Volkswagen Passat 2005 and earlier

cliffyb

I never thought about a sunroof as being a safety concern before. Were those people you are talking about wearing their seatbelts?

maxamillion1

That color, along with Silverstone, Reflex Silver, Pine Green, Ink Blue and Fresco Green were new for the facelifted 2001.5 Passat. I get the feeling that I may have forgotten one of them.

hoyamom1

Cliffyb - good point. Two of the three were not wearing seatbelts. The third was wearing a seatbelt. But, the third vehicle had been in a prior accident and the belts had been replaced, so there is an argument that the replacement belts were not properly installed.

merckx

As you've keyed in on the GLX,luxury is obviously important. So although the Passat has a HUGE(espically in relationship to its very trim exterior dimensions)back seat,I wonder if a Toyota Avalon with few extras might suit you better. The VW is a joy to drive,and the Avalon or even the larger new 2002 Camry won't be. I have been utterly delighted with my Passat,but I got a plain one with the manual shift. If you aren't the kind of guy who's been reading CAR & DRIVER and ROAD & TRACK for years,you might really like the Avalon. I came very close to buying one for my wife last spring,but she agreed to let me pick a Cadillac Catera for her instead.

charles15

If you are looking for plenty of room I recommend that you at least drive the Nissan Maxima. Once you get by the tail, the interior fit and finish is good, the 255 hp engine is the best made and handling is sports sedan quality. In the Edmunds top 10 lists, Maxima rates number one in room for sedans - above the Lincolns, Fords, Lexus, etc. I am finally an "empty nester" so my 2002 Passat 1.8T is the first car with a trunk that I have owned since 1974. The Nissan is definitely bigger and a great car but you should also know that the Passat is rated one of the 5 safest cars ever built. Both would be an excellent choice for a young family.

spartanman2

Thanks for the input guys. I appreciate it.

charles15, I agree, when I first saw the exterior rear of the Maxima---UGH!. What was Nissan thinking when they re-designed it a couple years ago?. Cars are just like the opposite sex; personality is one thing, but looks are important also . You remember the old Passat when it first came out?--->UGLY. However, that once ugly duckling has since turned into a swan.

Still looking.

nlm2

My wife & I are in the middle of buying an 02 Passat GLS - 1.8T, 5-spd stick (surprised my wife agreed to that one), silver w/gray cloth, lux pkg, homelink & monsoon. Also looked at an Audi A4 - which I actually preferred - but they would not deal at all! Live in the Dallas area & our Passat is coming from Houston so we should have it in a day or two. This will be my first German car (previously have owned '85 Isuzu Impulse, '88 Mazda MX6-GT, & '94 Nissan Altima SE) so I'm looking forward to experiencing something a little different.
Can anyone fill me in on the stock tires (195/65-15) for the Passat? I'm not sure what brand it will have? How about dry & wet grip? Any comments welcome. The tires just seem a little skimpy for this size of car. I was thinking of getting aftermarket wheels & tires (probably 205 or 215/55-16's)but trying to decide whether to wait a while (if the stock tires are decent) or upgrade as soon as I get the car. Breifly looked at tirerack.com & Dunlop SP Sport A2 got good reviews. Also wondering if Yokohama Avid A4 would be a good choice (same $ range). I'm looking for both good ride quality & performance but with a slight bias towards performance.

Thanks!!

georgek44

nlm2 - My 2000 1.8 Passat wagon came with stock Conti 195/65 15 on 15x7 alloy wheels. They were OK, but I always felt that they were the limiting factor in cornering and handling. Recently I replaced them at 46K miles and my priorities were exactly as you describe yours in your last sentence.

After doing a lot of internet research I settled on 215/60 15's on the stock 15x7 alloys. They have almost the same overall diameter as the 195/65's, as do 205/60 15's. The 205/60 size has a lower load-bearing rating that the 195/65, 215/60 has a higher rating.

After narrowing it down to three or four specific tires shopped for price and bought Bridgestone Potenza RE930's at Costco for $89 each, including lifetime balancing and rotation. Bridgestone has replaced this tire with the 950, but apparently still makes it for warehouse clubs like Costco. I think it is even cheaper now because Costco has a "$50 off on four" promotion going on.

I really like these tires - they are as quiet and smooth riding as the stock 195/65 Contis, and have improved cornering and handling dramatically with no clearance problems. The limiting factors now are the suspension tuning and body roll The Bridgestones have a lower treadwear rating (300 vs. 400) than Contis or Michelan MVX4+, but the low price more than compensates for that.

pissat

Bought a new passat 2000. 1)dome light disintegrated on me.2)car stalled in garage and had to be towed to dealer-a fuse blew.3)car stalled on highway. Towed to dealer:wires fused because too close to engine block!4)ETC sensor had to be replaced. Present mileage 15700. Company's attitude-will fix so long as warranted: afterwards- good luck. Buyer beware

vocus

The whole "as long as the car is under warranty" attitude is not unique to VW. In my experience, though, (I have a 2002 Jetta 1.8T) VW is very good at customer service. At least my dealership is. My car has been washed and waxed the 2 times I left it there. I have also gotten a free loaner when the car was in for warranty work, and a call after to make sure it was a pleasant experience.

chip3432

Greetings Passat people. I've been eyeing the new style Passats since they came out last year. Please reply back with answers to these ?'s:
1. Will/Does VW make xenon headlights? Audi does for their models so I hope VW has plans or xenon is availble now for the Passat. Factory xenon only as the aftermaket "blue" lights could not be any cheesier!
2. One of the biggest selling points for me is the indiglo-lit dash. What a soothing color at night! My wife and I just bought a '02 Honda Odyssey and each time we are beside a VW, I make her look over to see the dash (I know....dorkdad).
Feedback on the dash lighting (overall ergonomics)?
3. Looks like negotiating among VW dealers to arrive very near invoice can be done (according to some posts). Live in N.C. so maybe someone from NC can tell us their NC dealer experience.

Glad to see VW raised warranty to luxo-car length for '02. THAT is a SELLING point!

Last, I bet this '02 Passat will behave better than my '82 Rabbit 2-dr. Loved that car, but it was in the shop constantly!
Pre-Thanks for the hall's insightful advice.

rogerab

I have a 2000 Infiniti I30T and my wife just purchased a 2002 Passat 1.8 T with the Leather & Luxury package.
My impression after a very short time is the Passat is a great car, it seems to handle better than the I30T and definitely has a nicer dash at night. I have Zenon headlights on the Infiniti and the standard lights on the Passat are just fine.
The fit & finish seems excellent and the driving position is great. We played Diana Krall on the standard CD player and it sounded good. We also drove on icy roads and it seems to hold the road very well.
I hope we feel this way after a year, time will tell.

yakperson

I have been really researching the 2002 passat GLS, I was just wondering the dealer offered me $600 over invoice and the salesman told me VW has no dealer holdback, I find this hard to believe. any insight would really help.

bryhogan

I suspect you could do better than $600 over invoice. Edmunds' TMV is lower than that. I'd say you should pay no greater than $500 over invoice.

Regarding xenons...good question. I believe they will come standard on the W8. However, I haven't heard that they will be offered as an option on anything else. My best guess is it will be an option for some Passat's (maybe the GLX) in MY2003 or 04.

Regarding dash lighting....I love it, and I'm not alone. I believe Consumer Reports (which still has the Passat rated as the best-in-class family sedan) points this out. I also see that Automobile Magazine has the Passat listed in their annual "All Stars" list.

markcincinnati

First time to post here -- current Audi owner, have owned several VW's Jetta, Quantum, Beetle -- but not the Passat.

I read with enthusiasm the announcement of the W8 on VWVORTEX and tried to determine if the forums discussing the W8 were wishful thinking or not. Unfortunately, I can't be certain, it would appear however that it is wishful thinking that the new Passat W8 will offer a 6spd manual.

Anyone care to educate me -- the Passat at $37+K with an 8, Xenons, ESP, etc etc etc -- could (if equipped with 17" wheels and plus sized tires, and a "sport suspension") could, mind you, eat some of Audi's A4 (and perhaps even A6) sales.

A fairly long term A6 owner just got a new Passat (with the V6) and he says it is better than his 1999 A6 2.8 -- whatever that means.

Comments, anyone?

PS -- will Passats have Navigation systems (optional of course) offered anytime soon?

mf15

Will be coming out of a Grand Cherokee lease shortly,love my GC had two of them. Trying to lower the payment. Thinking about a 1.8 with auto. Have read many of the messages on this board and I am a little concerned about the lag in the 1.8 with auto. Have to pull out into traffic everyday from a stop sign, and really need the power to be there when I need it. So my question is how bad is the lag. Have not test driven yet. Otherwise Passat sounds great. I have no problem with wifes accord 4 banger, pleanty of power when you need it,nice car. Thanks Mike

mbros2k

I have a 2002 1.8 with Tip and can't understand the complaints about turbo lag. The turbo has strong acceleration from just under 2000 rpm and up. How many of you fully romp on the gas from a standstill at idle anyway? I think there is almost too much power except for passing at freeway speeds. Any more torque and it would jump too much and be difficult to control wheel spin. Of course, I outgrew stoplight racing long ago and wouldn't think of abusing this beautiful car with jack rabbit stops and starts. Again, the Passat has an almost perfect balance of power and handling and is surprisingly quick. No one should be disappointed except maybe boy racers who previously owned a V8 Mustang or Camaro.

mf15

Just re-read the passat review at carpoint, the guy gave the passat a 68% pretty much trashed the car. Lackluster performance from the 1.8 over priced,high insurance cost,poor stock tires. But when I read the reviews from the owners it looks pretty good in most cases.
New altima looks good also but seems to have cheap interior. This is getting to be difficult trying to find a car I like. I know I like the Grand Cherokee but trying to spend less, and still have some form of traction control. Mike

hpulley4

I know the reviewer to which you refer. In every car he says the small engine is underpowered even in cases where it is more powerful than the largest engine a different car has to offer. Every car is as good as another if you read his reviews! If you read his comments instead of just his scores, he does have the occasional useful thing to say. There are two other reviewers on carpoint that are better.

Overall, I say you should like cars because you like them, not because reviewers like them or a magazine picks them as car of the year (probably due to ad revenue).

buckeye13

I recently purchased the 1.8T with the auto and I can say that you won't be disappointed with the acceleration. Granted the 1.8T doesn't have the stump pulling torque of my wife's '99 Jeep Grand Cherokee V8 but you also won't have to stop for gas as often either. With the Tiptronic transmission you can run the RPM higher and get into the sweet spot of the engine. The power of the 1.8T does come on a little abruptly but I quickly got used to the power delivery and now its very smooth. Purhaps its just the transmission control "adapting".

frapzoid

I test drove all the possible tranny and engine combinations for the 2002 Passat wagons. Without a doubt the worse combination in my opinion was the 1.8 with Tip. The 1.8 with 5 speed and the V6 with Tip were very nice. But the V6 with 5 speed was simply the best for performance. A week later I bought the V6 with 5 speed. The 1.8 with tip isn't bad as long as you don't need to accelerate quickly from a full stop. The 1.8 engine isn't as smooth or quiet as the V6 but it's a quick engine as long as it's mated to a stick. Get the R's up on the tip tranny and you'll be ok. I still prefer V6 with stick.

razorclam

We have a 2001.5, 1.8T w/tiptronic and the power is absolutely fine!! In Seattle with the bad traffic we opted for the auto. The lag is nothing. You learn to modulate your driving just to reign in the power. The turbo at 170hp is an entirely different animal than 170hp w/out. Endless mod possibilities also. As far as the guy on Car Point goes, I do'nt think he ever got behind the wheel of a Passat, 1.8T. I think all he does is look at the hp and car size to make his judgements. The guy is worthless. Read carconnection.com (Mark Stengal?) and you can tell he drove one, (and loves it btw). Handling is also superior to the 2.8, 6 cyl. Passat, cheaper, and more mod. potential.

good luck!!

Steve A.

vocus

I have a 2002 Jetta 1.8T Tiptronic. I think the Jetta's engine has more power though, so it may be different. With that engine, I notice some lag but only at very, very low speeds. If I tromp the gas down, the car will literally spin out and take off. Lots of power. And still get ~23 mpg with it too.

mentor34

Anyone interested in a 2002 VW Passat, 5,000 miles, 1.8T, sedan, manual, moonroof + alloys, Monsoon stereo, heated seats and windshield nozzles, Silverstone grey?? Toy aquisition requires a pick-up very soon. okiebadger@charter.net

markcincinnati

Anyone know if navigation will be available on the W8?

And how about that 6sp manual transmission?

storyteller

Carpoint has three reviewers. References here are to Daniel Heraud. I'm sure he drives the cars, but he works with a weird point system for rating cars that (for example) penalizes big cars for being big and small cars for being small. His score for the Acura CL is 69 and for the Kia Sedona is 68, and that is typical. Still, he picks up on things other reviewers miss and is fun to read if you jut ignore the goofy scores. He has an obsession with windshield wipers.

mirth

Yeah - I gotta agree that his point system is goofy. Sometimes his description of some factor (like interior) is glowing, but then his rating is like 55%. I don't take his numbers too seriously. He must just pull them out of a hat, 'cause there's no real pattern.

ivan_99

I recently had a 2002 Passat 1.8T Auto for a courtesy car when I had my A6 in for service. I was very surprised at the power and smoothness of the 1.8T in the Passat. When I got out I actually looked at the rear to see if it was the V6.

I personally like the lighter 1.8T at 170 (really 180hp) over the 2.8 V6, it gives the car a little better balance.

I was mostly at highway speeds so that really wasn’t a good test for turbo-lag, but from the few lights I did get to there wasn’t any real noticeable turbo-lag. There isn’t a huge amount of power under 1500 rpm, though the torque is nice and low on the 1.8T, but which car has power there anyway.

I think the base 2001.5+ Passat with the 1.8T is a great deal (even better with the 5spd).

ufgators

does the 1.8T have 170 or 180 horsepower?

vwguild

mulfomi

I go in on saturday for my 10,000 service. My Passat (2001.5 1.8T 5 spd)has been virtually flawless (1 burned out headlight). At my 5,000 mile service they over filled the oil so I am going to mention that to them and hopefully they wont do it again. I couldnt be happier with my car. It is a real pleasure to drive. Only problem is that I dont "test" its performance like I would like as I am afraid of accidents and tickets. In any event, hopefully dealer service will not go against the otherwise great ownership experience of my Passat.

vocus

With the Passat, the 1.8T is tuned for 170hp I thought. The Jetta has 180hp.

lobeck

Hello all...first time posting here. Anyway, we're in the market for a new car and had narrowed our choices down to a "final 3": Acura 3.2TL Type S, Volvo S-60, and the Passatt GLX. Test drove the Passatt a couple of days ago and absolutely fell in love with it (so much so that I'm ready to make it my final choice already...heh). Anyway, a couple of questions/requests for help: (1) We pretty much have our hearts set on a Fresco Green GLX w/ Beige leather interior. Dealer didn't have any on the lot. Called me the day after my test drive and said that he had checked "central stock" (or something like that...if I understood him correctly, it was some sort of national database showing what's available) and there were NO Fresco Green GLX's without 4Motion out there (we're not sure about adding 4Motion at this point) and that we would have to order one if we wanted that color. We do want that color and are fine w/ ordering, but the dealer said it could take 3-4 months for the car to come in. Is that pretty accurate? (2) We live in NM, and it does snow a moderate amount here pretty regularly. Now, the roads the Passatt would be traveling are very heavily traveled (mostly highway to/from work), so in snowy weather, the roads are either cleared/salted or closed altogether. How necessary would y'all say 4Motion is? (3) I am HORRIBLE at negotiating. Any suggestions/ideas on how to do it the most effectively? Sorry for the long post. I look forward to reading your responses. Thanks in advance for the help! :-)

vocus

You might want the 4Motion for peace of mind. And it's only like $1700 or something. The Passat does come with ASR (traction control) that is very good (my 2002 Jetta is a 1.8T with ASR and the Tiptronic).

With the negotiations, check out Edmunds' TMV, CarsDirect.com's prices in your zip code, and email some of the dealers in your area for the best price, at least to see what you can do.

lobeck

Thanks for the information. What do you know of/think about the ordering time? Does 3-4 months sound about right? Is there even such a thing as "central stock" or whatever the guy called it where he could find out what was available nationwide, or was he just pulling my leg? Like I said, Fresco Green/Beige leather is our first choice, but Mojave Beige/Beige leather is our second choice, and there WAS ONE of those available in the entire country(?) according to this database/central stock thing. The only other one available without 4Motion was a Mojave Beige/Black leather, but I just couldn't visualize that combo looking good...*shrug*

vocus

I don't know anything about ordering and all that, because I am not a dealer. I know certain sections of the country are only allocated certain types of equipment packages. That may be why you would have to wait 3-4 months, because you ordered a car that is not typically allocated to the area that you live in.

mirth

Question for vwguild - what percentage of Passats are GLX 4Motion, GLX, GLS V6, and GLS? I'm thinking about a GLS V6 sedan, but judging by the dealer inventory searches I did locally, they're pretty rare to almost non-existant (found 1 out of 8 local dealers).

silvercrown

I test drove an Altima a couple of weeks ago and although I was very impressed with it (the interior wasn't as horrible to me as other people have indicated), I think the Passat still has an edge as far as my preferences go. Although the Altima has a slightly "sportier" look, the more I compare the two, I lean back towards the Passat as the better choice overall. I posted a long list of "pros" for the Altima, most of which also apply to the Passat's list of good points. Most of my "cons" for the Altima are not issues with the Passat. In my opinion, the only cons for the Passat are: 1) the reliability question (yes, I still have one, but more for the V6, than the 1.8T); 2) the high price of the V6/GLX models; 3) the lack of availability of certain options (like power driver's seat) that are found only in the GLX.

The bottom line is, that I have simply fallen in love with the Passat and would probably buy one tomorrow if I could. And although I prefer V6 models in general, I would be willing to consider the 1.8T, given everything I have read. It's more reliable than the V6, gets better gas mileage and is nearly as fast (regarding overall HP, BTW is it 170 or 180 hp?). And it's more affordable with many of the same basic qualities (of the GLX) that make the Passat such a great car. I'd have to get used to the idea of a turbo engine, though, and the adjustments that go along with it.

Although there are a couple of things that the GLX has which I would really like to add to the GLS 1.8T if I bought one, they are relatively minor in the whole scope of things. If I could get a 1.8T Tip with a power driver's seat, wood trim and foldaway mirrors, it would be perfect! But I guess I would need to test drive one (I've only driven the GLX model) to get a real feel for ride quality, engine noise, smoothness, etc. before making any decisions.

The sad part is that for now, all of this is moot because I have no idea when I would be able to trade in my Camry. I think it's too soon now, without taking a major hit. So, I'll just have to have more patience and keep waiting. **sigh**

But thinking and dreaming of the Passat is a nice pastime .....

silvercrown

BTW, I have had the same observations in regards to Heraud's reviews. I'm glad to see that others have noticed his rather funky rating system. So I read his comments and ignore the numbers and percentages since they often don't match.

Jedlicka seems to be pretty okay, but does he ever give any car a rating higher than an 8? His pet peeve seems to be rear windows that don't roll all the way down so that kids can reach the food at drive-thru windows .......

vocus

Toyotas hold their value pretty well, as far as I know. You might not take a hard of a hit as you think. Go to http://www.cars.com and click on "price and research" at the top. Then on "black book value" for cars. Check out the Camry. Also, try http://www.nadaguides.com" for more info.

silvercrown

My main problem is that my Camry LE V6 is a 2000 (purchased in 1999) but I bought it using a program through my Credit Union which amounts to a long-term lease (similar to Drivers Option). I don't think that I'll ever do that again, I'll just do a straight lease next time. So I think that right now, what I owe on the car is pretty high, especially since I had a minimal down payment. I bought my car in a hurry because my 1999 Solara was stolen and I was strapped for cash but needed a car quickly. I think I need to pay it down some more before I could safely consider trading it in because of the financing situation, even though Camrys hold their value well.

Thanks for the tip, maybe there's still hope for me to drive a Passat this summer. :-)

I'll keep you guys posted, especially if I'm lucky enough to buy a Passat.

storyteller

You're right, silvercrown. Jedlicka seems fair and observant, but his ratings seem to top out at 8. I think we're meant to conclude that he has terribly high standards. The third Carpoint reviewer, Ann Jobs, goes as high as 9 when she gets enthusiastic over a car, or even 9 1/2. They're all pretty good, actually, and you can learn from them all. But the men are weird with their ratings.

mf15

I found the car to have great fit and finish,very nice interior. Tested it on snow, the traction control is certainly not anything like four wheel drive, nor I guess is it supposed to be. I find the slow acceleration at low engine speed something you would have to get used to. Dealer was out with me so I found not really test as I would like. The ones I saw did not come with Conti tires, that is good. I would have to test again, it is not a GC and that is what I am used to,of course it uses half the gas. Mike

vwguild

There are no Fresco/Beige Leather Passat V6s
in the entire Southwest Region, 4MO, or otherwise.
You will, no doubt, need to order this car, which
is certainly not a major issue, save the time.

This Passat would come through the Port of Houston, and would be 60-75 days plus the 2 weeks
from Emden.

A good way to determine the benefits of 4MOTION is
to completely understand what it can do for you in
all types of driving situations. If you go to www.vw.com and click on the Passat page you will find an animated primer that you should find very
interesting...

vwguild

The 1.8T, although marketed as 170HP, is in reality
180HP, and always has been. The under valuation is to
provide a modest, at least in appearance, differentiation for the Audi customer...

birdboy1

Lobeck, I have a fresco green with grey leather . It looks very rich and compliments the interior. In my opinion, I would steer clear from the black interior as they is no contrast with the dash and it is very dark inside. Furthermore, the beige interior is too light and impractical especially in snowy areas. The carpet and seats will dirty very easily, also for some reason, all the plastic beige trim inside the cabin tend too cheapen the rich look of the interior in my opinion,
So far I have my 1.8t for five months and am very happy and find the tiptronic fun to drive. Good luck.

ivan_99

frapzoid

frapzoid

I have the black interior and I don't think it's dark inside at all. The headliner is white and since I have a 2002 wagon, there is more light coming in because of the increased window area. In fact I was amazed by the "greenhouse effect" I experienced the day I drove it home. I haven't had the car during the sunny part of the year yet since I just bought it 2 months ago but I have not felt that the car was overly dark at all. My GTI is ALL black inside including the headliner so my Passat wagon seems really bright inside by comparison. I don't like the two tone dash look with the upper part of the dash black and the lower part beige. Looks somewhat silly to me... but it's all about our own taste. There were a host of reasons why I wanted a black interior and not wanting the two tone thing was a major factor.
Reflex Silver with Black leather interior was the combination that worked for me...

gtbdevs

I bought my car a 2001.5 1.8 5spd from Jack Daniles Motors. The first time I called for service I was given a 4 week waiting time, I wasn't to happy. This time around when I called for the 10,000 checkup I was asked what day next week is good for you(I was shocked). Seems Jack Daniles has opened a new service location right behind Nabisco. Got the car back the next day, they fixed everything & got a free car wash. The only major problem I've have had to date is with the sunroof, but there was a TSB on it. I love this car.