric seats, 4-motion if available with diesel would come in handy for towing (especially pulling boats from the water), and the RNS-510.

[CL455]

yea i wasn't 100% sure on the start / turn off procedure of the key my mate did it looked pretty handy...

i would most probably look at the 3.2 v6 as i dont quiet want to go the diesel option again, currently i have a 2lt tdi which is great torque but not much fun after 2,000rpm ...

also like the 4motion for towing which will come handy later on...

are there any known / common problems that passats have with these??

p.s... sorry about the 100 questions just trying to weigh up the options on a future upgrade from my golf

[Lams]

hello

common unique passat problem is the electric park brake switch, but they shouldn't be too expensive

Other problems are shared with the other VWs - aircon compressor, wheel bearing etc

Nice car, the worst bit is the tiptronic box from the 2.0TFSI - it makes you wonder why they used it when every other 2.0TFSI gets a DSG

[Rocket36]

A way to still use the Park Brake when the switch dies if you have auto hold is as follows.

Make sure auto hold is enabled when parking. Once you're satisfied with where the vehicle is, while auto hold is holding the vehicle, remove foot from brake and accelerator and then turn off auto hold by pressing the auto hold button. Park brake is automatically engaged. Shift to park, turn off etc etc...

Then to leave again, once seat belt is on, put car in reverse or drive and lightly press accelerator and park brake disengages. I rarely manually disengage my park brake and I love that feature!

But still, if it's under warranty, the park brake button is free to replace.

[passatpout]

i would most probably look at the 3.2 v6 as i dont quiet want to go the diesel option again, currently i have a 2lt tdi which is great torque but not much fun after 2,000rpm ...

I'm a bit of a diesel freak, but don't discount the 125kW engine... I had the 77kW 1.9TDI in my Golf, and thought that was pretty ordinary, but then drove the 2.0 125kW version in the Passat (not available in the Golf) and all sins forgiven.. it really only cranks it up after 2000rpm, and can sing along nicely.. believe it or not, I'm getting better economy and performance from a 2.0l 125kW engine in a Passat wagon than from the 1.9l 77kW engine in a Golf..

[dfrye]

Here is my experience with the petrol passat wagon after 2 years and 33000km.


GOOD:

1. Motor is a real gem - really very good. Fuel consumption on highway consistently 7.7-7.9l/100 which I think is good. It drinks oil though. Lots of audi symbols on engine parts which is probably why.
2. The auto is good - actually quite good.
3. A/C is good - in the back as well as the front.

BAD:

1. Fuel pump died when 3 days old - got towed away and fixed under warranty.
2. Park brake stuck on intermittantly - another warranty claim and a generally dumb idea in the first place.
3. Seats have no side bolsters - then again it is quite rolly polly so its not going to get you in the mood to punt it anyway
4. Carpet is shockingly cheap and nasty. Don't buy one of these if you have a dog! Impossible to get dog hair out of the carpet.
5. If you have leather, be very careful when you lay the back seats flat. The centre buckles are mounted to a firm steel retaining wire. There is no recepticle for them to sit in when the seats are flat so after a few days they stretch the leather on the seat back and make a permanant impression. If you tuck the buckle down firmly this doesn't happen - but you only need it to happen once to muck up the leather. I have tried gently working leather conditioner in but can't get rid of it.
6. The acres of plastic around the dash and footwells constantly creak and groan - not a good car for a classical music lover, but fine if your into AC/DC, the presets or singing along with the wiggles.
7. Wagon load area is not as big as it looks. I think actually the car is narrow, and the roof low at the back which restricts the load space. You can get plenty in with the seats down, but big objects like bicycles and plasma TVs are a problem. The load privacy screen really needs to come out if you regularly carry anything big.
8. General level of finish is a bit ordinary - interior fit for instance, poor quality paint on wheels etc.
9. Fitting a towbar is extortionate. Dealer quoted something like $1800 pre-purchase. Some limp nonsense about optical wiring and parking sensors was offered as an excuse.

I think it would be a better car if they threw out some of the useless gadgets (like the half electric drivers seat) and put that money into better dynamics and better build.

//dean

[Rocket36]

Which model Dean?

[PassatB6]

Auto - must be 2.0T
I find the auto the least good feature. Its an Aisin and it only just makes it. Yes the leather can stretch in places. The carpet could be of higher quality.Exterior paint etc could be better on early models.

I don't agree with some of your points though. You can get side bolsters if you order sport seats. My plastic has never creaked and groaned. I've had no issue with fuel pumps or parking brake. Actually the PB is great for me. I wouldn't judge the interior by its dog friendliness. Interior fit and finish is fine by me. I've had only one small warranty issue in 3+ yrs.

[Umai Naa!!]

9. Fitting a towbar is extortionate. Dealer quoted something like $1800 pre-purchase. Some limp nonsense about optical wiring and parking sensors was offered as an excuse.

Allow me to clear this up.

The reason for the high installation costs is due to wiring needed to be run from the left rear corner of the car to both the left and right fuse boxes under the dash. A fair amount of the interior needs to be removed to do it properly. Any smart service department will allocate a whole day for one technician to install the towbar and wiring.

Thankfully, MY09 Passats are now moving over to a single fuse box on the driver's side, meaning all the wiring is only run down the right hand side, cutting down the labour involved immensly.

As for the park brake, 9 times out of 10, the button on the dash has packed it in. Most dealers will have them on the shelf, and can replace them in under 30mins.

[dfrye]

Sure, all true, but for a new car in this day and age to fail to the point at which it can't be driven twice in the first two years is a bit ridiculous. Point taken on the seats.

I should have also said that the high speed handling is also very good. It is pretty ordinary at low speeds but once you hit 80-120k, handling is good it must be said.

I maintain my build quality comments though - ill fitting heater vents, bad tolerances in the tailgate, interior rattles...it is clearly a chinese built car...
//dean

[passatpout]

Sure, all true, but for a new car in this day and age to fail to the point at which it can't be driven twice in the first two years is a bit ridiculous.

Yup, that's why my old man sold his 3-pointed star after 5 years.. he was sick of it being towed away...

[Rocket36]

Again, which model Dean?