Texas Road Trip, Day 4 - 2014 Volkswagen Passat TSI Long-Term Road Test

Edmunds.com

Texas Road Trip, Day 4 - 2014 Volkswagen Passat TSI Long-Term Road Test

Edmunds completed its four day road trip from California to Austin, Texas and back in the long-term 2014 Volkswagen Passat TSI SEL. Fuel mileage data included.

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expensivehobby

It will never be an exciting car, but it is a highly competent, incredibly roomy car with the sort of design that won't look dated in five years, like many of the other sedan designs out there. My only complaint about my SE is that, as with all of these, no front tilt on the power seats. Maybe a small thing, but a slight aggravation in getting to an ideal seating position. Those seat inserts and the fog lamps/external trim are the only things I regret in not bumping up to an SEL. Okay, the push button start might have been nice but I much prefer aluminum trim inside to the bad fake-wood, and my stereo system still sounds great without the clunkiness issues with the nav unit system in the SEL.

This isn't necessarily a VW for GTI drivers. That's the CC. This is a VW for people who didn't own one before. The space, in my case the diesel option for a manageable premium, and a germanic feel still in there though clearly softened, make it unique and desirable. By the way, a little pinstriping and the spoiler, though silly sounding, help the lines a lot. I wouldn't have paid for them, but got them with the car, and it makes a surprising visual difference.

seppoboy

I'm not with you on the styling, to me the Passat is very eye-catching. The proportions are excellent, there is a sense of restraint and good taste, and it looks the part of a confident, roomy, capable sedan. Sightlines are excellent, too, unlike so many modern cars. I think it's one of the very best looking sedans on the road, as is its Audi A6 cousin, classic and classy with no trendy stuff that will quickly get tiresome.

I put thousands of miles on a Passat TDI SE with six-speed manual, and found it was a great highway car that still handled capably in the twisting roads while having a really refined ride and easy to live with interior layout. It's an underrated car best appreciated over the long haul, because there is nothing up-front thrilling or flashy about it, but very few irritations, as well.

zimtheinvader

To me it has a solid look to it. Reminds me of (but doesn't look like) an 80s Mercedes in that it just looks solid and respectable. Sort of fits into that old saying about Buick that if your Doctor drove a Chevy you wouldn't think he was any good an if he drove a Caddy you'd think he overcharged but if he pulls up in a Buick it is a good sign. Well, to me, the Passat is the car you want your financial adviser to drive up in.

Now, someone open a VW dealer in town so I could at least consider one....

fordson1

If they made a sport model with the GTI engine and some suspension and brake mods, that would help. Even a Camry can be had with an SE model anymore. The block on the 1.8T is basically the same as that on the 2.0T, so it should not be that tough.

Probably not a business case for it, though.

agentorange

Competence in a car is a priority on long trips. I have to take whatever the rental company has, which in Vegas often means a compact suited for running around town rather than long distance travel. You quickly discover which cars are sorted and which are not. From your account the Passat is well sorted.

allthingshonda

Camrys and Accords aren't exciting either but Toyota and Honda can't make them fast enough. VW has finally figured out that the average American mid size car buyer isn't looking for excitement. Previous versions of the Passat were nice drivers cars and they sold reasonably well but nothing like what VW was hoping for. VW figured out that American sedan buyers place reliability, low maintenance and fuel costs and reasonable sticker prices above driving performance. The basic Camcord formula for success. I think VW has done a good job, especially admitting that their reliability was poor and making that a priority for all models. Camcord owners don't brag about how well the cars perform but love boasting that it has 150,000 miles on it and never had any repairs. They take great pride in saying that the car that brought their kid to the first day of kindergarden is being passed on to them to go to college. I think that is what VW's goal is for this and future generations of the Passat and Jetta. For a exciting performance based car they have this thing called the GTI and a some other cars with five rings and the name Audi on it.

boloti

somehow it looks dated to me today.... I hardly see any difference between new generation, and whatever the made 10 years ago... But with this in mind the 2025 Passat will look almost the same - so this one will not be dated !

expensivehobby said:

It will never be an exciting car, but it is a highly competent, incredibly roomy car with the sort of design that won't look dated in five years, like many of the other sedan designs out there.