Looking to purchase a new Passat

[Crm]

Hi, I'm a newbie to VWWatercooled and have enjoyed reading through lots of really interesting and insightful postings.

My wife and I are in the process of making a decision about replacing our Mazda 6 with another medium sized car and are focusing on the Passat 118TSI (3C MY13.5). Last weekend we went for a test drive and found it ticked most of the boxes of what we are looking for. Our main worry has been reliability (with Mazda over 10 years we have not had one single issue - just don't want a new one because they have become too large). Today I spoke with a VW service manager who said they have corrected the DSG 7-speed clutch problem and that should not be an issue with this latest model although there is of course a 5-year warranty on it. Does anyone have any comments on this or any other issues that we need to consider before purchasing. I guess before signing up we like to know what may be some of the possible risks and weigh these up against the clear positives with the Passat. We have not considered at this stage the TDI because of the extra cost - and we usually travel less than 15K per year.

The other question is what do people see as a reasonable price to pay for this car? On the Volkswagen website it is listed for $43,616.50 recommended drive away price. Normally I would ask for up to a 15% reduction.

My apologies to anyone who has seen a similar posting on Whirlpool from us.

[passat08]

I have a 08 passat wagon tsi that I love but am in process of thinking selling due to kids older looking smaller car. But loved t the car nice smooth car to drive all

[Guest001]

Hi, I'm a newbie to VWWatercooled and have enjoyed reading through lots of really interesting and insightful postings.

My wife and I are in the process of making a decision about replacing our Mazda 6 with another medium sized car and are focusing on the Passat 118TSI (3C MY13.5). Last weekend we went for a test drive and found it ticked most of the boxes of what we are looking for. Our main worry has been reliability (with Mazda over 10 years we have not had one single issue - just don't want a new one because they have become too large). Today I spoke with a VW service manager who said they have corrected the DSG 7-speed clutch problem and that should not be an issue with this latest model although there is of course a 5-year warranty on it. Does anyone have any comments on this or any other issues that we need to consider before purchasing. I guess before signing up we like to know what may be some of the possible risks and weigh these up against the clear positives with the Passat. We have not considered at this stage the TDI because of the extra cost - and we usually travel less than 15K per year.

The other question is what do people see as a reasonable price to pay for this car? On the Volkswagen website it is listed for $43,616.50 recommended drive away price. Normally I would ask for up to a 15% reduction.

My apologies to anyone who has seen a similar posting on Whirlpool from us.

If you have a family and do a reasonable mileage why not consider a TDI Wagon.

Lovely car to drive Lots of options and very economical.

Coincidentally was at Mazda today and thought exactly that about the 6 Has gone on steroids a bit since last model.

At least the Passat probably wont go on fire like the 6 ROFL

I wouldnt trust a stealers explanation about the 7 spd DSG either The TDI has the 6 spd wet clutch box which is far better than the 7spd dry clutch model

Price My TDI Wagon with $15,500 of extras ( see below) was well north of $58,000 but new model has more for less

[Crm]

If you have a family and do a reasonable mileage why not consider a TDI Wagon.

Lovely car to drive Lots of options and very economical.

Coincidentally was at Mazda today and thought exactly that about the 6 Has gone on steroids a bit since last model.

At least the Passat probably wont go on fire like the 6 ROFL

I wouldnt trust a stealers explanation about the 7 spd DSG either The TDI has the 6 spd wet clutch box which is far better than the 7spd dry clutch model

Price My TDI Wagon with $15,500 of extras ( see below) was well north of $58,000 but new model has more for less

Thanks for the feedback - just the two of us so not looking for a wagon. Still unsure about petrol or diesel - see the TDI as definitely the better car but is it worth $5K extra?

Any more thoughts on this from Passat owners or people in the know - eg is the TSI clutch really fixed now?
Also what would you see as a reasonable percentage reduction in negotiations for the petrol or diesel model?

[Amalgam]

I believe that the extra $5K is worth it as I bought the TDI and our car travels 12K per year.

My justifications are:
1/ Better grade leather interior
2/ 95 RON PULP and diesel cost the same at the pump
3/ Diesel provides better real world fuel economy without trying too hard.
4/ Proven 6 spd DSG. Like Hillbilly I wouldn't trust the stealer.
5/ Potentially, diesel engine last longer compared with petrol
6/ If you keep your cars for 10 years, the amortized cost is minimal.
7/ Better resale value.

[Crm]

I believe that the extra $5K is worth it as I bought the TDI and our car travels 12K per year.

My justifications are:
1/ Better grade leather interior
2/ 95 RON PULP and diesel cost the same at the pump
3/ Diesel provides better real world fuel economy without trying too hard.
4/ Proven 6 spd DSG. Like Hillbilly I wouldn't trust the stealer.
5/ Potentially, diesel engine last longer compared with petrol
6/ If you keep your cars for 10 years, the amortized cost is minimal.
7/ Better resale value.

Thanks Amalgam that great feedback! Can I ask what year is your TDI and have you had any issues with it?

[Amalgam]

Thanks Amalgam that great feedback! Can I ask what year is your TDI and have you had any issues with it?

Glad to help.

Our Passat is MY12.5 June 2012 with 10500km and no problems at all.

[Guest001]

Mine is a MY11 bought June 2011 done 11,000km only problem has been a rattle in L/R door which I have sorted myself.

With two of us and a couple of Suitcases we went from Brisbane to Coffs Harbour at max legal speeds and return and got 5.7 L per 100km

Our Polo got 5.1 for the same journey but was pushing a bit harder in places.

Distance is a bit over 900km return if you arent familiar with the area with bits of everything on the way.

Dont bother about the 12 way seats Not worth the money The rest is pretty good

Adaptive cruise is the Bees knees IMHO Set it and forget it.

Personally I think the wagon looks better than the car but thats just me Certainly more versatile for almost the same money.

Not many Passats our colour but have seen a couple of cars and prefer the wagon.

[wind]

Adaptive cruise is the Bees knees IMHO Set it and forget it.

Personally I think the wagon looks better than the car but thats just me Certainly more versatile for almost the same money.

Fully agree with Hillbilly re adaptive cruise control. It is great + it is also a speed limiter (i.e. will slow car down to the speed you have set).

Also +1 for the wagon. To me it looks much much better than the sedan (one of the best looking wagons around? . . . possible topic for another thread) and then you add wagon versatility to the mix and it is hard to beat.


I am getting close to 30k km on my Passat Wagon (got it end of Jun '12) and it has been trouble free . . . only now starting to notice a slight rattle starting to come to my attention (have't figured out where it is coming from as it is intermittent at this stage). If you can stretch the budget a bit, I would recommend you consider the Sports Pack (better wheels/tyres, amazing seats - comfort and support, handling and roadholding moves up a notch or three - freaks my wife out being able to go almost 2x the speed around the same corner as her car can barely manage and feel better doing it!).

[Crm]

Thank you everyone for your helpful replies. Just updating that today we purchased a new Passat TDI 130kW sedan. Looking forward to getting delivery in due course.

Two early questions after another test drive today:
1) how do you find the stop / start system?
2) how do you find the coast function?

Around town do you have them both activated all the time?

Thanks

[nyc863]

I like the stop/start, but you have to be mindful it is on. The only thing is in direct sun the climate control can let the interior heat up a bit much before cancelling stop/start to get back cold air. So sometimes I disable it.

The coast function is also a plus. If you do want some engine braking then brush the brake pedal and voila, it is now in gear. If you are at highway speed you become aware that getting on the gas from coast takes a second or two for anything to happen as the engine has to first reach 2000 rpm before the drivetrain hooks up.

BTW The hill hold removes the creep function of the DSG, and as we all know the torque converter emulation in a DSG car isn't the smoothest, so it isn't much of a loss and you can be lazy: come to a stop and feet off all pedals no need to sit on the brake. However it can dis-engage with a bit of a mechanical dissonance.

[Guest001]

Thank you everyone for your helpful replies. Just updating that today we purchased a new Passat TDI 130kW sedan. Looking forward to getting delivery in due course.

Two early questions after another test drive today:
1) how do you find the stop / start system?
2) how do you find the coast function?

Around town do you have them both activated all the time?

Thanks

Stop start is ok once you learn to anticipate the light sequence and lift foot off brake a bit to start the motor just a fraction earlier

Mine doesnt have "Coast" came in next year.

Dont know what prev poster means by stop start in aircon we just leave ours set at 22 on auto and never worry about it

You arent stopped at the lights long enough in our area for the car to heat up because the aircon has shut down for a minute.

In mine if you have "Brake Hold " activated and take your foot off the brake at the lights the engine will restart.

Therefore I dont have that activated unless I need it as there arent many hills where we live. Would sooner have the engine off function.

[nyc863]

sorry it wasn't clear, I thought it was.

When stop/start stops the engine the a/c compressor stops, and the coils warm up. The temperature of the air coming out of the vents gets warmer fast. If you are in direct sunlight especially through the front windscreen, you soon feel the temp rising. I believe the engine cancels stop/start if the temp gets too far away from the setting (or it should) but no matter: at a long red light with direct sun (and it isn't even midsummer) you'll want to cancel stop/start.

[Crm]

[QUOTE=Hillbilly;934573]Mine is a MY11 bought June 2011 done 11,000km only problem has been a rattle in L/R door which I have sorted myself.

With two of us and a couple of Suitcases we went from Brisbane to Coffs Harbour at max legal speeds and return and got 5.7 L per 100km



Thanks for that Hillbilly. I'm wondering what you and others with a Passat 125kW/130kW see as the best speed / revs on the open road (eg Pacific Hwy, F3) for maximal fuel economy?

[Guest001]

Thanks for that Hillbilly. I'm wondering what you and others with a Passat 125kW/130kW see as the best speed / revs on the open road (eg Pacific Hwy, F3) for maximal fuel economy?

I drive it as an auto and let it do its thing
You would get best economy at about 50kph but would take a long time to get anywhere LOL
At speed limit between Brisbane and Coffs and return I got 5.7L per 100km which is good enough for me

Also I drive it like I own it NOT like I stole it if you get what I mean