-Great engine power 180HP -No turbo lag -Great handling -Lot's of safety features -Fun to drive -Good looks

Poor positioning of the cup holders, assembled in Mexico.

This is a follow up review from my last one over two years ago. I've come to this site every once in a while to see how the car is doing. I don't know what you people are doing to your cars, but I have not had one problem with mine and I have had it over two years and over 20,000 miles. This is still the best and most fun car I have ever owned. In fact I'm so impressed with VW when the lease is up on this one in two years I'm going to up grade to the new R32. Maybe I got one of the few good ones VW made, or maybe some of you should take better care of your car. German engineering is all about performance and handling. If you want trouble free reliability go buy a under powered over priced Honda Civic, and buy the time you buy the after market parts to up grade it to the Jetta you would have spend just as much or even more money.

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It's pretty, roomy and comfortable with great pick up from the turbo.

It's a mechanical nightmare--faulty brakes, recalled for the ignition coils, oil leaks and who knows what else.

This car sucks and the dealers suck too! I was blinded by it's looks and comfort, and it is comfortable. But then we had all four ignition coils replaced after having it towed twice and the dealer balking. Then the oil leak from the gasket. Then the brakes. Jeeeeez! For a year, squeaky brakes that the dealer plays off as dust that needs to be hosed off and suggests that the higher priced cars, i.e. Mercedes and BMW have squeaky brakes too. Is this a selling feature of this car and if so, why didn't they tell me about it when I bought it? I've had the brake pads and rotars replaced and only have 26,000 miles on the car. Again, nothing but a hard time from the dealers. They don't want to honor the warranty and I have to make repeated visits to get the thing fixed. The customer service folks are a ppiece of work too. One guy was upset with me for complaining about having to come back three times in six weeks for the same problem and confronted me at the counter while I was waiting to get my oil and filter changed--ranting about how much money my complaint cost him in his paycheck. Did he want me to reimburse him???? I think this is a Sunday-afternoon-drive sort of car and I need it seven days a week in all kinds of weather. I'm selling it as soon as I can and will never buy another VW in this life time or the next.

The red and blue dash lights

nothing but problems...i am waiting for the windows to break and fall in since thats what happens to all of the jettas.

This VW jetta is the WORST CAR EVER. I have had nothing but problems since the first week i got it. With only 50 miles on the car the gas tank had a hole in it and was leaking everywhere, needless to say vw said it was my fault accused me of going offroading and i had to pay for all the repairs. Then the speaker in the passenger side back door started rattling every time you turned the radio on. I brought it in for repair and was without my car for 2 days. I go to pick it up and it is still broken, they dont believe me so they make me take them out to my car and show them the problem...the car is in the shop for another 2 days before it finally gets fixed. Then we have the radio problem. This is when the radio doesn't work at all...Wont turn on or anything I have brought it in 3 times for repair for the same problem, and they keep replacing the fuse but it keeps breaking again..so now after three tries fixing it the cheap way they are finally going to investigate into the wiring as a possible problem. The service department is rude and it takes forever to even get an appointment.

+ Styling + Handling, especially in inclimate weather + Front seat comfort + Standard safety features (side and curtain air bags, traction control, excellent brakes with ABS) + Interior build quality. This car shows no "wear" for the three years I have driven it + Car is a good value in the GLS trim line.

+ Some hesitation with the turbo in cold weather. + Maintenance is considerably more expensive than a Japanese car when you get out of warrantee.

I am about to return this car to VW and considering its replacement. Another Passat is an option (AWD with the 1.8T) but I am also considering the Acura TSX, Honda Accord, Mazda 6 and the '05 Subaru Legacy. The Accord is the best value of this group, but I am really impressed by the Acura TSX. The 1.8T Passat with 4-Motion has a "leatherette" interior that is more like vinyl. That's going to be a real turn-off to someone looking at a $27,000 car. You can get a TSX with leather, traction and stability control and other similar features for the same price. And the TSX is more powerful. A Passat with the 1.8T, auto and "real" leather is about the same price as a comparably equipped Audi A-4 1.8T Quattro. And you get free maintenance with the Audi warrantee. I have read that VW is losing customers. Today's USA Today reported that 40% of VW owners who shopped switched to an Asian brand. I found my Passat to be no less reliable than the Japanese cars that I have owned or leased (Honda and Nissan) and I believe it has been more fun to drive. But it has been considerably more expensive to maintain, even when the free check-ups the first 24,000 miles were factored in. Aside from two recalls (coils and wheel well shield), the only expenses beyond normal were for rear disk brake pads and rotars, burnt out running lights and a tailight bulb. I have been fortunate with the dealer (Princeton VW) in that they have showed respect and courtesy to me. Another dealer, Milleneum VW was also helpful. But the rest I have talked with are bottom of the heap. They don't care about servicing the vehicle or providing you with help. I am going to give the dealer a chance to sell me on another Passat because they have been fair to me while I have leased this one. But Honda has more attractive deals on Accords; the TSX is a better value; and, Subaru has an nice looking Legacy GT coming out with leather and AWD for less money than the VW. I don't consider VW a premium brand over Acura, Audi or Honda. I can't understand how they will sell W-8 Passats, Phaetons and Touregs at their prices when you get better service and reliability from Acura, Lexus or Infiniti.

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+ Honda Accord-most reliable car I have had and least expensive to maintain. But mid-range passing power could be better with the 4 cylinder engine. + Nissan Altima. I have had two, a '93 and a '99 and both were very reliable. The '05 is better in interior quality than the '02-'04 models, but lists for more in SL trim than the other cars I am considering. I don't see the value there.

Quick, fun little car. Turns a few heads.

Im always fixing something on it.

Ok, where do i start.... Side bumbers are always falling off(Little Super GLue) Replaced ignition coil($200) New Clutch($230) Rebuilt Transmission($1150) New Front Axles L&R($120) Rear Motor Mound($60) And Performance Part... Intake Headers Exhuast Upper Strut Bar 8mm Spark Plug Wires Sound System Tint and much more to come... I've spent around $10k on this car. Their is always something going wrong with the car. The gas mileage is good-I drive my car very hard and still get 400 miles per tank. The car is quick for a little 4banger and is a blast to drive everytime i get in it. The brakes suck though, seems like it takes forevor to slow down, handling is ok at slow speeds.

Firm ride, good gas milage, 5 speed makes car fun to drive. Very responsive steering. Seats are very firm, and with back seat down car has alot of storage.

Engine was a little louder than expected. A little more horsepower is needed for the base engine. Need for better headlights. Day time headlights burn out too quick and are costly to replace. Battery could be placed better for easy access.

I have had this car going on 4 years. I have over 75000 miles to date. This car has not given me any problems except for a dead battery and bad senosr that made the engine light come on. Gas milage has been around 30 MPG for both city and highway. I went to Indianapolis and back in the span of 6 days, the car handled great on the open road. I have replaced the original tires at 67500 miles. I did go to a size larger in width for better handling. There have been little rattles detected, the care is still quite tight. It is still fun to drive!

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Monsoon sound system. Heated seats. That's it.

1. Shifter wouldn't move out of park a lot of the time for first 6 months. Took about 5 times into the shop till a different dealer finally fixed it. 2. Grease oozing out under doors from heat of sun all the time during summer. 3. Rear windows fell into door, both at same time. 4. Check engine light on constantly. 5. Oxygen sensor always breaking. 6. Mass air flow sensor always breaking. 7. Car didn't come with gas cap on it, had to drive back and waste a day getting it put back and system reset. 8. Armrest handle broke multiple times. 9. Cupholder broke once. 10. Maplight had loose switch. 11. Car starts shaking at about 80. 12. Engine sounds like its being pushed to limit when just trying to pull into traffic. 13. Extremely small glove box. 14. Manual says oil change necessary after every 10,000 miles. Every time I took it in after 5,000 the guys. 15. No room in back seat for any normal sized people. 16. Final thing that went wrong was gas tank flap that moves when you push pump in fell off, had to replace entire tank for $500. 17. Door rattling sound.

What a lemon! I'm never buying a VW again. Looks like a good car, price makes it seem like a good car, but extremely unreliable.

Fast and torque-ish. It's a fun car to drive and can really keep up on the highway. Plus it looks great.

Very poorly built means that my life seemed to revolve around getting the car fixed over and over and over. I found myself waiting for two or more things to break so I could "save time" and get them fixed together.

This car looks great and has many convenient features. It turns heads and makes a good first impression. Over the last year and 10 months, however, I have learned to hate my very attractive car. This car is basically a lesson on how having a warranty does not mean that the car is going to be reliable. Here's a list of fun things I got to experience: 1. The first thing that broke was the driver's side window switch. This was one week after purchasing the car, and the service department couldn't get me in for TWO WEEKS. This is because they are very busy fixing these Volkswagens. I talked to my salesperson and he got me in in four days. 2. After about two more months, I got a couple more problems. The sunroof rattled and the passenger door rattled. Well, after a two-week wait to get in, they fixed the sunroof rattle but not the passenger door rattle (this would never get permanently fixed despite three more tries). Unfortunately, they broke the map light when fixing the sunroof. Two more weeks before they could get it in again. 3. More tries to fix the passenger door. The rattle would always make passengers wonder if their door was closed. 4. Recall for the window regulator. The window just falls into the door. Not fun. 5. Radio will not accept a tape adapter. 6. On a vacation trip at 11, 800 miles, the car breaks down. No dealer in town, so VW tows it 150 miles away to a small town in middle of nowhere. I have to drive back home in a rental car, then drive back to the small town. This was not a fun vacation, but VW fixed the car (apparently it was a known issue) and reimbursed me for part of my expenses. 7. Fan motor makes a squeaky noise when the car slows down or when it's at fan level 3. After a few tries to fix this, I would learn to live with the little noises my car makes. 8. The heated seats burned a hole right through to my pants. I noticed that my butt was burning, then immediately smoke started coming up from the seat. 9. Other small problems that I have mercifully forgotten. A few days ago, I traded this car in for a NON-VW car. I owned this car for a year and 10 months, and I never really enjoyed it because of all the problems and the long waits for the dealership to fix the car.

-Great "Monsoon" Sound System -Good pickup for such the engine -Fun car to drive, great handling!

-Light bulb for interior heating/cooling panel failed. -Not recommended for people over 6'2" (I'm 6'4" 240 LBS)

My 1st car, and man was it great. It lasted me until 75K miles with no problems. I pushed this car to the max, and I mean the MAX every time I drove it. So much so I managed about 8 tickets for speeding over 3 years. Now I might be young at 19.. but this is a great car. It performed great during the entire time I had it until the end. That was my fault though.. after the 75 thousand miles of intense stress I put on it with my endless highway driving and fast stop and go traffic, the fuel injector failed along with a few other minor issues... which cost me 1000 dollars in the end. I hadn't taken the car into the regular VW service center for over a year and a half. I ran it with Valvoline Syntec the entire time I had it, and filled up with regular unleaded. My mileage averaged about 350 per tank. I strongly recommend this car, but if youre a big guy like me, think about a Passat or an Audi A4 instead. If I had only had the manual instead of the automatic I would be considering buying another one of these. But between my needs for a larger car and the amount of cash I've earned.. I'm going for something bigger and better. Maybe I was just lucky with my car, or just took good care of it... but I think the rest of these reviewers are simply trying to get their stress out for mishandling their cars. Of course there are going to be problems with every car you own, so thats why they come on here and rant and rave about how bad this car is. But think about all the happy customers that are driving them now and not complaining.

Handling 1.8T Engine Styling Size

Service All the problems I listed 17" Wheels Back Seat

When I first purchased this car, I was in love. It looks so cool, and I have the turbo which makes it incredibly fast. I still think that it is one of the best cars I have ever driven. It has a great engine and handles incredibly well. The turbo has a very race inspired feel. The blue dials are cool, and everyone loves its stance and styling. That is where the compliments end. I have had more problems than I could ever have imagined a car could have. I don't want to type it all out so lets just list. - Windows fall into the door (this happens to everyone so be prepared), it was later recalled but after they fixed it, they did it again. 2 trips to the shop. - If you get the 17" rims be prepared to buy a new tire every month. If you hit a bump wrong, these tires will flat. The rims are too big for the wheel well, giving you tires only for racing, and I destroyed a rim. 4 trips to the shop ($240 a piece, $400 for rims) - Automatic shifter snapped off leaving the car undriveable out of town. Had to beg to get it shipped back home. 1 trip to the shop (resulting in a dealer caused gash on the plate over the shifter. +1 trip to the dealer). - Engine coils. This was a recall, but they said that they replaced all of them when I took it in. Wrong. 2 trips to the shop. - I had a wreck, it took 8 weeks to get a door in. Every trip to the shop takes at least 2 weeks. New shifter took 3 weeks. If you have this car out of the shop and without problems it is amazing. There are also a few design flaws, but they are too bad (ie. It could be a two door car due to the complete lack of a back seat and cup holders cover the radio). Good luck.

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