Volkswagen Passat

I use this Passat R-line sedan for work and for private use. It is very comfortable but most of all, very economical. I can get a 1000 km out of a tank of petrol.
I love the luxury package, the memory seat position, the stylish dashboard, the driver assist options, though at times it thinks it is smarter than I am and tries to make decisions for me, ie, changing lanes in traffi:, if the car thinks the other car is too close, it would try to stop you from moving to the other lane. However, once you are use to driving this smart car, you will get use to the intellect. It is stylish and a pleasure to drive.

Recently purchased the Passat R-Line wagon to carry our two bikes. This is the best car I have every owned, the comfort is just outstanding and the safety and mod cons is terrific. The car has a lot of space, more than the Tiguan we were going to purchase originally. This car has every luxury in it and is just a blast to drive, would highly recommend this vehicle. The only negatives are the Satnav leaves a bit to be desired but I just plug in my phone and use Google maps through Apple car play, fixes that issue and also the car does not have a DAB radio which is slightly annoying. Other than those two slight problems that car is amazing.

The car was used for general family transport with a few long holiday trips, it was in daily use for 6 years but has since been sold early this year, it was serviced at the dealership according to the service book.
It had a number of issues, had to replace the thermostat at about 60000 k's because it would not warm up and the fan kept running. After this was fixed the engine block started leaking water (Fixed no charge although out of warranty)
Reversing camera failed as did the GPS system, quoted $7000.00 to fix this problem as it alegedly needed the control unit in the car to be replaced. We replaced the car instead.
While the car was very good to drive and very economical on fuel the repair charges were very high, dealer charges for service are over the top.

A limousine like car with a smooth silent ride, a spacious interior and cavernous boot. An overall average of 7.2 ltr/km suggests economy rather than performance but it has surprising acceleration especially when overtaking. Fit and finish are excellent, well above others in the market of a similar price
BTW the car was cheaper in Australia than its equivalent in the UK or Germany! The car has been faultless so far at 50k with not even a rattle. We were so impressed that we bought the latest Polo as a second car

I bought 2013 Passat v6 4 motion 2 1/2 years ago .At the beginning I was heaving noises at timming chain Area,was Quoted at volks wagon $6000 to change it my mehanicar stripped it And everything looked brand new he replaced tensioner bolt for timing chain problem fixed
Never had any problems again
I am in love with it now, preformance is just amazing
Recommend to change engine oil every 5000 km

When going this car drives well and I'm happy with fuel consumption, trouble is the mechanical issues.
We bought this car secondhand 11 months ago for $8000 and so far it has cost over $7000 in repairs. Timing belt (we were lied to about it being done, so our fault). When the timing belt is changed the oil pressure pump balance shaft should be replaced as it is made of mild steel, ours wasn't as the mechanic claims he didn't know about it, we didn't either but is an inherant issue. Because the balance shaft wasn't changed we lost all oil pressure. Because we lost oil pressure (no low oil pressure light on dash) the turbo exploded. When the turbo exploded the fragments went in to the intercooler...so - Balance shaft, turbo, intercooler and labour - $6500, add on the timing belt which was $1200. Nowhere to go with this, VW don't even answer our questions. Will NEVER buy a VW again.

Very impressive drive, very enjoyable car overall with great power and economy, unfortunately the reliability is not there.
Our car was purchased in 2009 and it was one of model build in Germany and I was happy as I was expecting the German quality and reliability but it was anything but.

We have before an old Mitsubishi Galant 20 years old with over 180000KM on the clock and it was running perfect bit heavy on the petrol but never missed a bit, but we wanted a more safe car with Airbags, ABS etc and also a reliable car as my wife was pregnant with our second child.

Just to cut the story short, we have replaced under warranty, Engine Body Throttle, The turbo was nearly replaced at 20.000Km as it was leaking oil and after more than 6 trips to the dealer it was finally fixed, electronic brake replaced as many time we got stranded for up to 10 minutes in various places including Bunnings car park we were unable to leave. After warranty at 50.000Km front ball bearings replaced $1200, I told the guys at the dealers common ball bearing on the wheels should be the last thing to go on the car not the first thing, Oxygen sensor replaced $900, one key stop working $600 as we did not need the actual key inside the remote as that one would cost more, numerous airbag light resets at the dealer @60 each and now after the emission software DOWNGRADE which was done more than a year ago it really destroy the joy of the car. The car performance is terrible, we lost the torque on the low revs, the engine was running on turbo and the car was picking up and go only at revs above 3000/min, with no torque, it feel like we have a permanent trailer behind our car, les responsive on the gas pedal and the car engine was more noisier having a loud pitch annoying diesel sound and the most annoying thing it was the shaking when at constant speed, you have to accelerate and the car was recovering from that.

After many complains to VW Australia, consumer affairs, and more than 12 trips back to the dealer we were told that our car is same like any other cars and no code faults in the system we were left very disappointing and frustrating, one day when my wife was driving the car under acceleration the car engine stall while driving.

A new software was installed finally and the car is better but it is not how it used to be and probably will never be, very disappointing with all the experience. Our next car will be a Japanese car.

Vw Passat cc is the amazing car to drive very very reliable and very efficient on full Diesel engines sound is very low very comfortable full lather interior wonderful to drive very powerful full luxury features heated seats low maintenance running cost is very low My personal experience is highly recommended

Coming from a 12 year old Honda accord I drove just about every car out there in trying to find the perfect upgrade. I eventually drove my Passat Wagon and it was perfect. Ticked all the boxes and was a standout compared to the others. It was zippy and no whining noise when changing gears at any speed, quiet as, so smooth a ride, it feels like it is gliding along. It was the entry level 132 TSI 1.8 Turbo auto. I opted for the advanced driving package as didn't want the Leather seats and Sun roof in the Comfortline model. One thing I noticed was some vibration in the front seats just under the knees but fiddled with the seat settings and seemed to resolve that one. Only had it 3.5 weeks and done 1423 klm and now have a squeak in the drivers seat as your body moves eg when turning a corner, going round aroundabout. I did have an issue with my trailer lights not working and the dealer had a play. Not sure if they did anything but concluded that if I plug it in, turn on car and wait about a minute the lights will then work albeit with a warning light on the dash. It sounded a bit odd but that is exactly what happens and did again today. Still seems odd but I can live with it. The car is very comfortable, very easy to drive, has the safety features you now can get in most cars, Has plenty of legroom and a boot space you could almost sleep in, well a kid could and that is without folding down the back seats. I have only 3 trips of around 200klms but just find it a great driving experience. It takes about 1500klms to wear in I was told with the economy improving as it gets its act together. I have had it showing 7.6l/100klm around town but seems to settle around 8.x on trips so far. Not sure how accurate the readings really are as haven't done enough klms yet. With 15,000klms or 12mths between each service I thought that was a pretty reasonable running cost combined the expected cost/100klms to improve as I tick over a few more. This is the petrol version as drove a diesel and thought that was real noisy, sluggish and decided not for me. I would recommend you at least test the PASSAT based on my experience so far.

You would love the driving experience, I do mean that on the highway, over 60kph; the gearbox is still a little bit worried me, as it is running not smooth in gear 1 and 2 under 40kph. But other than that, Passat is a perfect car for the family, I am having a B8 Passat Wagon TSI Comfortline. I love it so much (as mentioned, a little bit worried about the gearbox - DSG 7 speed.) 16500km, average petrol consumption: 8L per 100km; carplay, andrio auto; full safety features. btw auto adjustment seat for driver only. lol

I am a international student studying in Australia from 2016. The reason I chose VW is that i believe both the quality and appearance, as well as the driving experience in German auto brands.

The car is so quite and steady wherever places i drive both including the country roads or high way. The leg room is wonderful and it is quiet fuel efficiency on the highway.

Very comfortable, materials not cheap, very precise vehicle, joyable ride, like from not to distant future, spacious enterior, desing very beautiful and very functional with boot bigger than expected engine power even though being diesel is very powerful and yet so economical that is mind blowing so in conclusion one of the best cars in the world

I've now owned my Passat 125 TDI sedan from new for just over six years. During that time I have had no major issue, exceot for the stop start system which was stalling the engine when releasing the brake. This was traced to the battery and was replaced. Unfortunately it was outside the warranty period. The performance is more than satisfactory, with plenty of torque and power and pulls like a locomotive. Handling is pretty good as are noise and comfort levels. The interior is typically German, designed for purpose and lacking some flair but ergonomics are as one would expect with adequate room. A couple of disappointments are the lack of a lower position with the manually adjusted driver's seat. At it's lowest setting one's knees tend to touch the steering column. The other is the sun visors that don't go all the way to the windscreen when down which is annoying. The back seats seem somewhat too hard.

The DSG had a couple of strange episodes in the beginning, like a box full of neutrals when in manual mode, but this has seemed to have sorted itself out and have had no issues since. Running costs are fantastic with diesel being cheaper than unleaded fuel and great range / economy.

Whilst it lacks excitement, it's a great value for money performer. Always reliable and safe, gives the impression it could drive around Australia with no dramas.

Very happy with my Passat. (Shame about the Dieselgate affair and VW's actions).

Car drives smoothly and with enough power. I got the 1.8TSI wagon. Fantastic for holidays.
Drive it everyday for work. Phone(s) connected and a panoramic sunroof.
The petrol bills are low as well. 750 km on a full tank of 58 litres.
Leather is great and overall a joy to drive.

VW Passat 1999 1.9 TDi FWD / When i first bought this car i was surprised that it didn't feel like a station wagon at all. Mine was only a Highline i think, interior had premium feeling for car of its age, no squeaking plastic panels. The 110hp 1.9L engine is so light on diesel, average 5.5L/100Km, highway was below 5L/100Km, but noticed choice of tires made a difference.The diesel engine is quite noisy, especially during cold starts, reminding me of a Fordson Major tractor from the early 60's. With the low consumption there was still lots of torque, gets you up the hills without downshifts. Gearbox was a 5 speed manual that even with the car having close to 300.000 still felt nice and tight during shifts compared to other makes where you hope for the best that the right gear popped in!
Everyone has enough legroom if you are normal build and boot space is big for its category, and mine had cargo net making it possible to load the boot all the way to the top.
Problems i came across during the years i owned it: I refilled too much oil by mistake but did not think this would be a problem, even though it was just a couple of mm above the maximum line. The higher oil pressure caused a gasket on the engine pop out of its place, causing an oil leak, squirting oil at the CV joints. The following problem was that the rubber cover on these joints gathered dust and sand and broke quickly. Replaced a few CV joints before i realized the cause of them wearing out. The gasket on the engine was in such a bad spot, that the procedure involved a change of the timing belt (that already had to be replaced every 80.000km and costly).
Changing timing belts this often is not a expense i want. Also if you live in colder climates you will most likely encounter problems with freezing doors. Doors are frozen that badly that you cant open them and when you somehow get them opened they refuse to close until the car has warmed up.
Service your old Passat and I am sure it will treat you well. Although for a bit more money i would recommend the 2001-2005 model that is basically the same as the 1996-2000, but with upgraded interior, exterior, stronger engine and 6 speed gearbox plus other improvements.
Consumption: 9/10
Comfort: 8/10
Servicing: 4/10
Size: 9/10
Noise: 6/10
Overall quality: 9/10
Coolness 10 years ago: 7/10 =)

The Alltrack Passat is very smooth, quiet to drive and handles surprisingly well through the hills, we bought one recently and really impressed with the economy even though it has the diesel gate software update. We bought it used with 55k kms for a good price. We average around 6.5 combined hwy and city driving, a bit more than the catalogue states at 5.9L combined, I suspect this is from the diesel gate mod. The car is loaded with features, Sat Nav, reverse parking cameras, heated seats, automatic tailgate just to name a few and has a really elegant interior design. We looked for a while first at SUV's then to wagons and this one was the winner by far, couldn't be happier. The only downside is the service costs are dear, I'm fortunate enough that I can do the servicing myself, but even still not as cheap as any average car because the VW spec oils are more expensive than the run of the mill stuff, I rate the car 5 stars for the price range, if you own one or are going to buy one preferably opt out from the diesel gate mod if you want that ever so slight amount more economy or power.

I bought my Passat Highline 2 litre diesel wagon in 2010 and have had 7 years of wonderful service from it. The car is so comfortable, powerful and yet frugal. It has been very reliable, never letting me down once. The only issue I have had is the air conditioning compressor which has been replaced twice but all done under warranty.

This car consumes an average of 1.6 litres of recommended oil between service intervals and deposits soot all over the boot of the vehicle, particularly noticeable as mine is white. My vehicle has also consumed 600 mls of coolant in 6 months/ 40000 klms despite being back to the dealership 3 times to find the cause to no avail. I was told at the dealership it was normal for coolant to need topping up. Last time it went from max level in the reservoir to minimum in 10000 klms meaning i have to take it in to be refilled between service intervals.
Volkswagen also provide literature with the vehicle that oil consumption up to 1 litre per 1000 klms is acceptable meaning it could consume 19 litres of new oil at service and between intervals. The recommended oil is difficult to source and very expensive. I find this unacceptable on a new vehicle.
My DSG box started intermittently making noise when shifting down from 4 to 3 at 30000 klms. Dealership said they checked it on computer and no error appeared so they said it's ok." Computer says!"
I am now dealing with VW head office and the latest is they want to take my car for up to 2 weeks to see if they can sort the issues. I am a full time UBER driver and purchased this vehicle new specifically for the job and cannot afford to not work for 2 weeks. They have already had the car three times and have not found the leak.

December 27th 2017 Update: This is a lemon to be avoided

Just an update on previous report. Car has now been back 6 times for coolant consumption issue. Have had the thermostat housing and water pump replaced under warranty as they believed these were the issue but it has made no difference and the car now with 60000 klms continues to consume coolant at the same level.
Today the car was in for the 6 th time for pressure testing and yet again no fault was found to explain the consumption but I have printed information from the dealership stating coolant consumption of 500 ml per 1000 klm is acceptable. So you could have to put 7.5 litres of coolant in, between service intervals and VW consider this acceptable
The car also had a front wheeel bearing replaced today and a leaking oil cap which has been leaking for a long time but the dealership refused to replace it until I got VW involved
To say I am extremely disappointed with this vehicle is an understatement
The DSG continues to intermittently make noises going down from 4 to 3 and a different noise going up from 4 to 5. Unfortunately they fail to appear when the vehicle is being tested at dealership. I have had my car out of use for 7 days so far in 9 months due to warranty issues and am only 9 months into my warranty period of 3 years unlimited klms.

March 14th 2018 Update: Avoid

This is an update on my vehicle. Just got my vehicle back after 7 weeks at the dealership. It was there for the usual coolant and oil usage issues as well as clutch/ gearbox noises. During the time there they replaced the clutch pack to resolve the screeching clutch noise from 4 to 5 gear. They declared there was excessive slippage. They replaced the upper timing cover seal and bolts as they deemed it to be the source of the oil leak and stated the seal had perished.
They replaced the coolant reservoir as during testing the low coolant warning came on and upon examination deemed the sensor to be faulty. When I dropped off the vehicle the coolant level was near minimum so little wonder the sensor went off but they say coolant level was normal at time sensor sent alert. Accordingly the had to replace the reservoir with inbuilt sensor as it’s not available separately.
So far in less than a year this car has had water pump, thermostat housing, wheel bearing, oil cap, timing chain cover, seal and bolts replaced, clutch pack and coolant reservoir replaced. The vehicle has been off the road for more than 8 weeks. VW has spent several thousands of dollars on this vehicle. I have been without income for more than 8 weeks as it’s a work vehicle. I asked VW to refund the vehicle as I have lost faith in the brand and after sales service. They refused. They say the vehicle is operating within specification despite the coolant having to be replenished several times. They have exhausted all testing and as a result declare the vehicle to be operating within specification. I am confident the vehicle will continue to consume coolant as the replacement reservoir was not because it was leaking but the sensor was deemed faulty.
The oil leak was highlighted several thousands of klms beforehand and 2 VW mechanics at dealership stated when I suggested my mechanic suspected the leak was in timing cover that there was no seal there and no oil present there. How wrong they were.
To say I am disappointed with the reliability and quality of this vehicle is an understatement. Having seals perish in less than a year. Wheel bearings fail within 50000 klms , thermostat housing crack , clutch pack fail and the ongoing coolant usage. It remains to be seen if the oil usage continues now the source of the leak has been fixed.
Clearly this is not a quality vehicle. I can not recommend it to anyone given my experience. You would think given all the issues I have had with this vehicle VW would want to loose me as a customer, refund my vehicle and have me go away but seems they are happy for this saga to continue and I am confident it will.
So in mid October car started and then cut out right away. Lots of different warnings came up on screen from immobiliser to gearbox error. Called VW roadside assist who diagnosed it needed a new battery which they fitted and car was perfect for 2 days then same thing happened again. This time took vehicle to dealership where they told me it was a key recognition error and to return next morning with both original keys and they would re program them while i waited. After an hour and a half they took me home and said they would collect me that afternoon when vehicle was ready as they were having issues with the re programming. I got my car back 5 days later.
Next day I received a customer satisfaction survey to complete from VW where in their introduction they described their vehicles as “class leading” which clearly mine is not. I completed the survey with the same information as is in this review. The next day a guy named [name removed] from VW head office called as they were concerned with my poor review. I spent close to an hour discussing my issues with my car. He apologised for my experience and said there would be someone in contact from both the dealership and head office within 24 hours. Three days later when I had heard nothing I called and asked to speak to him but I did not make contact. I e mailed the manager who had signed the cover letter accompanying the survey telling him my bad customer experience was continuing.Later that day a guy named [name removed]from VW called and said he was now handling my case as it had been escalated. So once again I spent another hour explaining the issues to him. Once again he said he would need time to thoroughly investigate and to give him 48 hours. Three days later when I hadn’t heard from him I called. Again we had a lengthy discussion and I offered to send photographic evidence in contradiction of the fairy tale the dealership had been spinning him. He accepted the offer and said he would get back to me in a few days. Over the weekend I assembled lots more evidence and wanted to discuss this with him so I called and asked to speak to him. When I was put through to him the line suddenly went dead. I called back this time to be told he was not in the office that day and the girl who answered was very persistent asking what it was about. I gave her some info then decided it was best to wait for [name removed] return and told her to disregard out conversation and to ask [name removed] to return my call. That afternoon another woman called and said she was now handling my case but it was obvious she knew nothing about my case from our conversation. She wasn’t even aware of the outcome I was seeking Again I told her I wanted to wait for [name removed] return. She told me he was still out of the office and didn’t know when he would return. She said she needed some time to look through my case and that she would call me if she had any questions. The next day she called and told my my case for a refund had been rejected. I had calculated my car had spent 60 days in the dealership within the first year. VW has as recently entered into an agreement with the ACCC to improve their handling of customer complaints. Well in my recent case if having to deal with 4 different people none of whom get to stick with the case is an improvement it must have been really bad before. My car continues to use coolant and now has another oil leak. I reckon around $10000 worth of warranty work has been done on this vehicle which has 67000 klms on the clock and VW would describe this as class leading! Stay tuned!

November 16th 2018 Update: VW Response

So i got a written response from VW saying my vehicle is operating within specification and all repairs have been carried out under warranty, and accordingly my claim for a refund has been rejected. Clearly VW are still putting up smoke screens and denying Australian customers from their consumer rights. They voluntarily entered into an agreement with ACCC to uphold Australian consumer rights and this vehicle clearly qualifies for a refund based on Australian Consumer Law based on the major failure of the clutch pack and multiple failure with the combination of all the other issues.
November 19
Some 4 weeks later now since car was last at dealership for warranty repairs. You guessed it it’s back there again. Yesterday for the third time I started the car and it cut out right away. Repeated this several times. Warnings displayed on screen from gearbox error to immobiliser active to apply the brake. So I took it back to dealership and waiting to hear what they find.
November 30. Car just returned to me after 11 days at dealership. Has had the mechatronic replaced so this hopefully will sort out the issue of the gear not being engaged upon starting and the constant warning notice telling me to apply the break. This issue has being going on for several months and the gearbox error appeared on the last three occasions when I had issues with the vehicle. One of the keys has been replaced as the second key that came with the car was not programmable. The immobiliser active warning turned out to be that the coil reader needed replacing and accordingly both keys needed reprogramming and so a new programmable key had to be provided. I can only guess but I reckon there has been more than $15000 in warranty repairs carried out on this vehicle over the endless failures and I doubt it’s over.

Good gone Bad! In pursuit of world domination! Once good value now Vv. Poor. All new vehicle sales staff completely changed.... why? Prices getting ridiculous now too! Audi prices. Cost of Joining the Master Race ain't cheap Right?
Wife's car was 'Given' a 60,0000k service BUT VW had traveled Only 50k! Cost $1,100! @&#%. NB. Capped price was $800ish but still Charged over $ 200 just for the oil alone (5litres of Standard oil that they chose). Will BYO next time. Lots of stuff 'checked' over. Little real work!
Effectively only got a minor service and Should've only been charged as a minor service right? WTF!
Owners Must Check out John Cadogans videos (on Autoexpert.com.au) esp to re rather Poisonous/carcinogenic VW Diesel vehicle emmissions. scandalous..... Class actions worldwide against deliberate actions of VW head office in Germany - and now (VW Aust) subsequent disgraceful treatment of Aussie customers seeking redress. For this we pay thru their highest ever prices. Prob to cover legal penalties.
(NB. Reminds us of VWs origins.... compares to 2nd World War gas chambers...... you are buying into more than u realised.)
Similar stories here re Audi. See Q5 commentarys. My prev keen appetite for all cars from this group has suddenly collapsed. NO THANKS, I'M WALKING AWAY. FAST! Ship is looking shaky.

I have been driving my Passat for a while now have not had a problem! Very good mileage out of full tank of petrol and an extremely smooth drive. The boot is huge for a sedan and would not need to move up into a bigger car once having children. Have had many people comment how luxurious the leather seats are and how much room they have when sitting in the back seat - even with 3 adults!! Although i have to admit my fave part is the seat warmers!!
Great car - no regrets whatsoever.