Nice interior

EXPENSIVE PARTS - UNRELIABLE - No Dealer

This Car truly is the ultimate lemon. Volkswagen parts are pathetically expensive! This car has given me no pleasure. I have spent a small fortune just to keep my Passat on the road. Leaks, electrical, mechanical - you name it. Stay away from Volkswagen my friends -you have been warned!

peppy V6 comfortable seats roomy

SERVICE Dealer Integrity Volkswagen of America Customer Service

Have had the car 2 years, AC hasn't worked since I bought the thing. Have had it in 5 times for repair, dealership refuses to provide a loaner while they don't fix the AC. Floor mat wore out after about 20K, trim started falling off rear passenger side door at 27K (3K past warranty - big surprise). Dealer sold me a used roof rack as new. I had to straighten out a bracket to fit it on my car. Service Tech put an oil filter on so tight i broke an oil filter wrench trying to get it off. Turns out, instead of fixing the real problem (warped oil cooler) he just cranked the filter an extra couple turns to get it to seal. Car beeps when it hits 23 degrees F outside (they got their C to F conversion wrong in the electronics - I'm guessing they were shooting for a beep at 32 F). First headlight burned out at about 15K. Arm rest/console doesn't lock into position when it's cold out. Buy this car if you have another one around for a spare, or your spouse can give you a ride to work while it's in the shop. Don't buy this car if you... well, don't buy this car.

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SCUD missle (in terms of reliability and quality of service)

Looks, comfort, driving (when it's right!)

BIG front end problem, just not a reliable car!

I love driving this car, but I hate owning this car. If VW (audi) could engineer something to last, it would be a miracle. THE PASSATS HAVE A BIG PROBLEM - I'll tell more in just a bit. I only have 13000 miles on this car - 3 weeks in, major electrical weirdness - everything flashing on and off (lights, radio, dash lights, etc.) when certain things are turned on in combinations - like radio & turn signals. 1 week in dealer's shop while they played 3 blind mice - replacing this part and then that part.... not a clue what they were doing1 Next, a visit for an exhaust leak and interior pieces falling off, and a broken rear washer. 2 weeks later, only the washer was still fixed! Other small problems, but NOW>>>> front control arms have developed too much play - clunking, wandering on road. Turns out this is a BIG problem - check out clubB5.com or VWvortex.com. NHTSA has started a file on this, and VW has issued a service bulletin, but no recall. If you are out of 2/24 warranty, but not by much, you only have to pay $600 labor if you fight with VWoA for a week. After that, 1000 - 1500 to fix your front end. And mine only lasted 13K miles (and I'm not alone).

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BMW5 wagon (great car, pretty reliable) Saab 95 wagon - my wife loves it, too soft for me - hasn't been super reliable either

*Build quality. Best of any car I have ever had. This car looks and feels like it costs more than it does. *Comfortable velour seats-once you get the position and lumbar adjustment right. *Handling and steering. No sedan is more fun to drive. *Dash-love the "hot" red and blue lights *Lots of safety features: 4wdisc brakes+ABS, traction control, differential lock,side curtain bags for the price. * Excellent brakes * Very clever touches: rear sunshade, ease to open hood and trunk, key and keyless entry one piece instead of two. This car is very well thought out.

* Turbo feels like it runs out of breath when climbing hills * CD changer in trunk. The Accord has it in the dash, why can't VW do it? * Center armrest compartment is small. Only holds 4 CDs. * Crumbs, hair, sunburn peel all stick to the seats. * Turbo needs premium fuel.

The Passat is my first German car and has been everything I hoped it would be. I travel a great deal for business so I wanted a car that had a good mix of sportiness, performance and fuel economy plus either traction control/limited slip or all wheel drive. The Passat and the Subaru Legacy GT were the cars that best fit my needs. The Passat and Legacy GT are both cars for people who need a sedan but want more sportiness. The Passat is better made, is smoother and quieter and has better braking and handling. It's residuals are better. The Legacy GT is a more dated design, but gets you more features (heated leather seats, power seats, 6 disc in-dash player) indoors plus the "beauty of all wheel drive". After a year, I believe that I made the better choice with the Passat.

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Nissan Altima: 1993 and 1999 Honda Accord: 2001

1.8L Turbocharger has plenty of pickup. Trunk space and cabin space are more than ample. Audi isn't even a step up except for the product name. Interior feels like a luxury car with leather and "luxury package" which entails moonroof and 15" alloy wheels as far as the interior. Handles uncharacteristically well for a family sedan.

Volkswagen boasts "Drivers Wanted" yet didn't even make enough 5 speeds to meet market demand. Tiptronic transmission although impressive on the 270 horsepower V8 in the "W8 4motion," is no replecement for a good old-fashioned stick shift. For some reason, there is a tiny delay from stepping on the gas until the engine begins to rev. The clutch takes some getting used to.

I have always owned Japanese cars such as the Honda Civic, Nissan 300ZX, Mitsubishi Eclipse. I have found that while looking for a sedan that was both roomy for a family AND fun to drive. I looked at the Accord, Impreza WRX, Altima and found one or the other. The WRX was exhilarating but not well enough suited for a family as far as back seat space. The Passat sold me on the first test drive. It was cavernous inside so as to fit me (6'3") in the back seat behind my driving settings. I'm eager to own my car for eight years and compare it's track record to my Mitsubishi Eclipse. If it is as reliable as it, I'll be a VW driver for life.

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Honda Accord, Nissan Altima, Subaru Impreza WRX

Tiptronic Tranny. very reliable lot''s of room

Radio (replaced after 3 years installed aftermarket stereo)

I love my wife''s wagon. Great 1.8T motor. Had ton''s of sports cars in my life. Saw the wagon test drove it and BAM my wife had to have it. Can''t compare to my other car''s, but is as cheap as my other cars to modify the engine. I''m pushing 250+ horsepower right now (my wife doesn''t know she just think i installed a chip and muffler). Alot of of power for such a small engine. Thanks VW for 1.8t engines. I have a 1994 540i and I still uses the wagon over my bimmer.

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Supra, Accord, Conquest, 300zx, 540i (still have it)

Handles well when not being repaired.

Mechanical, electronics, and most of all, customers relations!

This Passat has been the worst vehicle I have ever owned. In addition to almost over $4,000 plus in repairs in little over a year the radio has been proven to be defective, and carries a cost of $400.00+ with installation. The only thing worst then the vehicle is dealing with VW service centers. After lodging a complaint and going all way up to the executive management of VW of North America I was told, "you have to expect certain issues when purchasing a used vehicle, after all you are the second owner, " but offered to do nothing in the way of assisting even with the radio issue. In the past I’ve been a big supporter of VW but after theses problem and dealing with customer relations, I will never support or encourage this product again.

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1.8 turbo enjine, fit and finish, comfort, handling

Storage space very limited, premium gas.

I compared the Passat to the Camry and Accord.I felt both to be a good value and reliable. However, they just were not exciting. I drove the Passat and the needle went to "10" on the wow scale. We bought a 5 speed and coupled with the turbo 1.8 you get the feeling your driving a sports car cloaked as a family sedan. The car feels substantial. It has the fit and finish and comfort of a luxury car. If you keep the options to a minimum, this car is a tremendous value. I have always owned Japanese cars(Hondas and Toyotas) and have enjoyed their reliability. If the Passat proves to be reliable or even close to the Japanese, I will never go back.

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Honda Civic, CRV. Toyota Camry. Nissan Maxima.

Fun to drive

EVERYTHING ELSE. Some of the major things are: Costly repairs Frequent problems Cheap (and I do not mean $$) components Very few VW independent mechanics (VW specialized equipment) Have to hook the car up to a computer each time something goes wrong and pay a BS diagnosis fee. Complete lack of customer service at dealerships and VW America. And on and on.

This is the worst car I have ever owned. It is contstantly in the shop for VERY COSTLY repairs that only VW can do. For instance we have had it in the shop now 7 times getting a knock sensor replaced that VW says is just "bad luck." Very poor customer service and a total lack of cummincation tops it all off.

Drivetrain! 30valve V6 is smooth, powerful, and sips gas. I love all the small features, from the full-size spare, to the trunk hinges, to the knob selector for the sunroof, to the oilpan placement, to the lumbar support on the passenger seat, to being able to operate the windows and radio after the car has been turned off, to the pass-through size when the seats are folded down. This car really shines - For the money, I don''t think that you could''ve found a V6 sedan with a Manual transmission that has this many features and performs this well for the money. Very reliable - no problems after 54000 miles in 18 months! Just keep changing the oil, and you''ll be fine!@

OEM tires sucked hard (Michelin MXV4s). I drove them for 40k miles, until they had 15k miles of tread left, but would hydroplane in the wet at 65 mph. Different tires make a BIG DIFFERENCE! Also, using Premium Fuel only gets pretty expensive. Handling could be a little more precise - I drove a Passat in Europe (2.8L turbo diesel) and liked the stiffer suspension setup MUCH BETTER! However, I guess Americans don''t go for that - we''re too fat and lazy, right? Ï

Great Value for the money! If you are looking for a high-quality and reliable German sedan that is loaded with features, but don''t feel like mortgaging your house for a BMW 5-series or an Audi A6, this is the car for you!Y

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