I bought the Passat in very early May. It is the first diesel vehicle I have owned and the bottom line so far is....WOW. We have averaged 50.5 mpg with over 7000 miles on the car. You can tell from the mileage that we are using it on road trips. It has only about 15% city driving. On the road, with the exception of one wierd tank of Marathon diesel, it has faithfully delivered between 53-57 mpg. It does have the VW "auto trans" and we don't really run it over 70 mpg, usally staying around 65. When I bought it, the dealer in ALtoona, PA gave us a lifetime warranty on the drivetrain ($100 deductible and non-transferrable) for as long as we own the car. Of course, VW gives free maintenance for three years as well.
What do we like besides the great mileage?
1. Ease of starting and quiet running. You just can't believe it is a diesel. It is probably the quitest car we have ever owned.
2. The HUGE back seat where we can easily put our 17 month old grandson in his car seat without destroying our knees and lower back. To us, it was a major selling point.
3. The torque and quick acceleration are fantastic. You would never imagine that you are driving a four cylinder. On the interstate, it takes even steep hills in the highest gear.
4. The quality of the interior is nice. Not leather and wood but nicely laid out with easy to use controls and very comfortable seats with good (to us at least) lumbar support. The nav screen is quite easy to see and the background on the screen goes from bright blue to black as the sun goes down, amking it very easy to use at night.
5. Performance of the "auto trans" has been very good so far. I know that some have had trouble with these but so far, nothing but good things to say. It automatically downshifts on desvent of grades and that feature is very nice to have.
6. The trunk is huge and came with a first aid kit and four plastic corner braces that attach as you wish to the carpeted floor to provide a nest for packages so that they will not slide about. The "Ad Blue" or diesel exhaust fluid container is accessed through the passenger side of the trunk and is very easy to use.
What could be better?
1, So far, the only thing that has bugged me is one day in rural New York where the nav system literally could not figure out where we were. The screen was moving around, reminding me of the "Eye of Sauron." This only happened one time. Otherwise it has worked flawlessly. I do like the nav system showing little blue fuel pumps to indicate stations where diesel is sold and a VW dealer locator which could come in handy.
Conclusion:
If this car shows long term durability, I will probably not go back to a gasoline powered car. That decision will also depend on the quality of service I receive from the dealer. So far, no issues there at all, however. I would be happy to answer any questions you might have.
What do we like besides the great mileage?
1. Ease of starting and quiet running. You just can't believe it is a diesel. It is probably the quitest car we have ever owned.
2. The HUGE back seat where we can easily put our 17 month old grandson in his car seat without destroying our knees and lower back. To us, it was a major selling point.
3. The torque and quick acceleration are fantastic. You would never imagine that you are driving a four cylinder. On the interstate, it takes even steep hills in the highest gear.
4. The quality of the interior is nice. Not leather and wood but nicely laid out with easy to use controls and very comfortable seats with good (to us at least) lumbar support. The nav screen is quite easy to see and the background on the screen goes from bright blue to black as the sun goes down, amking it very easy to use at night.
5. Performance of the "auto trans" has been very good so far. I know that some have had trouble with these but so far, nothing but good things to say. It automatically downshifts on desvent of grades and that feature is very nice to have.
6. The trunk is huge and came with a first aid kit and four plastic corner braces that attach as you wish to the carpeted floor to provide a nest for packages so that they will not slide about. The "Ad Blue" or diesel exhaust fluid container is accessed through the passenger side of the trunk and is very easy to use.
What could be better?
1, So far, the only thing that has bugged me is one day in rural New York where the nav system literally could not figure out where we were. The screen was moving around, reminding me of the "Eye of Sauron." This only happened one time. Otherwise it has worked flawlessly. I do like the nav system showing little blue fuel pumps to indicate stations where diesel is sold and a VW dealer locator which could come in handy.
Conclusion:
If this car shows long term durability, I will probably not go back to a gasoline powered car. That decision will also depend on the quality of service I receive from the dealer. So far, no issues there at all, however. I would be happy to answer any questions you might have.
