2013 Volkswagen Passat TDI Long-Term Road Test

Edmunds.comEdmunds.com Member, Administrator, Moderator Posts: 10,316
edited September 2014 in Volkswagen

image2013 Volkswagen Passat TDI Long-Term Road Test

We drove our long-term VW Passat TDI from Los Angeles to Las Vegas and back.

Read the full story here


Tagged:

Comments

  • vvkvvk Member Posts: 196
    Wow, only 40 mpg. I expect more from TDi. My 2012 Passat S is excellent on long road trips, too. With the 2.5 5-cylinder I get slightly lower 38 mpg but 87-octane costs a lot less than diesel fuel. 5th gear is very long and the car is smooth, stable and quiet at 80 mph. Plenty of room for my family and the trunk is enormous.

    But I hate it for local driving -- it is WAY too soft for my taste. Cannot wait to get rid of it! Recently drove a 2014 loaner while it was services and the new model is even worse. My 2012 at least has tight (if artificial) steering feel. The one I had as a loaner had terribly floppy steering. Reminded me of 1981 Oldsmobile Regency 98 my parents had when I first got my license.
  • banhughbanhugh Member Posts: 315
    The big sedan diesel 40.7 mpg is hard to beat if there are no big sedans that can do 34 mpg average on the same road trip with regular gas.

    I believe there are plenty of big sedan hybrids that can do 34 mpg or better on the highway.

    We need a comparison between modern diesel and modern hybrid sedans (starting with the 2014 Hybrid Accord)!
  • quadricyclequadricycle Member Posts: 827
    @banhugh: I don't know if these are new enough for you... http://www.edmunds.com/volkswagen/jetta-sportwagen/2011/comparison-test.html and http://www.edmunds.com/volkswagen/jetta/2009/comparison-test.html
  • cuselancer17cuselancer17 Member Posts: 53
    CC TDI. Please VW, Please.
  • fordson1fordson1 Unconfirmed Posts: 1,512
    No traffic and running between LA and Vegas? I have to think that cruise was set at 75. Mine sure would have been. 41 mpg with a big car like that at 75 is damn good. Could it have been done with a 500-lb. lighter NA gas four-cylinder with the cruise set 10 mph lower? Yeah. That's not the same thing.
  • gslippygslippy Member Posts: 514
    My 02 Passat V6 was unreliable, thirsty, and had terrible - almost dangerous - throttle lag. But the car in this test is impressing me.
  • noburgersnoburgers Member Posts: 500
    @vvk I think VW was aiming for the American (Camry) market this go around--thus the larger, softer car than what you normally expected. They are aiming for a sales increase, not to capture the enthusiast sedan market. I'm curious what you think of the n
  • banhughbanhugh Member Posts: 315
    @quadricycle: None of the links are about big sedans. There was a stationwagon vs a Prius (hatchback?).

    I'm talking about comparing the Passat TDI to the new Accord Hybrid, to the Ford Fusion hybrid.

    Starting with the previous generation Ford Fusion,
  • quadricyclequadricycle Member Posts: 827
    @banhugh: Gotcha. I just figured those were better than nothing since there isn't much out there on the subject, especially not brand new cars.
Sign In or Register to comment.

Helpful Tools

Most popular vehicles