14 Month Review of VW TDI Passat

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I have owned my TDI (diesel) Passat for 14 months and wanted to post my impressions on the car to date. We are very pleased with the driveability, interior room (huge back seat area and trunk)and mileage.

.The car has run very well. It starts even on the coldest days within a second or two and has run quite smoothly even at a temperature of -9F encountered here in central PA last winter. But what has been truly impressive is the actual mileage we have seen on long trips. The best mileage to date was an actual 58 mpg on a trip from central PA to south of Lexington VA recorded last summer. This spring we went from central PA to Dayton OH and recorded 57 mpg. Keep in mind that this is a full size sedaqn. It does use diesel exhaust fluid unlike the TDI Jetta and therefore give better mileage than out TDI Jeatta Sportwagen.

. Dealer service was free for three years on this car and I have been pleased with the first service done by the dealer. I am coming up on the second service in a few months and will get a fuel filter, air filter and cabin filter at that service.
At 40,000 miles, I will pay for service and that will include several hundred dolloars for a drain and fill of the "auto" trans which is really a computer controlled manual trans but which has, so far, driven quite well. The dealer uses Castrol Professional LL03 (low SAPS) oil.

. The car came with Continental tires and these have proven to be very quiet and very smooth running. Although VW says 33 psi for the pressure, I keep them around 36 psi as I like the ride a bit better and it certainly cannot hurt the mileage. Brakes on the car are exceptioanlly good and will bring the speed down very quickly. At low speeds, they can be a bit grabby but after owning the car for a few weeks, we got used to this and it is no longer something we pay attention to.

.The interior room is really great for us. The front seats are very spacious, supportive and comfortable. But the rear seat is really quite roomy. As we are in our mid-60's and have a grandson who needs a car seat, we find the spaciousness of the area in the rear to be very conducive to putting him in and out of his seat with much less wear and tear on our knees and hips.

. Syncing our phones to the Bluetooth system was done by the dealer at purchase and the system works well for hands-free driving.

. Areas where I would like some improvement include the GPS system and the lack of a backup camera. The GPS has on two occasions been unable to pinpoint our location. Both times this happened we were in rural areas. I found that by pulling over and waiting for about 30 seconds allowed the unit to "catch up". We do have the simpler of the two units offered by VW.I am now spoiled by the backup camera in our Jetta and wish that this car had one as well. I believe that newer models of the Passat include this.

Overall, we really like this car to date and would certainly recommend it to someone that wants to do a lot of long distance driving and save a lot of money on fuel during those trips. If it is to be just a short trip car, the mileage will not be nearly as high. What I will be looking for is longevity of the high pressure fuel pump and turbo in this car.
 
Good Review! Keep us posted over time
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Originally Posted By: Reddy45
Which transmission is in the vehicle? Is it the DSG?


I think that is all VW offers now along with the MTX.
 
Yes, it is the DSG trans. It is a computer controlled manual, essentially.

Also, the dealer I bought this car from (Fiore VW in Altoona PA) gives a "free" third party warranty good for as long as you own the car. It is non-transferrable. Covers essentially the drive train of the vehicle. It is one of the key reasons I chose this dealer over a VW dealer close by.
 
I use DieselKleen Power Service (gray bottle) in the summer and the white bottle in the winter at the amounts listed on the bottle.
 
Great review, thanks. I haven't driven a late model VW, but they are very popular around here. It seems a pretty even split between diesel and petrol. I've always been put off by the servicing costs, and the fear of a spectacularly expensive repair after the warranty expired, but you've obviously got both those bases covered.

Interestingly, I believe VW Australia is beginning to introduce capped price servicing, as are pretty much all the major brands here.
 
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