Volkswagen Passat reviews

I purchased my current Passat 4 years ago after losing my previous one in an accident in the snow and ice of early2009. I am familiar with the mechanics and occasional foibles of these cars and was not afraid to buy a higher mileage example in reasonable condition. I also enjoy the services of an independent ' one man band ' vw/Audi specialist who I trust implicitly, has proved reliable, and who charges a reasonable hourly rate. My experience of the current vehicle, overall, has been a positive one and I regard it as a success. In addition to the usual servicing every 10000 miles I have had only two other ' hiccups ' firstly requiring the rebuilding of the turbo, and secondly, when a cam belt tensioner bolt bent ( over time ) causing the cam belt to begin to shred longitudinally fortunately, without damage to the engine. A replacement cambelt kit together with the offending tensioner stud cured the problem.This latter problem occurred some 8000miles prior to when the cam belt was due for routine replacement so the I was reasonably philosophical about this incident occurring. I enjoy the Passat for its general comfort, spaciousness, load carrying capacity and its overall economy Many long distance journeys have resulted in fuel consumption figures exceeding 60 miles per gallon.I have not allowed the two ' major ' mechanical incidents dampen my enthusiasm for these vehicles. I am a little unusual in a sense in that I have had a (pretty much ) life long policy of purchasing higher mileage vehicles of proven long term reliability, maintaining them as required, and being tolerant of them when they fail to live up to expectations. From a financial perspective I have found I have found that this to be to my advantage.

I'm the second owner and purchased when the car was 3 years old, so have owned it for 4 years. It had an excellent service history and quite high mileage when purchased and whilst I do only 10,000pa I do keep it well maintained. With mixed driving it is averaging 53mpg, which I think is acceptable for the size of car and my style of driving. There are a number of issues; the car has always suffered with high road noise and therefore I pay a bit extra to have lower dB rated tyres, which do make a significant difference. The car seems to consume wheel bearings, I need a couple replacing almost every year. Final issue concerns paintwork, the car is beginning to develop a few rust spot, particularly on the bonnet and tailgate. For a 7 year old car with over 150,000 miles on the clock, the interior is in great condition, leather seats show no wear. All switches, the radio, the heated seats etc. all in perfect working order, no warning lights on. The car drives well, the turbo works, great acceleration, good brakes, accurate steering. The downside - it has the emissions cheat device/chip installed.

I cannot recommend this car highly enough as a reliable, economic and versatile family saloon with exceptional build quality and good performance. It is the archetypical quality German automobile which has delivered 100,000 (137k from new)trouble free miles of motoring with low maintenance and servicing costs. Performance from the 20 valve 1800 cc petrol engine is very good delivering quick and instant responses when required and cruising comfortably for hours on end. Specification on the model I purchased is limited in that there is no sun roof, no air conditioning, no cd player, electric windows front only and no alloy wheels. However it has started first time, every time in the 13 years I have owned it and no major mechanical faults have been encountered. All major components (except battery) are original, bar brake pads, filters, wipers, bulbs etc which I consider to be testament to VW quality and consistency. Most reliable car I have ever owned and would seriously consider purchasing another newer model to replace this one when it finally fails an MOT.

This is the second Passat estate I have owned. The first was a manual. The second Passat was a diesel mated to a 5 speed automatic gear box. I have owned the second Passat for some three years now. It has not given me any trouble at all during the 20,000 miles I have driven with it. It will, however, be needing two new front tyres in the very near future. I think this is quite reasonable. I have found my Passat to be a very practical car. Economical on a long run but no so good on short runs. The 2 litre Diesel engine provides plenty of power and coupled to the automatic gearbox it is always in the right gear. A stab on the accelerator and an instant gear change gives a very good acceleration to overtake slow moving vehicles. When used as an estate with the rear seats folded down there is copious space for large unwieldy objects that can be secured with the cleats provided. The car is comfortable, quiet and a pleasure to drive. In a couple of years I will buy a new Passat.

I purchased the Highline version of the Passat Estate. My previous car was a Passat Estate and I liked the space and the performance this car offered. Both cars were turbo-diesel powered and gave a good performance with economy. My first Passat was a manual, which was fine but I decided to go for the 6 speed automatic gearbox for my second. The combination of a powerful diesel engine coupled to an automatic gearbox makes the Passat a delight to drive. Plenty of performance, and even with the estate body it is reasonably quiet. The leather seating is comfortable and allows long journeys without too many stops - 450 miles to Scotland with just a couple of stops! The running costs, including servicing, are very reasonable. I take my car to the local Volkswagen show-room/garage when required and I have found they are very competitive. All in all I have been very happy with my Passat and will be looking at buying a new one in a couple of years

This vehicle performs well for a diesel engined car, and has good acceleration. Returns between 47 and 53 mpg on motorway driving depending on traffic density. Returns 35 to 40 mpg around town. Government taxation, and insurance push up running costs considerably as does the taxation on fuel. The car is very comfortable with heated seats, air conditioning, self dimming rear view mirror, radio with a six disc CD player. In the seven years I have owned this vehicle it has never broken down, for most of that time it has been used to commute to work from the Manchester area across the Pennines to Leeds & Wakefield through winter and summer with no problems from the vehicle. The car will seat 5 persons and being an estate car there is ample room for luggage behind the rear seats, if required the rear seats can be folded down flat to boot floor level providing a large load area.

My Passat estate is just perfect for my needs. I can get my bicycle in the back with the seats down without having to dismantle the bike.It has been a trouble-free car so far. I feel much more comfortable in a larger car as I am 6' and need the leg room. Fuel consumption on short journeys is not much of an issue as I cycle the 6 miles to work whenever I can and take the car only when necessary. Even so, I can get 50 mls to the gallon with taking it easy on the gas pedal. On a longer journey (mostly rural)it is not unusual to get 60+ mls so I think that's pretty good for a largish vehicle. It can also kick on a bit when I need it to. I test drove an Audi A3 before settling for the VW. I thought the Audi was over-rated, over-priced and the VW suited me so much better. I intend to, when it's time to do so, replace this car with a newer version.

This is a car to avoid. The 2005 to 2007 models are terrible.Although it is a very economical car with a reasonable performance it has some serious issues. The electronic handbrake is total rubbish. I have had to spend hundreds of pounds on the handbrake mechanism and has even had 3 handbrake buttons fitted. It locks on sometimes and I cannot see an advantage over the conventional systems. My seat has had to be repaired and and the electric back rest has failed. There have been a number of minor problems. That aside it is a pleasure to drive on my long trips to Southern Europe and is great on the Autobahns. The boot swallows luggage and the cabin is spacious. Most switches are well positioned and overall it is easy to drive. The later models have largely overcome the niggles and I may consider another Passat.

My 1999 Passat 1.9 TDI estate is still going strong with over 235,000 miles on the clock. 52 mpg with motorway usage. With servicing every 12,000 miles it has never let me down. Battery lasted 10.5 years and the exhaust and gearbox are original - yes over 16+ years old. I believe this is the best work horse car ever built and the best car I will ever own. The slight minus is the timing belt intervals on the early models is 40,000 miles. They don't make cars like this anymore. Having spoken to many mechanics they confirm that the golden age of reliability and build quality was late 1990's to 2004. Even the top makes Mercedes and BMW etc do not make car like they used to. The accountants got involved reducing the cost and quality of every component including the nuts and bolts.

Based on a time when I hired a car in Italy during a hot summer in 2000 - it turned out to be a Passat, I was very taken with the car. On returning home I tried to buy a similar Passat but the model I wanted was not available in South Africa and I ended up buying a 1999 Audi 2.4 V6 Auto - this was an unbelievably brilliant car - a sports sedan deluxe - best car I ever owned (I am age 81 today). And I previously owned and drove several V8 Mercedes. After a number of years I moved to the UK where I bought a 2007 Passat 2.0 Auto, which I still use. It is very light on petrol, has excellent power, is spacious and comfortable even for rear-seat passengers (overweight). Of course it has lots of room for the luggage of 4-5 persons. Harry Tyler (1935) Antrim, Northern Ireland.

As the car ages the electronics become a nightmare. Electronic management system is located in a depression in the footwell of the front passenger seat which is prone to flooding by water ingress through the air filter totally submerging the unit. With less than 100,000 miles on the clock the engine runs harshly with vibration in the steering and transmision. Three different garages have no idea what's wrong with the engine. Latest advice is to keep running the car until it breaks down and then scrap it. It is an old car and a reconditioned engine would cost more than the vehicle is worth, but I expected more than 95,000 mile out of a diesal engine that has been regularly serviced and well looked after.

This is a recent purchace, previously I have owned new Toyotas (Avensis, saloon and estate and a carena saloon). So my comparisons are with these models. The VW uses more fuel over similar journeys than the last Toyota (estate). But this may be because the VW is heavier. The VW is much quieter to drive, more confortable, gives a smoother ride and I feel more confident while driving it. The VW is the first automatic car that I have owned although I have driven automatics previously. When choosing the new car I was worried about the new automatic handbreaks that are being introduced. So far (only about 3000 miles covered) I have had no problems with the car and have got used to the automatic handbreak.

Have owned this car for 1 year and I'm very pleased with it apart from a few minor issues. (1)The ride is quite soft and bouncy on undulating roads. (2)For a front-wheel drive car the handling feels a little vague. (3)It suffers from terrible road noise which can only be mitigated by purchasing more expensive low dB rated tyres. (4)Unlocking the rear tailgate requires pressing the key fob 3 times; twice on the general doors button followed by once on the tailgate button!!! Controls and instruments are good; lighting good; heated seats fantastic; loads of space; maintenance costs very reasonable; regularly delivers 55mpg in normal driving.

My car was bought second hand and is a high mileage (248,000 miles) vehicle. I've owned it around eight years and it has in that time been very reliable. For a heavy car it is fairly powerful and very economical, especially on long runs, where it is comfortable to drive. I carry three dogs in it behind the back seats, so it is roomy, but if I could change one thing, I would like it to be a little higher off the road. Also, on this model, the control unit for the central locking is located in the passenger footwell which has led to faults due to damp/corrosion. I would buy another, newer one if I could afford it.

Disappointed with my VW Passatt estate reliability because:- Battery failed after only four years - it seems small for starting a 2l diesel engine Dual mass flywheel failed after only 34000 miles and the VW price for replacing this was £1400. The cam belt replaced after 5 years at a cost of £600 whereas Fords on our 15 year old Escort have cracked this problem Autohold is very useful but does not release smoothly at times, particularly when caught in stop start situations when the engine is hot on long journeys However, car is good to drive and does have plenty of room I will not be buying another VW

We bought this car to accommodate a dog crate in the boot,but this car has proved it's worth for more than just that. From moving furniture to collecting wood for our fire, fitting in everything 5 adults wanted to take on holiday, we even managed to get 3 adults a bike computer etc to take our son to university! This car has never let us down and always gets a "you've got a good 'un 'ere" from the mechanic when we have our M.O.T. Rarely have we had to spend money on it [we needed a new rad last year] truly worth every penny we paid for it and I imagine it lasting us for years to come! *****

I purchased this car in 2004 when it was 3 years old with 90,000 miles on the clock. It had been a lease car with 1 driver and regularly serviced at VW dealers. I have since done a further 120,000 miles, had it serviced ( at local garages, not VW ) every 10,000 miles and had to replace 2 front springs and a Lambda sensor. It has proved a reliable, comfortable workhorse that owes me not a penny. The fuel consumption is not brilliant, about 35 MPG on average but I guess technology has moved on. The challenge now is to find a replacement that will serve as well.

Having bought the car secondhand (when 5 years old, about 16 moths ago, I have been amazed just how good a car the V W Passat is. After owning my previous car (Audi A4 estate) the extra space in the V W rear seating is an extra bonus. 2 M O Ts and a service later I had to spend nothing on the M O Ts and a service that required no parts apart from new Cam belts. The M P H is brilliant the boot area is very large, and I can only score this car 5 stars for Performance, Running costs, Comfort, Reliability and Space and practicality. An excellent purchase for me.

I purchased the Passat estate for utilitarian purposes, collecting items from cash and carry and moving large items. It is ideally siuted for this and so far has proved very reliable. Like most manufacturers VW boast the top of the range for economy fuel consumption. Like most manufacturers the reality is somewhat lower. The car is reasonably comfortable althought the drivers seat seems to be slightly to the left of centre so that you end up half on the raised edge on the right hand side. Load space is good and easy to access. All in all not a bad car.

This vehicle has never broken down, it returns 35 to 40 miles to the gallon around town and just over 50 miles to the gallon on long motorway journeys. Fuel duty and road tax are what makes driving this vehicle expensive. Air conditioning and heated Nu-Buck seats keep the cabin area comfortable regardless of the external environment. It has ample power and good acceleration. Folding down the rear seats provides a large space for carrying goods.ABS braking and EDL on the transmission makes for very stable and safe driving in difficult weather conditions.