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So it was with some trepidation that I entered back into the VW world. All that I could read about the Passat was favorable. I wanted a fun car to drive but it had to be practical also. And I wanted to return to my youth and have a nice manual transmission. The Passat wagon seemed a natural.
July will be the first anniversary for my GLS wagon with the 1.8T and five speed. It just passed 16,000 miles. And it has been the best new car I have ever owned. The only mechanical work (outside of routine LOF and tire rotation) was the replacement of the coil packs. I received no recall letter but I told the dealer that I didn’t want to suffer a failure out in the middle of the Arizona desert this summer. He agreed and two weeks later the coil packs were changed.
I am continually amazed by the 1.8T engine. For example, my wife and I drove from Phoenix to Flagstaff this morning. The trip was 130 miles, we averaged 68 miles per hour, and the average fuel consumption was 25.6mpg. Considering that cruise was generally set between 75 and 80, and the trip climbs from an elevation of 1100 to over 7000 feet asl, in my mind that is pretty good mileage. Typical round trips (no sidebar trips) to Flagstaff net 30 to 31 mpg. Today our return trip took us up to the Snow Bowl and then back down through Oak Creek Canyon and Sedona. The RT mileage was 28.3 over 299 miles.
Altitude doesn’t bother the engine. It pulls as hard at 7000 as it does at 1100 feet. On the way to the Grand Canyon earlier this year, the road climbs to over 8000 feet asl. My wife and I both noticed the scarcity of air molecules but the Passat didn’t. It just kept pulling. I am convinced that the engine would work well with a 6 speed, ie another higher overdrive ratio on top of the fifth gear it now has.
Lastly, the engine seem to change, to improve in power output and delivered mileage through about 12,000 miles. Commute to work typically averaged about 23 mpg initially. Today it is about 25 mpg for the same travel. Power is more subjective but it seems stronger today than at say 5000 or 10000 miles.
There are days when shifting gets really tiring. If I were to trade this car in for a similar one but with Tiptronic, would it be as peppy? How does the V-6 and Tip compare to the 1.8T with a five speed?
Bottom rear seat cushion is hinged, pulls up and the forward...remove headrests, rear back cushion folds down flat as a pancake...
I don't have the V6, but I'm averaging about 22 mpg with the 1.8T. My commute is short, the terrain is hilly here, and the engine isn't at optimum temperature for much of the trip. I'm satisfied with the results.
With our Passat, as someone else wrote on another forum, you don't "bask in the glow of a full tank" for long. Based on this comment, I believe the gauge behavior to be common and normal.
It's something that you get used to, along with the very early warning to refuel (my warning chime sounds and the MFA text warning appears when about 12.25 US gallons have been consumed (what's that, about 46 litres?). You'll adjust to that, too. Enjoy your new car!
I’m like a kid at Christmas, just read on another post about the compartment under the steering column being for the owner’s manual. Up until now it’s been taking up space in the glove box where it was when I first got the car. I‘m sure the dealer salesman didn’t know about that one.
When the low fuel light comes on, how much gas is left in the Passat's tank?
Thanks
Passat does have a digital fuel gauge in a way - just use the trip computer.
sschilf - On our wagon, the fuel light goes on when about 12.25 US gallons have been consumed. I believe the fuel tank's total capacity is 16.4 gallons, so that leaves a little more than 4 US gallons or more than 15 litres of fuel. Also, I've found the gas gauge readings to be pretty linear, so I guess, using your example, the tank must be pretty uniform is shape (I dunno for sure - I've never really looked at it).
Personally, I like analog fuel gauges for the same reason I like analog speedometers and analog clocks...they give you the most information for the least amount of "look" time and thought to process the information. In other words, a quick glance is all that is needed, with little thought to process the meaning of what you saw. YMMV.
Revka
Host
Hatchbacks & Wagons Boards
Thanks
Anyway, even though it will be my commuting car, we would still like to plop the three kids in the back seat from time to time. Anybody had any luck or experience in install three, that's right, three carseat??
P.S.
Please say yes its no problem. I really want this car and I've located a graystone with gray leather!
3 carseats are a tight fit in many cars - but it depends a lot on the type and brand. I bet many won't fit. Bring your favorite three carseats to the dealer and try yourself! (Ask a friend if you don't have three, yet).
- D.
under "TOWING"
Another question...we have two small children...are they going to be safer in a Volkswagen Passat because of the side curtain air bags or the Subaru Forester because it rides higher and has the safe side impact reviews (Passat has not been ranked yet I think from IIHS) ....any thoughts or opinons would be helpful as my wife is trying to decide between these two vehicles... I actually have a 03 Forester that I got last week and she loves it and is considering buying one as well, but she also loved driving the Passat...just trying to get the safest car for the kiddies..
JO
Thanx
First, I wouldn't worry about resale on a manual Passat. Car salesman love to talk about the need to order every car with leather, sunroof, and automatic otherwise you'll get "killed on resale", but the fact is that the money you save up front will vastly outweigh any resale advantage down the road. A manual tranny Passat may, in fact, be more rare and more desirable in a few years. Buy the car for yourself, not for some hypothetical buyer three or four years from now. (If you're truly worried about resale, I think the best thing you can do is order a car with a common color combo, with light colors outside and darker colors inside (e.g, silver/charcoal). These are the cars that look the best in a few years and don't turn off buyers with trendy colors that are popular one year and out of style the next. Go for colors that look more classic.)
Second, few clutch drivers find using a manu-matic very satisfying. You've still got a big, sloppy 'ol torque convertor between the engine and the wheels, and downshifting is never very satisfying since you can't match revs. 98% of manumatics are left in D all the time.
Bottom line: if you like driving manuals, get one. That's the cool think about the Passat - they offer it.
- Mark
Let me comment because I have both (a Golf 94 MT and a 2000 GLX AT 4Motion Wagon).
I only bought the wagon in the (4Motion) AT because that's the only option VWoA considers us worthy of (unless you get a W8 - now). As far as AT and tiptronic, it is nice, smooth and works well. I use the tiptronic perhaps 10-20% of the time. In comparison to a MT car,
- it shifts slowly at times (2/10 or 3/10th of a second)
- it is a torque converter, so, driving WOT at low rpm is impossible, and some of the energy always gets sucked up in there
- you probably lose 20 to 30 hp compared to the MT
- you get penalized 4-6mpg compared to the MT if you can drive a MT well
- it really does not feel at all like the control you have in a MT.
If you are driving in the city a lot *and* have a lot of stop-and-go traffic all the time, the AT may be worth considering for that reason. Yet, if you are young (at heart? < 70?) and athletic, that may be irrelevant.
- D.
VW, like BMW and Porsche, attract performance-oriented drivers, and the standard is not a problem.
But it would be a different story if you were buying a Chev .....
manual trannys, we have a '02 Passat wagon 1.8
with tiptronic. In 20,000 of driving it has per-
formed very well and is very smooth shifting. Gas
mileage runs in the 20's but I am not very con-
cerned about gas I guess. I would like a stick for myself but my wife insists on the auto. Either
way is a viable option from my point of view. It
is a great car, well-made, trouble-free and most
of all fun to drive. More enjoyable than any of
the 5 Accords I have had in past years. I also
drive a 5-speed auto Mercedes and the two cars
trannys perform much the same--very well.
Granted, the people who finally bought each car were looking specifically for 5 speed manuals, but we did take a ding on overall value as well. Of course, I never would have bought a Saturn SL in automatic. Talk about a dog on acceleration...
Anyway, there are times I wish I had gotten a 5 speed in my 2003 Passat 1.8T wagon, but then I think about how often I have to pass milk or a cracker or something else back to my son in the backseat and I thank God that there is one less thing I have to think about while driving. Just a thought...
Many thanks!
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If you are going to be hauling 4 people around most of the time, taking trips to Home Depot or Costco....get the Passat.
If you want the prestige and the sportier handling...then go with the Bimmer. The rear seats in the BMW wagon suffers from the same problem as in the sedan - I wouldn't want to ride back there for more than a cross town trip. Is it a certified pre-owned BMW? If you really want to get the BMW, see if they let you take it out for the day to make sure it will serve your daily needs.
Service might also be an important issue to - neither are up to Honda/Toyota standards, but the VW probably has a slight edge. Having said that, if I ever need to have my Passat serviced, I'm fortunate to a dealership that services both VW and BMW - the service is excellent!
George
Thank you,
Damax07
Do you have any specific questions about the car?
Thank you for your response. My concerns are really regarding the reliability. It seems there is a constant electrical problems, ignition coils, etc. D you have any of these issues?
Thank you,
Damax07
My 2000 1.8 GLS wagon with Tip has been the most reliable vehicle I ever have owned or used regularly. At 98,000 miles it has never failed to run, never left me stranded and never needed repairs other than those resulting from being rear-ended at about 10 mph by a BMW 323i.
The check engine and Emissions Workshop lights came on at 96,000 miles. Replacing the mass air sensor and some vacuum system parts came to around $400 and seems to have solved the problem. The car now runs as smoothly and has as much or power than when it was new.
I also spent $1000 replacing the timing belt, water pump and rear brake pads and rotors. The original front brakes and rotors still are within spec and passed the 2003-2004 PA inspection.
I think most cars today are reliable and that every manufacturer can occasionally produce a vehicle that is plagued with problems. I'm know people who have owned problem cars from BMW, Honda, Hyundai, VW, Chevrolet, Saturn, and Chrysler. Just because someone purchased a brand new lemon doesn't mean that all the cars these companies produce are lemons.
All I can say is that I am completely happy with my Passat. Based on my experience so far, I'd buy another one. Just buy whatever car you like and hope the manufacturer stands behind their product if problems should arise.
Bill
Thanks Sue in San Diego CA
This engine is on WARD's 10-BEST ENGINE LIST for many years ... I don't think it would be there if there were problems.
http://wardsauto.com/ar/auto_wards_best_engines_3/
BTW: VW/Audi is the only auto maker with 2 engines in the world's 10-best list!
It's amazing how shocked people can be when the "STOP" message appears on the MFA message board on the instrument cluster!
Regardless of engine, I'd recommend following the recommendation in the owner's manual..."check your oil at every fuel filling."
Thanks in advance.
It's kind of a pain serching the dealer inventories because they don't list wagon vs sedan or auto vs manual. All they list is model (Passat, Jetta, etc), color and MSRP. You have to click on each one to see what it is. A shortcut I used was to configure the car I wanted at edmunds and find out the MSRP. Then I could tell from the MSRP on the inventory lists which ones were 5 speed wagons.
Good luck!
I went through the Internet Sales Manager in order to locate one with the options I wanted. In the meantime, I also went directly on the dealers web site, which are located in my region to see what was the available. You can only based yourself on the MSRP on the vehicle you want in order to know if they have it. Just like 5speeder mentionned. Lucky for me, they found one two States away (North Carolina), they delivered the car on a flatbed truck 36 hours later in South Florida. I was able to get the car for $22647 plus tag and tax.
Although I feel I could have got it for a slightly lower price, I am satisfy with the process and the service.
Damax07