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We were looking for a bigger family car. We have a 5 and a 6 year old and we were tired of being kicked in the back in our 03 Civic. We looked at an Accord as we have been in Hondas for the past 13 years. My wife was not impressed by the styling of the Accord and our son's booster seat wouldn't fit straight in that back seat. Not a problem in the Passat. I also checked out several other models in the same price range: the domestics are not going to hold their value, the Mazda 6 and Nissan Altima are smaller than the Passat, and let's all face it - the Camry is just plain BOR-ING!
The Passat has the features, safety, and styling we were (and I believe many other families are) looking for. I have ridden in the back seat and it is quite comfortable. It's got plenty of room in the trunk for all your stuff, and it's got lots of places to hide things inside the car. Yes, it's a little more expensive than some, but it's also a little less than others. But the bottom line is it's just plain fun to drive!
My opinion may change over time, but for now with the few miles we've put on it, I'd have to say it's the best car I've ever purchased. :shades:
I just called 5 dealers in Chicago area and the answer varied from "will start shipping in November" to "maybe in February"...
Does anyone know if VW is planning to ship 2.0T Passats w/ Manuall at all ?
and and if so when ?
I've been waiting few months now... and I'm about to just give up and go with either A4 or Saab 9-3...
Also, are there any other Passat related forums out there ?
Cheers,
r.
I know mod, wrong forum.
Finally cut a deal with the dealer.... yea... the car is great but the service is bad. The dealer seems not igroning me after I drive away my brand new passat. If you are living in New York City Area. DONOT GO TO LIFE QUALITY LLC.. They are BAD.
Back to my questions. I was trying to get the windows wiper to the service position but I wasn't able to do so. I was reading the forum and I think I saw something about that.... Can anyone tell me exact what I should do to pull it up?
Thanks
Alex
The 3 series can now be had with AWD AND manual transmission -- and the 325xi isn't too much more than the VW and it includes free maintenance.
I write this somewhat in jest, since the Passat and the BMW may not be considered as apples to apples.
I have a new A6 and was somewhat to a lot thinking I'd take an auto this one last time -- but the truth of the matter is, the stick shifts WOULD be here if there were customers for them in sufficient quantities.
Even the BMW dealer does NOT keep more than one manual 3 series in stock and as I recall NONE in AWD are stick shifts -- reason? No demand.
I can't figure it out -- but I know that the customer is king and if the customer was putting the money out for sticks, there would be plenty.
I may end up with a BMW after all.
If there was no market for manuals, Honda wouldn't bring 2006 4dr EX w/ 6MT (6MT was not offered last year w/ 4door), Honda already offers 6MTs with Acura TSX & TL.
In the end, there are $$$ to be made with every option that's pushed onto the customer and seems VW has that im mind where it is forcing ppl to seatle with auto for more $$$...
On the other hand Image is everything - and if VW goes away from that performance european car image and tries to become yet another Toyota... it will loose, VW simply has not chance when it comes to quality, Ford/GM/Chr have been trying that for years...
As for BMWs... they're a little pricy for what they offer...
cheers...
Yesterday, I saw the 2006 Passat for the first time and really liked it. I never drove one due to the reliability issues but finally drove one last night. Nice car, and plenty of room in the baby #2 set to arrive in a few weeks. Dealerships 5 minutes from home AND work. Although the 2.0T is perfectly adequate, I would opt for the 3.6 due to certain options not being available (this has been discussed ad nauseum on this board and many others, so I won't go there). However, the "goodies"- bluetooth, DVD sound, etc are still not there. Do I buy the Passat and put in an aftermarket system?
Any thoughts?
I think problem is slightly deeper than that. It is a self-propelling scheme. Dealers claim "nobody want stick shifts" so they order one or two, usually strippers, usually for a demo (so the customer sees what the car "can" do). When it comes to a purchase though, nothing worthy in stock, so need to go with a special order (and potentially lose bargaining leverage) or "I have just a great deal for you sitting here baby - $1500 off MSRP!" So most go along providing a proof that "nobody wants a stick".
It is probably true that too few want a stick badly enough to be willing to walk away, even fewer are willing to let know the manufacturers about it. This gives the dealers enough to back their claims up.
For me it is a dealbreaker - I may love a car otherwise, but buying new I do not forsee buying an auto for a while. Of course it can change before I know it, but I will try to stick to that as long as I can.
2018 430i Gran Coupe
Yes, I also love driving a vehicle with a manual transmission. It is more fun - UNTIL you get caught in stop and go rush-hour traffic for an hour, and you begin thinking, "Man, I wish I had an automatic."
Moreover, I had to buy my 06 Passat 2.0T with an auto because even if the dealer had one, my WIFE would not drive it.
The key word in Honda's manual tranny is "AVAILABLE". Go to their lot and try to find one. I'll guarantee you they are just as scarce at Passats with MT.
The new six-speed autos do just as well as manuals on gas-mileage, so that old argument doesn't hold up.
Also, my guess is that when compared with an identical car with an identical engine the auto in Sport mode will turn in just as good and probably a better time through the quarter than the manual.
Have you ever tried to sell or trade a used car with a stick?
The fact is that most of us, when it comes down to making the final decision on a family sedan - and yes, that is what the Passat is - we are going to have to consult the spouse and she's going to give the MT the thumbs down.
I've personally been very pleased with our satellite radio and six disc in-dash changer.
I think the biggest issue is how long you are planning on keeping the car. If you're going to drive it until the wheels fall off then do with it what you want. But if you are the type that likes to trade every two or three years, I wouldn't change anything.
I beg to differ. Over the last 30 years I've lived in San Diego, Los Angeles, San Jose, Chicago, Atlanta, Detroit, New York, and now the Boston area. Through it all I've driven an unbroken string of 10 manual transmissioned cars, and never once, even in the worst of traffic, have I ever thought to myself, "Man, I whish I had an automatic."
Also, my guess is that when compared with an identical car with an identical engine the auto in Sport mode will turn in just as good and probably a better time through the quarter than the manual.
For the most part that is not true, yet. The day is probably coming though.
Have you ever tried to sell or trade a used car with a stick?
Yup, my dealer couldn't wait to get his hands on my 5-Speed 530i SP, in fact, he sold it for only $6,000 less than what I paid for it three years before. He told me that, around here at least, there is a pent up demand for cars with manual transmissions.
The fact is that most of us, when it comes down to making the final decision on a family sedan - and yes, that is what the Passat is - we are going to have to consult the spouse and she's going to give the MT the thumbs down.
Not mine, she wouldn't even look at getting a mini-van (even though she desperately needed it) because she couldn't find one with a stick. Go figure. ;-)
Best Regards,
Shipo
As everybody else, I was stuck in traffic many times. I have never even had a thought like "boy, I wish I had an auto right now". Never. I've had an auto before, I drive one occasionaly now. The more time I have my stick, the more I hate even a thought of having an auto, unless I come to buy an S600 one day (like this ever gonna happen).
In crowded traffic I cherish it every time being able to stay on low gear for as long as I need to effectively merge and weave through couple of lanes (I have to). Try it with a stupid auto: the moment you release the gas it shift up, then you want to accelerate it does nothing and eventually jerks two gears down. Because it knows better what's good for you, doesn't it? Yeah, it is big fun...
2018 430i Gran Coupe
This is the first I've heard about Bluetooth availability. Where did you get the information?
Have you heard the dynaudio system? Is it worth the upgrade?
Power passenger seat, memory driver seat, homelink and auto rear view mirror. Can't believe that most of these are available on the up scale Jetta. I know the 3.6L will have them but want the 2.0T for mileage purposes.
Shipo, you're one of the fortunate few to have a wife who loves to shift.
And yes, if you can afford a 530i, have it your way.
With an approving growl of support to the driver's right foot, the new narrow-angle V6 delivers a robust flow of power, taking the relatively heavy car to 60 mph from a stop in 6.6 seconds. Despite being almost a full liter larger than the 2.8-liter it replaces, the 3.6-liter engine is about 18 pounds lighter and, despite offering 90 more horsepower and 58 pound-feet of additional torque, it's just as economical to operate. Credit newly instituted FSI technology (where fuel is added directly into the combustion chamber) and a variable intake manifold for much of the increased efficiency. The 3.6L has good torque down low, but it also revs freely, happily climbing toward the 6200-rpm power peak without expressing harsh disapproval of the driver's insistent go-pedal.
Check link titleand you can compare trim levels. The base 3.6 will have all the same features as a 2.0T with package 1, and I believe it includes some other standard features not available on the 2.0T.
Shipo, you're one of the fortunate few to have a wife who loves to shift.
We both have had cars with auto and manual before we got married.
We have 2 kids now and expecting 3rd early next year, so we decided to buy a Mazda MPV minivan couple years back.
However, our 626 Mazda is getting old now and just like myself my wife won't even consider cars with auto transmission.
As for 4dr 6MT accord availability, we haven't had trouble finding one in Chicago area.
Passat on the other hand... is not shipping any... :mad:
That sounds like the Boston daily traffic that Shipo describes. I do it everyday and recently went back to driving stick after 6 horrid years in an automatic.
I have driven through such traffic in a pickup with a 5-speed. It felt like I was going to have cramps in my left leg.
My wife 99% refuses to drive an automatic. We were forced to order her new BMW with a stick shift from Ohio's largest BMW dealer because other than one or two "strippies" with sticks, there just isn't the demand for them. There ARE NO xi's -- 325, 330's or 5 series or X cars (even the ones "available") with stick on the lots to test drive. If there are ever these cars, they cannot be had without ordering if you want something other than minimal options.
The owner of the BMW dealership (there are two here, one is owned by a person, one by a corporation) laments this sad state of affairs, but notes that it was virtually impossible to get a BMW with x drive (say a 330xi) other than in automatic clothes.
We had to put down a deposit for my wife's new all optioned, X3, with a stick shift -- and, ONLY becuase the drive was manual was the DP "non refundable" because the car would NOT be easily sold.
Cars are advertised with stick shifts and rarely sold that way.
Walk into your Audi dealership and make a bee line for the S4's -- generally they will have ONE with a stick but what few are in inventory are mostly automatics.
I looked for a brief fleeting moment at used Corvettes (very young ones) -- could NOT find one in a stick. The new ones, too, were all automatics.
Probably none of this means a hill of beans.
But when the largest BMW dealership in Ohio in a city that has two BMW dealerships in the same "small city" doesn't stock manuals due to "carrying cost" issues, it seems to lend credence to the notion that demand is AN issue, if not THE issue.
And, like I said, my wife would NEVER admit and certainly never want me to write that "the little lady" is the reason I have an automatic. She works in an office with 4 other lawyers, a couple of para-legals and administrative types in a huge company (most of these people are women, but not all) -- at least 50% of them, probably more, drive stick shifts.
I would bet the "driving pleasure" would sway people of both sexes -- and the maximum driving pleasure can only be had, today, with a manual.
My Audi 6speed tiptronic, supposedly at or near the pinnacle of automatic state of the art, doesn't even come close to a stick shift -- and I actually tolerate the darn thing.
The old saying “if you’re not part of the solution you’re part of the problem” would come into play here
So an A6 with auto, in your book, would rate higher than a 530 manual (similarly equipped etc..)? Are there any manuals left in that class (other than BMW)?
An AWD 280hp 6 speed manual Passat does sound intriguing
Nor is the optional 6 Speed DSG that is in our new Jetta GLI...complete with Paddle Shifters...A Dream to Drive...
But, in late June, when I got my new A6, there was no AWD BMW (other than the X3 3.0) that I could get thusly equipped. Neither the new 330xi nor the 530xi were for sale at that time.
An Audi A4 3.2, AT THAT TIME, was only offered without the stick shift. My other choice was an Infiniti M35X -- also auto only. Although I test drove two Mercedes, the AWD versions are called "4Matic" which really means AWD w/Auto is the only choice.
Also, at that time, the Phaeton (comparably priced to lease) was AWD and Auto only. I test drove the Touareg 4.2 -- "auto only." And, so on and on.
I had, also for a fleeting moment, considered the Passat W8 sport which could be had with a stick, but my lease timing and the inability to actually order the car FROM GERMANY (the dealer claimed only cars already in the US could be "dealer traded") pretty much meant that I would have to take the W8 that was already here -- guess what AUTO only.
Tested Acuras, loved the TL, no AWD, but yes to the manual. Chryco 300C AWD -- AWD, yes, stick, no.
And so on.
Within the reasons of affordability by an upper-middle-class income, the choices continue to narrow. Had I the wherewithal to buy an Audi RS6 or that nice new S8 -- well, they too are auto only.
Now, however, there at least is a BMW 33xi and hopefully the Passat (but I am darn near certain that the HIGH ZOOT Passat with the nice V6 and AWD will be AUTO only, just like the outgoing GLX 4Motion (tiptronic only from start to fininsh.)
The Cadillac CTS with a stick (yes there is one and it isn't great, but it isn't bad either) can't be had with AWD.
The S4 is able to be had with the stick, but, at this exact moment in time, the paltry rear seat leg room is a problem.
We have reached an era of what "ought to be" affordable mass customization -- yet we are given "bundles and bundles of option packages," and configurations that seem to say "we know best," if you want AWD and 280HP in a Passat, well, suck it up and take the auto transmission.
Then they tempt you with some pretty nifty technology (DSG from VW, SMG from BMW) that, "bzzzzz sorry, we don't offer that with the car you would plunk down money for," but they have an R32 for the boy (or girl) racer who cares not about a back seat.
I had a wonderful car in 1995, it was called an Audi S6 -- a 5 speed manual, a 5 cylinder turbo engine, quattro, power everything, sport everything and a built in voice controlled telephone. One would think the S6 would carry this fine tradition forward.
Nope. The S-Line and the announced and rumoured upcoming S6 -- auto only. Even the new 7speed autos in the Mercedes are merely "good" -- to get to great and to have great fun it takes a stick.
I tolerate my 6spd tiptronic -- and depsite some of the disconnect between the driver and the driving that such a transmission imbues, it IS the best auto transmission I have ever had. But, then again, my last root canal was the easiest one I have ever had. It was still a root canal.
Manumatic shifting is unsatisfying and it feels "distant" from the actual act of shifting.
I (and several others here) are screaming voices in the wilderness. Life is too short to buy a car I don't want with a stick shift (even if there were manifold choices.) Conversely, life is too short to settle for what you don't want (a great car with a second choice transmission.) But, not having unlimited financial resources (like Jay Leno), I am pushed into buying what they have to sell.
My only revenge (if you can call it that) is to always order the car exactly (other than the transmission) the way I want it -- frankly I wish all cars were sold that way. I think customer satisfaction would improve more than marginally.
Of course, that's just my opinion, I could be wrong. :shades:
I really like the shape of this new Passat. Looks great from the side. Interior with the wood trim is excellent but did not match well with the grey interior. V6 comes with a full power seat- no ratchet mechanism. Very comfortable and easy to find a good driving position.
The new engine is a hoot to drive. Has a very guttural growl to the engine when you floor it, but still quiet on the highway. I read a few comments about wind noise but I thought it was minimal at highway speeds, much less than my current 2000 Audi A4 1.8T 5spd. A significant amount of tire noise. Handling was not as sure as the Audi but the highway ride was much better. Not bad for a FWD car.
Considering that I have been shopping in the 40-50K range, this car was a pleasant surprise at it's price point. Will I buy one? I don't know. I'm still concerned about the reliability. Read quite a few posts already about a door rattle problem and some electrical screw-ups....
I think that the 2.0T would be fine for me, but I want too many of the options that are only offered on the 3.6.