Volkswagen Passat B8 MK7 Sedan

Sleek and Sexy – The VW Passat is a dream to look at and drive. Sits solid on the road and corners well with exceptional braking and suspension. The seats are so comfortable that you have to force yourself to exit after a heavenly long drive. Eye-catching in any color and absolutely extraordinary in fuel consumption. I used my Passat for absolutely everything… Read more

such as shopping, daily commute to and from work, weekly drives through the countryside from QLD to NSW and back. I would only need to fuel up once a week. Easy to service, it only required two services per year. I found it very hard to walk away from this vehicle. My number one pick out of all the famous European models on the market today.

Perfect U need this car – A very good car nice to drive in and goes hard when your drive it out of all the Passat best one yet that my option I give it a 10/10 Show details

Beautiful car – This is an absolute pleasure to drive, from the moment you step inside this gorgeous car you are surrounded by all the quality you would expect from a Volkswagen. The passat is in a league of it's own a truly exceptional car, I'm so glad I made this purchase. Show details

Passat B8 2.0TDI 150 DSG, a smooth, efficient, spacious sedan – The Passat diesel is my business transport and our family's car for longer journeys, we also have a Mazda CX3 petrol for local driving. With dieselgate impacting demand for VW diesel cars, the as-new condition Passat was purchased at 12 months / 9,000km old at a significant discount. This review is written after eight months ownership with just… Read more

13,500km recorded; COVID-19 has eliminated business use, and curtailed private travel. The Passat is a comfort oriented car, no sportiness in this car's DNA. A torquey engine, smooth changing auto box, good steering & brakes, plus well-sorted adoptive cruse control create a relaxed suburban and long distance car. Highway economy is exceptional, less than 5 litres / 100km @ 120km/h, and close to 4 litres / 100km is achievable when the ACC is set at 110km/h. The Passat 2.0TDI is the most economical long-distance car I have owned in 40 year's driving. Other positives include space for four adults, a large regularly shaped boot, bright LED headlights, good build and interior quality, 66 litre fuel tank, and a proper spare wheel rather than the next to useless sealer / inflator arrangement in our Mazda. Handling & cornering grip is good for a car set-up for comfort, however speed humps have to be taken slowly to avoid thumps. Interior noise levels are about average for a large sedan, the engine is relatively muted, it's road noise that intrudes when the surface is anything other than super smooth; more sound proofing needed. Something I've noticed is a slight DSG auto-box lurch which occurred when pulling-off disappeared after a few months ownership, I believe this could be due to the DSG learning and adopting to my driving style which is pretty relaxed. I've had zero issues with this car, not a squeak or rattle to complain about.....no reason whatsoever to contact the dealer. Although the Passat is a one of the best sedans on the market there are a few weaknesses including no auto-dim, rear seats which do not fold down level with the boot floor meaning a hump and a smallish pass-through opening, also limited glove box and center arm rest storage. Considering the Passat is a comfort-oriented sedan bought by an older clientele, the ride height should be 30-40mm higher to ease entry and exit. The Aerton is there for VW buyers seeking lower, sportier transport. To meet today's emissions regulations modern diesel engines are fiendishly complicated; the Passat has two EGR systems, three engine cooling micro-circuits, exhaust catalyst, DPF, Add Blue injection, numerous sensors, computers, etc. etc.....so lots to go wrong as the car ages. All this kit is tightly packaged in an engine bay with not a centimetre to spare, while extensive use of (possibly recycled?) plastic engine components & fasteners raise long-term reliability concerns; expect plastic exposed to under bonnet temperatures to crack and fail from year 8 or 9, sooner in a hot climate. One consequence of having to fit so much into a limited space is the (plastic) oil filter can not be accessed from above, this regular maintenance task demands the car be raised, under-engine tray removal, and disconnection of wiring....just to change an oil filter.....really bad design Volkswagen! I do my own regular servicing, ignoring the claims made of long life engine oil, filter & oil are changed every year or 10,000km. In summary, the Passat diesel strongly recommended, keep to age 7 or 8, then sell before the big repair bills start arriving. P.S. the scores below reflect the comments in this review.

Great car, no significant problems – I purchased in August 2017, new. Mine is build year 2017 and model year 2017. My km is now around 26k. I know this is not a high mileage but nonetheless I have had zero significant problems. The only problems I have had so far: - Creaky hinge on the drivers side (fixed in seconds at the dealership) - Left back seat would not drop when pulling the… Read more

lever from the boot. This was a simple problem of cable slipping out under the upholstery on the back seat. Again, fixed in seconds at the dealership (but has happened twice). You just pop it back in with your fingers.

That's it. Otherwise, it has been a quiet, luxurious car to cruise around in. I get around 8.5l/100km around town and about 5.5l/100km on the highway. I can drive for about 1000km before refueling on long trips.

The adaptive cruise control works very well including at low speed, so I use it all the time, including in urban areas.

Passat R-line, Luxurious – 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… Read more

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.

Love it – 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.  Show details

2016 132 tsi. Very disappointing – 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… Read more

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.

Complete family car – This generation of Passat is a great car to drive. The steering has great feel and the car is still very comfortable to travel in. It has enough power to overtake on any type of road. my car is consuming around 7 litres per 100 after 10,000kms. The car requires premium fuel so add that to the running costs. Overall its a very quiet car that can take in 5 people comfortably.  Show details

Great European car for less. Value for money, loads of features – Got Passat B8 MY17 2.0 TDI with luxury pack. Inside out great for the price tag. Powerful 2.0 Diesel engine. Layout great, comfort great, features great, with message chair. I had Q7(MY11), A6(MY14), Amarok(MY13), LC200(MY11) and I did not think of Passat the first place. It is not as quite as Audi, and the sound system Audi is better (S-line),… Read more

other than that, I rate it better than Audi, especially for similar luxury and power of A6, I paid $30k less.

Safety features are great, Phone connects (wired) to media center allowing you to use phone apps on MMC avoid getting fine for touching your phone while driving, Adaptive cruise control, Lane assist, clear reverse camera with park sensors, blind spot assist, too much to list.

Comfort features including massage chair, heated seats, automatic reverse parking, courtesy interior lights, huge back seat space with great leg room, sport style bucket seat, etc.

Bi Xenon head lights are great, super bright and white, cornering lights are bright enough to see clear and far at night when turning. Great tail light design. Courtesy lights under mirrors/handles.

Other feature beats more expensive rival including full size alloy spare rather than spare inflate kit.

Things I am not satisfied：

- Middle storage has one USB port only, I would prefer 12v socket so that I can connect multiple USB hub.

- Front 12v Socket is hidden under sliding lid. Nowadays, 12v socket is a must use feature for most drivers. no point to hide it.

- 12v Socket for rear passengers located behind middle storage box under air cond vent with big lid covering it. If using USB charging, the lid will have to stay open in awkward position. I rather have it without cover lid and make it dual rather than single.

*** To all vehicle manufacturers ***

Dash cam, action cam on vehicle is very very popular nowadays, why manufacturers did not think of putting couple of USB ports on mirror mounting base??? This will allow us to use short cable to power dash cam and action cam without running such long power cable around front screen down to dash console and still see cable running to 12v socket in middle console.

Good Car – Smooth driving car that is fuel efficient and quiet. The dashboard is set out well and easy to use. The car has been reliable so far and looks stylish. The main problems with the car is that there is an intermittent vibration/rattle within the dash on the drivers side. I have yet to take the vehicle for its first service that is due in about six… Read more

months time so I will have this checked out. The automatic cut out for the engine whilst the car is stationary can be a nuisance as you have to manually deactivate it every time you turn the car on. The car handles very well and has a large boot as well which is perfect as a family car.

Great technology! – Passat 132Tsi, R-line and with the luxury pack: very well equipped vehicle, that is truly up there with the Mercedes C200, the BMW 320 and the Audi A4, at much less a price. The finish is outstanding, the drive exciting, and the technology top notch - ACC and lane departure in particular makes the vehicle semi-autonomous, and the all round sensors… Read more

and anti collision systems have already saved me from reversing into traffic. The active instrument display is the future right now, and the interior beats at least one of the above, much more expensive vehicles. This is my 8th VW, and each has demonstrated improved innovation and safety features, and been extremely reliable

Fully loaded german beauty for good value – Hi to all, did buy 6 months ago new top if the range Vw Passat 140tdi R-line! What an excellent car, it has every possible option being R-line model. Looks stunning in white with black grill and black roof including sunroof with 19 inch wheels and LED lights all round! Being diesel means excellent on fuel, round town showing 6.0-6.1 liter per… Read more

100kms on open road only 4.9l!

It's fast enough for diesel 7.7sec 0-100!

Did changed around 12 cars in last 20 years but this one is the best so far if you include power-looks-consumption and all luxuries you can get for as much as something like toyota, ford, kia, holden, etc..etc!

Did I mentioned the handling of this car it's excellent being front wheel drive never taught they'll come this far (it has modes for sport suspension set up as well).

Use to have all v8 cars, turbo cars utes, wich they are all good cras but for roughly same money this is on another level.

With this kind of equipment on car would pay at least another 15-20 grand for c250 or 320d also this looks much better in and out!

Interior is all blacked out including roof as well and they used quality materials, seats are very supportive and sporty with quality leather all round and back seat offers more room than my last fg mk2 xr6!

It has digitaly adjusted dual aircon for rear as well.

All safetys are good to have adaptive cruise, lane assist, sensors all around, reversing camera, gps etc..etc!

Could go on for ever, simply very good car!

Hope this helps to someone and also have 5 years warranty basicaly on everything!

Cheers!