MY08 Passat

[azza67]

Hi All,

Have had a 125Kw Passat on order since October for a Mid Febuary delivery. I know its a long lead time but when you want what you pay for.....42 days and counting

Anyway would appreciate any feedback from Passat 125KW Tdi owners on how the new Passat goes in the real world. Thanks and Happy New Year to all!!

[phaeton]

Welcome to VWwA azza67

[imike]

Maybe this week...

I ordered my MY08 125kw TDI back at the beginning of August. After much pfaffing and with no help from Patricks and VWA I'm told I *might* get it this week(!)

I'm not holding my breath though. Seems my car arrived in Patrick's warehouse mid-dec and as at 31st dec nobody had even touched it for pre-delivery.

[drbass]

Getting a little impatient myself.

Ordered MY08 125 kW Wagon (black, sunroof and iPod adapter as options) on 26 September 2007 with 16 weeks delivery time.

Apparently it made it onto the freighter despite the train drivers' strike in Germany in November and should be ready to go to the dealer from the docks now. Very much hoping for delivery in the next couple of weeks.

Quite excited about this even if I don't quite get the "luxury car" thing when they're a dime a dozen in Germany ... .

Anyway, in the meantime I get to drive our new Colt Convertible Turbo a bit which is good fun as well.

Will let you know how things turn out.

Seeya,
Michael

[OilBurna]

good luck guys look fwd to seeing some pics when they arrive...

[imike]

Finally!!

Update...

The dealer (McCarroll's) just called to say they now have my car and I pick it up Friday afternoon!!!

It's a MY08 125kw TDI Passat Wagon.
Silver, black leather inside.
Sunroof, iPod adaptor, bi-xenon active headlights, bluetooth handsfree and dark tinted windows

I'm trading from a 2000 C-Class Mercedes. Hopefully it's a trade "up".

[OilBurna]

woo hoo ery nice mike post some pics. I'm jealous

[drbass]

Finally, too!

Hi imike,

Congratulations!

Also received call from dealer (Essendon VW) earlier today indicating that this Friday afternoon looks good for delivery. They are expecting the car this afternoon (then it's all systems go) or maybe tomorrow morning (which introduces the "indication").

Black MY08 Wagon (125 kW TDI) with sunroof and iPod adapter, otherwise stock.

Been a long wait, nearly there!

Seeya,
Michael

[phaeton]

Welcome also to the two Michaels with 125kW TDI Wagons

Please post pics up when you can ?

Thanks in Advance

[azza67]

Still waiting...

Thanks for the welcome Phaeton

The saying .."The ox is slow but the earth is patient.." must apply to me.

Looks like a few of you guys are being rewarded for your patience! When you get a chance post some pics of your new wheels and some feedback on how she goes in the real world thanks!

[drbass]

MY08 Passat Wagon TDI 125 - first impressions

Yes, the wait has come to an end, and it's time to summarise my first couple of days with the tractor (see below !).

The car
Ordered on September 26 2007, through Essendon VW: MY08 Passat Wagon TDI, 125 kW and, more importantly, 350 Nm!! Colour: PE Black. Extras: iPod adapter and sunroof.
Taken delivery on Friday, 11 January 2008. The car has a build-date of November 2007.

The delivery
Arrived last Friday at around 3:30 pm, parked my trade-in (didn't even look back at it) and was introduced to the Sales Manager since my contact was on leave. He took me out back where the car sat under wraps, and - gee, those sales guys are funny - that the car looked fantastic in white. At that stage I was pretty much beyind caring, I just wanted to have the new VW.
Anyway, they pull off the cover, and there it is. Looks even better in real life than in the brochures.
What followed was a half-hour introduction to the features of the car, starting with the boot (it's big!!) and ended up with all the goodies that can be accessed from the driver's seat.
Annoying: why do dealers insist on idling the car while explaining things? I actually asked for the engine to be turned off, it's wasteful and not particularly good for the engine and environment.

First impressions
Yes, it's a diesel but it's actually quite a nice-sounding engine (hence "tractor" in the nicest possible way!). It's almost a purr, and I couldn't notice any major vibrations - very nice.
Overall package looks classy, and all the chrome trims, including the grille and the roof rails, don't seem to be overbearing like I thought they might be, particularly considering that the car's black - potentially a huge contrast. Really nice and sleek. Craftmanship looks spot-on, trim quality really nice, couldn't find any flaws except for some scratches on the plastic cover of the tacho, right above the clock. However, these were not obvious until the sun hit the plastic, so I'll bring that to the attention when I get my "curtesy call".
The car is very roomy inside but not overwhelmingly large outside like your typical Aussie wagon. Seats seem to be fine without a lot side support (definitely not sport seats) but thanks to the fabric any sliding on the seat is pretty much reduced to zero. Excellent.
Steering wheel feels nice too, and the plastic is not as bad as some people say. There is also some fabric used on the doors, that feels nice, too.

First driving impressions
Let me say I'm a guy who likes his manual gearbox, and I would have ordered a manual if available here in Oz. However, after some initial doubts, and a cautios approach to the whole DSG idea (which in theory I always found very clever and fascinating) is starting to grow on me.
So far I have pretty much exclusively used the manual mode for upshifting, leaving the DSG to downshift (except when pushing a bit, nice to hear the throttle blips even in a diesel!). All I can say is that the DSG likes "direction". If you know what you want and drive with prupose and certainty it's absolutely fantastic. Can't feel the gear change, it really is seamless. If you just "pitter-patter" around it tends to "slur" the gears, almost like a standard torque converter auto - that I don't like. However, it seems to be getting better, at least subjectively - maybe it's the box learning what I want to do.
Engine, well, what can I say? I haven't driven any high-powered cars whatsoever so I may be overwhelmed by this but there is some serious shove and grunt on tap. I haven't revved very high yet (actually quite difficult not to do since the engine is surprisingly willing to rev), 3800 the max but I have applied full throttle, and - to me - the acceleration is mind-boggling. Not so much from stand-still, not because of hesitation but simply because there's almost too much available, and the traction control is working very hard, but the roll-on say from 40 to 100 in third, then fourth, geez, can't help but grin !!!!! Of course I've only done 400 km but despite a few of those full throttle applications, and generally reasonably spirited driving, I'm sitting just over 7l/100km (according to the computer). Can't wait for the engine to actually free up, that'll be fun.
Handling is good for a car of that size. There's some body roll (not excessive at all), and the Pirelly Pzero Rosso tyres seem to have plenty of grip. Suspension is firm but a drive out to Healesville through Yarra Glen was very pleasant and "rewarding" in terms of driving pleasure. As mentioned, there's some diesel noise but road noise is well controlled.
Steering can be a little vague but is generally very accurate, and the car goes where you want it to go.

Little things
Parking brake/hill assist (or whatever it's called): Fantastic. Releases perfectly every time, no rolling backwards so far even on fairly steep hills.
Plastichrome trim around the gearshift lever: this is the only desing flaw I could find so far. Given the "right" conditions, it reflects sunlight directly into your eyes. Sorry, not particularly fond of that one.
Badge: yes, there is a red "I".
Storage: plenty.
iPod adapter: nice to finally hear good quality music from the iPod, not some noisy FM-transmitted signal. Shame that there is no display of information on the head unit.
Radio: After ordering the car I read a lot about the Dynaudio system sound quality, and that was really the only doubt (should I have ordered it?). In my opinion (I listen to a wide range of modern music, literally from Abba (not a lot) to Zappa) it's a great little system and plenty loud for what I'm listening to. Probably not great for doooof-dooooof stuff but then it's a Passat wagon, for heaven's sake !!
Paint: interesting, this one. Yes, it's black, but the little "glitter" things in the paint do have different colours, there's definitely some blue-ish particles in there. Not as black as I've seem but luscious nonetheless. However, everything is visible on it: dust, fingerprints, scratches (none yet, and hopefully that'll stay that way for some time!), you name it, you can see it. Lots of washing and waxing ahead!
Driving lights: good but not brilliant. Love the leaving/coming home function.
Internal lights: classy. There's a couple of red lights illuminating the centre console making the operation of the radio real easy in the dark. I was always fascinated by the red and blue so I'm very happy with that.

Well, that's all I can think of right now. I'm sure that, as I drive more, I'll notice other stuff (mostly the fuel economy increasing, I hope).

Summary: Pretty much everything I was hoping for. Very happy, can't keep the grin off my face. Family loves it too.

Photos, maybe later. It's just a black wagon.

Hope this info is useful for anyone in the process of deciding on a new car.

All I know is that I'll be enjoying this experience.

Seeya,
Michael

[OilBurna]

great write up michael enjoy i'm jealous post some pics

[azza67]

Thanks Michael for taking the time to write such a good piece!! I'll be on the phone to my dealer tomorrow i'm that jealous

Enjoy!!

[Mischa]

Update...

The dealer (McCarroll's) just called to say they now have my car and I pick it up Friday afternoon!!!

It's a MY08 125kw TDI Passat Wagon.
Silver, black leather inside.
Sunroof, iPod adaptor, bi-xenon active headlights, bluetooth handsfree and dark tinted windows

I'm trading from a 2000 C-Class Mercedes. Hopefully it's a trade "up".

ey pal did you get it on friday? if i were to take a stab id guess no based on my experience with them but i hope you did because that means pics! and feedback!

[OilBurna]

do you ever sleep mischa hehehe