My first 10 minutes in a 2016 VW Passat TSI

[INFURNO]

The engine is noisy at revs and annoying pully whine at idle. Not a good kind of noise. The shifter is clumsy. The seats are too hard and my bottom hurts. Interior is dull and doesn't feel like a nice place to be. Absolutely no thrills. Loose plastic covers around the shifter for optional extras not included. The steering column goes CLANK when turning with the signal on. Shift lock button is too small. Lower plastic dashboard looks dated with a thick popcorn looking texture. The analog clock is stupid and redundant due to the center cluster digital clock. Lcd is too small. I like to rest my elbows on the door rails but they don't reach and I'm constantly suspending my arms up which isn't ideal for long trips. The door handles are microscopic and I have to operate them with 1 and a half fingers. Center console storage is lousy and small. Most of the moving plastic bits don't quite match and rub against each other as you pull them open.* I look down and there's an exposed black wire next to me connected to the seatbelt fastener. The ding sound is awfuly high pitched. Nothing about this feels refined. It's depressing to sit here.

But thank god the pedals are chrome! Wtf. This is a stupid, stupid car.

Yes this is a bmw forum and a 3 series starts at $10k more. But it's $10k more car. And you can get a Ford Fusion, Subaru, or Civic for as much as this and in my opinion they're all better.

I want someone to tell me "no you idiot, you're looking at it all wrong.. because..."

Yes?

[McBride]

It's a Passat it'll do a million miles and still carry on going even when the suspension bushes wore out years ago.

[ASAP]

Originally Posted by McBride

It's a Passat it'll do 5000 miles and still carry on going even when the suspension bushes wore out at the factory.

Ftfy

[Mywifes335]

Originally Posted by ASAP

Ftfy

Aren't Passats built in Mexico?

[ASAP]

Originally Posted by Mywifes335

Aren't Passats built in Mexico?

Pretty sure it is Chattanooga, TN... and the US version of this car is imho the definition of cheapness.

[3GFX]

I could go on about this....but I will summarize my thoughts:

I agree.

VW quality of materials and design has gone away since their golden era of 2002 - 2010ish. Those cars had great quality and better materials simply because they drew more of the same tech from Audi. My winter beater is a 2004 Passat 4 Motion Wagon. LOADED. It's better optioned than my 2003 Z4 and it's running well with 290,000 kms on it. But the drivetrain is essentially the same as the A6 of the same era.

The new VWs have cheaper production costs and thus quality to simply increase margins. They're going after Accords and Camry's not 3's and C's.

[mremg]

I think VW in the US went from Audi- to Seat+.

Passat used to be a slightly cheaper and down badged A6.

[DDD31]

no you idiot, you're looking at it all wrong.. because

Because they have to cut corners to save money for the huge Dieselgate settlement.

But damn SILVER PEDALS
Nothing says quality like silver pedals.

[StealYourFace]

I drove a 14 for a demo (rental spec, so wolfsburg 2.0t loaded minus roof).

I felt like I was driving a 750i after coming out of a sonata for 2 months. I would still be driving it if we didn't sell it lol. Drives kind of like a german car, room, visibility, firm damping (again, all compared to a sonata lol).

For somebody that wants a cheap decent car - esp in the used market (I can buy those things from enterprise all day long for 12k wholesale 1 yr old 30-40k miles) beats the shit out of a camry or sonata.

But yes, not the passat of old. Don't forget boys and girls, passat went down like 6 grand when this body came out. The 'real' passat is the cc.

VWs don't suck too bad tho, we got a 14 GTI d.e. for my better half, I love that car.

[bvanlieu]

I have rented quite a few TSIs and the drivetrain/steering for what it is I was fine with. I like renting them in Denver for example so the baby snail can deliver the power at altitude

Interior quality cheap (expected since it went down market) and I find the seats are just flat and horrible for anyone who is not a porky american (I am 6' 185, and have sports seats in all of our cars).

I have not looked deeply at them (we have our E90 and E84, no need to look further) but would have hoped you could spend 5K or so and option the car out with better seats and such. If not...well, it is a VW not an Audi I suppose.

- b

[Bbb34]

I don't think it's horrible. It's not great either, but I think it's "competitive" to other cars in that segment.

B5 was a fantastic car, well put together, nice 1.8T engine, decent drive, as close to Audi as VW ever came.

B6 was still decent, good 2.0T engine, slightly cheapened interior comparing to Audi and B5, less "German looking" than before, though much better family car size wise. However it did not sell well at all.

Then VW decided they will try to further distinguish VW from Audi and decided that they will shave off production cost from B7+ cars. This is very obvious in every single area of the car, from engine, to fit and finish. Of course as it usually happens, over time, cost savings in production didn't quite make it all the way to the consumer. Also, this is the first time where Passat was different from European one, built specifically for North American market, and in North America, and we all know, these are quite different markets in terms of what they look for in a car.

It's not a great car, but it's build to meet the price point and compete with other "get me from A to B" family sedans (you know, the kind that all have 2.0 or 2.5L engines and produce +/- 170HP and excel at nothing).

In the past, Passats were always costing a little bit more, but also offered a little bit more, now, you get exactly what you pay for. Amazing rear leg room and interior space for family though.

[chumley]

For some reason they do seem to have alot of hard plastics and generally cheaper build in the newer Passats. Time recently spent in a Golf R was just the opposite. I didn't think anything in the interior felt like a step back from my E90. All the switch gear felt top notch.

[RM7]

Originally Posted by chumley

For some reason they do seem to have alot of hard plastics.

Like every other car, except when you start getting into the 70+k realm...

[P1]

Really? This is by far my favorite rental car. I think it's a great car.

[QUiKSR20]

I own a '12 Passat as well as '13 F30 and also owned a Jetta VR6 back in 2002 so im pretty qualified to comment.
The newer Passats are definitely a step down in high end finishes since the older 2000-2008ish Passats but its still not a bad car.
Thats why we have a USA & German Passat now they are different cars so it can be sold at a lower price. The CC is more like
the European Passat now in materials etc.

Maybe you would have a different opinion if you were in a AWD VR6 CC, Id say that would compare a little better to an F30.

[monicalewinsky]

The one I drove had alcantara/leather seats and it was quite the comfortable cruiser. I think the interior either has the potential to look really good or really bad. For example, this version is dull:



However, this version feels pretty upmarket (considering the purchasing price):

[QUiKSR20]

Originally Posted by monicalewinsky

The one I drove had alcantara/leather seats and it was quite the comfortable cruiser. I think the interior either has the potential to look really good or really bad. For example, this version is dull:



However, this version feels pretty upmarket (considering the purchasing price):

Yeah the one below looks like the NEW European Passat, Up until the B6 Passat (2010) The world saw one model of Passat ( Europe & America ) It was up-market for what it competed with, It was no Audi but it was a large step above the competition in fit/finish/materials etc.

VW Then went on to say " We want to conquer Toyota and be the biggest in the world " We need to cheap out the Passat and other cars to sell more for less. Thats where the US got the B7 "NMS Passat" and Europe just got the B7 which stuck to the original Passat formula.

Still not a bad looking car when done right for the money, We picked up our 2012 with 65k miles for $13k 2 years ago and its been trouble-free ...

[KingOfJericho]

I have a CC and though it isn't a balls-out sporty sedan, it gets out of its own way. I did the carbonio intake and APR tune literally the week I picked it up. I get compliments on it quite often and I don't think I could get much more value for the $28k I paid for it (2014 R-line, $36k MSRP). It costs me $300/mo to lease.

There are two things about the car that I absolutely hate:
One frustration is the DSG. It just sucks and nobody can convince me otherwise. It's my first automatic as well but I drive my wife's Jeep GC all the time and that's a pleasure.

The second is the seats. It doesn't have memory seats which I never thought would be a problem but it's a huge annoyance. The seats are uncomfortable to begin with so when someone else drives the car (wife, garage valet), it takes me days to get it right again.

[Bbb34]

Originally Posted by KingOfJericho

I have a CC and though it isn't a balls-out sporty sedan, it gets out of its own way. I did the carbonio intake and APR tune literally the week I picked it up. I get compliments on it quite often and I don't think I could get much more value for the $28k I paid for it.

I agree, hard to beat for the money, but CC is a lot better car than current generation of Passat. Better looking, more fun to drive, better engine, better fit and finish. For 2005-2010 CC and regular Passat were comparable, difference being looks and CC ever so slightly lower and wider, now they are different cars altogether.

[QUiKSR20]

Originally Posted by KingOfJericho

I have a CC and though it isn't a balls-out sporty sedan, it gets out of its own way. I did the carbonio intake and APR tune literally the week I picked it up. I get compliments on it quite often and I don't think I could get much more value for the $28k I paid for it (2014 R-line, $36k MSRP). It costs me $300/mo to lease.

There are two things about the car that I absolutely hate:
One frustration is the DSG. It just sucks and nobody can convince me otherwise. It's my first automatic as well but I drive my wife's Jeep GC all the time and that's a pleasure.

The second is the seats. It doesn't have memory seats which I never thought would be a problem but it's a huge annoyance. The seats are uncomfortable to begin with so when someone else drives the car (wife, garage valet), it takes me days to get it right again.

Nice car, Surprised you dont like the DSG.. Ive never owned one but I thought the general consensus was that its awesome.

Ive never used my memory seats but i hear ya surprised it doesnt have the feature, My 02 Jetta had memory seats.

[KingOfJericho]

Originally Posted by QUiKSR20

Nice car, Surprised you dont like the DSG.. Ive never owned one but I thought the general consensus was that its awesome.

It might shift quickly bur the car always starts in 2nd and needs to downshift after starting (every m-fing time).

Originally Posted by QUiKSR20

Ive never used my memory seats but i hear ya surprised it doesnt have the feature, My 02 Jetta had memory seats.

My 1992 Saab had seat memory as well. It also doesn't have the homelink garage opener system which my 2004 Infiniti had. Some really weird options were excluded.

[Beartato]

I had a Mk7 Golf before my BMW and compared to the Mk6 Golf the interior was loads better. This next generation of VWs (starting with the Mk7 Golf) should be better.