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I Love the Doors - 2014 Volkswagen Passat TSI Long-Term Road Test
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I Love the Doors - 2014 Volkswagen Passat TSI Long-Term Road Test
How often do you think about car doors? The 2014 Volkswagen Passat TSI doors are solid, and would make me a better neighbor.
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2013 Accord
Love: the knurled metal finish around the radio/info screen knobs. Costs maybe a dollar per car, feels extra classy every time you use them.
Annoying: gas cap holder (nice idea) doesn't quite hold it in place if there's even a slight jostle (poor execution)
I'm usually very careful about positioning the door so as not to bump the next car. So I appreciate good door detents, which I define as being "strong" (like described in the article) but also "varied" -- in other words, having more of them, or having them in more useful locations. Mercedes probably has the best system though (from what I've read, anyway), with their "continuously-variable" detents.
You might expect a manufacturer from a crowded continent to think of these things. :-)
I like edmunds posts that focus on detail, such as door detents. I also like reader comments that share similarly. Thanks @ahightower. Yes, I have an Acura 2012 TSX Wagon, and the gas cap holder is just as poorly done as what you describe for the 2013 Honda Accord. Acura is supposed to be a premium brand! Yet, on my modest 2010 Mazda3, the gas cap holder works very well.
I own a diesel version of this car, and like it a lot. Door detents are indeed solid. I also appreciate the double and sometime triple-redundant controls for the radio and electronic systems. I also have an occasional complaint. That dash clock is probably intended to look austere, as is the basic styling theme for the car, which I do like--simple and organized. Still, it has to my eye a cheap look about it. I'm not overly bothered by it, as part of the proposition with this model is slight de-contenting from the last Passat in exchange for a lot of room and a competitive price. Still, the engineers might have given some additional consideration to the fact that if you put an analog clock front and center on the dash, it will draw attention.
Just to add to the Passat experiences, my friend's 2012 Passat SE (2.5L) is coming up on 42,000 miles without a single problem. Just routine (and free) VW scheduled maintenance. I was going to do the rear brakes for him (assuming they'd be down on pad) but even those still have meat at 40k plus miles despite mostly city and suburban driving.
the cx5's rear doors open wider than i'm used to on older cars to give you more room when loading something.
It is the little things like that that keep me coming back to European cars. Although, Asian cars have been catching up, copying some of these features.
My favorite example is BMWs having a fail safe circuit built in to the tail light. If a brake lamp burns out, another lamp is utilized in its place until the brake lamp is replaced. This way, there is no danger in someone rear ending you because your brake lights are out. The driver is alerted that a brake lamp is out on the instrument panel, of course. There are many other little things that make me appreciate Euro cars.