This car just hauled-bum, with a little experience with the powerband, the vr6 blew away many an unsuspecting mustang gt and other rice-burner cars on the mass pike (off the line was a tad slower, but not shabby by a long shot) Handling was awesome (at the time I worked in Boston and the Big Dig had you driving in a different rally course every day). The styling was unique yet un-assuming (When I first took it to school, all my buddies asked if it was my mom's car...until I took them for a ride) Even in snow, the passat handle great no matter what I pointed it at. I installed a custom 11 speaker 300 watt stereo system w/ bass tube in the cavernous trunk, it sounded incredible (especially after leaving the bars at 2:00am, sober, of course). I traded it in for a toyota tacoma two years ago, and have regretted it ever since, even with the issues it had...

I bought the car with 20,000 miles on it, without much of a problem to speak of. I had the windshield replaced and after that a suspicious flooding problem began occuring in the back seat (up to 6 inches of h2o), it actually froze to a block of ice one night in december. Around the same time the car began to smell something awful, like a cheap beer fart, only longer lasting (actually, it got me out of a few embarrasing situations over the time the odor occured). Not long after the smell, the engine would cough and die off the line unless I revved the engine to about 2400 RPM before letting out the clutch, what a pain, and not too safe... Other than that, a few electrical gremlins (the back up lights would go on in neutral with the e-brake and the radio on (both, not either)), and a right sided wheel bearing replacement.

I've read the summaries on the site, and they said what I expected to hear, there are lemon passats, and there are not-so-lemon passats, but VW's have always been quirky. I miss the car dearly, and hope to find the same exact model for my next car. I am leery of the maintenance costs, we have a brand new baby to pay for, but I will be much more likely to drive to the store for diapers at 3:00am. This would be a great car for the driving enthusiast without much cash to burn, but come on, if you can't afford a couple hundred bucks for a repair, buy a new kia for 8,000 with a warranty that will outlast us all (and some tinted windows to hide behind...) The looks are classy, the ride very comfy, and I long for the looks on the rat-like faces of all those gt driving, barely post-pubescent, bud man tatoo displaying, skanky girlfriend on the arm punks that try to cut me off.

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Other than that I've owned 4x4's (wrangler, bronco 2 and tacoma sr5) but the passat outdrove them all in all but the deepest snow. I've driven everything from hopped-up gti's and gt's, to 560 sl's and ls 400's, and the passat had a perfect blend of all of them. Friends used to love to drive it (when I wasn't the sober one leaving the bar) and I got tons of compliments on it.

Well, none so far, this car is a disgrace to the world.

Nothing works, windows, stereo, speakers blew, head gasket, transmission, are just a few to point out the crappiness of this 'car' JUNK

Ever since the first day problem after problem kept on arising, nobody should waste their hard earned cash on such a poorly engineered and built car!

I would put 0 stars , but that option does not exist!

TOO BAD! Carreview, please make 0 stars an option Thanks you

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Well, i find this car to be the worst pile of junk on the face of this planet! Wow, VW has made poor quality cars, and did not learn their lesson, the saga of garbage continues

I cannot name evrything, or else it would be equivalent to a 2000 page thesis. Also ever see those passat comercial, only looks like a million bucks, well they are not even right about that, but it handles like a bad car, accelerates like a bad car, rides like a bad car, you know, everything, everything is like a 10000 dollar car, or evne worse!!!!!

i hate it and hate it, that is all, my anger is too high, what a piece!!!!

I would rate this car negative 5 stars if possible


- 5 stars

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many many cars, if i could compare geo metro to this geo would win by a mile

Incredible torque. Incredible handling - this car can POWER around turns. 4Motion worth every penny. I'm a Honda Convert! Library-quiet interior. Integrated rear sunshade is nice, since we have an infant. 6 airbags in this car! The tiptronic transmission is smooth as my wife's Lexus GS300, but with better control. Excellent operation of the automatic climate control. Great legroom. Love the Heads up MFD in the dash. Sexy colors at night w/interior console lights. Very cool. Everyone who sees this car from the side, before seeing the VW badge on the front/back, has told me they thought it was an A6...which makes me smile! I was looking at the Lexus IS 300 (to boy racer-ish), and the 3 series BMW (which is a great car, but not nearly as loaded for the money)....I vote the Passat by a neck...also love the rear armrest/storage area. I simply LOVE this car, and can't wait to drive it.

No auto-off headlights. Loud chime when I open the door with the engine running, even when in Park w/Brake on. I wish it got better mileage, but hey, the horsepower is more than sufficient...I wish the 4Motion model had flip down seats. Apparently the non-AWD models do, but something with the geometry of the car prevents it...according to my dealer...so I get a little trunk pass-thru...

People who blast this car are dealers who obviously are getting their tails kicked trying to sell against it! I recommend that anyone even thinking of considering this car go after the GLX. The extras in the car are well worth the money. I'm THRILLED with this car.

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Audi A6 - Better bang for the buck, and all the same amenities. BMW 3-series, no thanks...Too much for too little!

body styling still looks good; very roomy; lots of trunk space

expensive parts -- have put a lot of money into the car
small parts have broken and are very costly; bad stock stereo; noisy;have had problems with the transmission, head gasket, air conditioner, vehicle over-heating,electrical parts; not much power with the automatic

I have had problems with this car from the almost the beginning. The sun visors came out of their sockets, and could not be put back in. I had to replace the electrical visors at $120 each. I've had to replace the head gasket for over $1000. I've had to have my radio code re-enter for $45. I've gotten new struts and shocks for $700. The car at one point started smoking from the hood, and I believe that was the heater hose ($1200). My auotmatic transmission doesn't always manually shift, and the car makes and awful "dragging" noise. I can't get anywhere fast in this car! I want to get rid of it as soon as possible so I don't have to put anymore money into it! I have paid more than the price of the car in repairs.

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The styling along with the strong Audi like quality, makes this car a german Audi wannabe.

After first 2 months had a blown head gasket, was repaired no problem, 2 months later same thing again, dealer stated this was my fault?? Interior cupholders are a waste. Dashlights in the center mount vents are burn out, can lightly touch the dash and they all go out. Brakes are junk, they have squealed since day one. 2 yr /24000 warranty is the worst in the business. Dealer installed a wood grain dash kit before purchase, the wood grain is peeling back, dealer states that it is not their problem, takes too long for service, and they actually left the hose off of the throttle body, my tow truck driver fixed this for me for $60 dollars. Avoid Joe Holland imports, for the love of god! Now I have to drive over an hour to get decent service.

Besides the problems with the dealer and service, this is actually not a bad car to own. I have 41000 miles and after the break in I upgraded the stereo, factory was not that great. I would recommend this car for anyone, just get another dealer, do not choose the one I got.

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I tried the Camry, and a BMW 325 I wish I would have shopped them a little more.

quality of the car, standard features, price and the overall expirence. everyone who has been in my car who hasnt been in a passat previously has complimented me on it....every time

chasis regidity could be a bit better even though its one of the best in its class now, and of course the cup holders are pretty bad unless you often drink from a can or an 8oz cup

This is an exceptional vehichle often compared with bmw products and for the money nothing comes close. VW knows what they are doing, every complaint of mine is fixed for 2001.5 they braced the chasis and fixed the cup holder issue

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i have driven them all, 328 (amazing performance) audi a4 and the asians

The seats are great. The sound system is good. Freeway performance is great. Gass mileadge is great (Over 30 mpg).

Where to start....... Engine vibrations at 1700 and 2100 rpms, manual trans buyers beware. This occurs on ALL Passats. Be sure to run the motor up slowly prior to purchasing your car and that this is something you can live with. My car has been in the shop for 25% of its life, starting one day after purchasing it!!! They now tell me that this flaw is a characteristics of this car. I don't think I will ever have this car long enough to see if they can fix the rough idle or the tendenancy of the throttle to hold its rpms, or increase between shifts. Sometimes I wonder if this a car or a vibrating chair.

If I have my way, this car will be traded in by the time you read this review. To be fair, I have read all the great reviews about Passats and I am sure they are fine cars. However, after test driving the above listed cars, the Passat would be my last choice. I only wish I had drove them prior to purchasing the Passat!!! I have shown this car to 15 people. Not one of the would purchase a Passat in the future.

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Audi A4, BMW 328, Acura 3.2TL Type S, Volvo S60

Standard equipement - power door,windows, sunroof. Full size spare. Attractive body style - everyone loves this car. I still smile when I see it in the driveway - It just looks good! Even after three years I still get compliments. Reliability - I have never had any major mechanical problems.

2/24 warranty - please.
Repair cost - My first repair cost me about 300.00, 85% was for labor. - Oil leak from the engine breather tube?? I thought for sure the 10/100 would cover it - no way they said.
Cup Holders are weak.
Lots of brake dust - requires constant cleaning of the rims/wheels.
Electrical - locks, Alarm, interior dash lights & sunroof have a mind of their own. These cars have quirks, I mean personality.

This was my first new new car. I bought right of the lot just after the new body style was introduced. To me this was the car I couldn't do without. I have had a few minor issues with the car but nothing that would turn me off so bad that I hate it like some of the other reviews. Marshall VW has quick & efficient service - very expensive though. Expect that with a VW. It is worth it to me. I love my car and you would too.
This is an afforadable car that has amenities & style to spare. It drives great. If you have the money to spend on the up keep - Go for it!

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Overall this car is my favorite. Much exp with Nissan- not bad cars but boring compared to the Passat.

Solid feel, quiet, Monsoon stereo very good, lots of storage with fold down seats, good looks, room enough for 4 adults, suspension forgiving on the bumps, a real plus in this neck of the woods.

- From the start, had squeak in the sunroof area (dealer fixed), intermittant heating in the sets (could fix it because it didn't fail while they had it. I'm stuck with it), the air flow system is the screwiest I've seen. Examples: can't flow to middle and bottom at the same time. Defroster by itself always max blower..can't adjust blower speed in this mode (I was told the factory told the dealer that every screwey thing I described was engineered to work that way). Other strange behaviors of the air flow system evident....Set temp to AUTO 72 and it blows cool air, even with it in the 40's outside. - At 6000 miles, had Climitronic just shut down one morning. It "came back" the next time I started the car. This will be another problem that the dealer won't be able to fix.
- Had the check engine light come on right after my 5K checkup, with Emissions message. It went away on it's own after 2 days.
- Strange radio behavior. The radio station jumped out of the blue a few times. The radio volume jumped to MIN by itself a few times.
- Suspension could be a little stiffer, but this isn't a sports car anyway.
- 2 year warranty doesn't instill much confidence in the years ahead (purchased the extended 5 warranty...we'll see what that get's me if I still own the the car, which in unlikely at this point)
- Jumpy off the start. Feels like the feeling of a throttle cable setup, with some slack in the cable...a little dead space at the top of the peddle, and then it kicks.
- Rough shift between 1st and 2nd.
- No storage inside the car. The glove compartment is alost worthless.
- everyone knows the cup holders needed redesign, but it's not bad for a person who only drinks occasional small drinks
- floor mats won't last long and show marks really easy. Pull them out right away and put in some that you can walk on.

Considering how much I spent for this car, I had high expectations. What I got are the same little headaches that I could have gotton from a less expensive American car. This was not that much less the a 3-series. I expected alot more than this. This is my first and last VW.

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put it this way...I'm back to nothing but japanese cars.