VW Passat Variant TDI testdrive

[Autobahn]

So last weekend I had the chance to drive a friend's new Passat Variant TDI to Austria for skiing. It was the newest model (no clue about VW's internal codes) with about 9000 kms on the clock. The car was packed with skiing gear and other stuff and I was the only person in the car. Most of the time I was following the coach that was transporting the rest of the group. Therefore my average fuel consumption after about 400 kms with traffic jams was 5.0 L/ 100 km.

Now for the review:

Interior:
The interior was the beige leather with the light wood. It looked very nice in conjunction with the aluminium appliances in the interior. The leather felt soft and high quality. The only thing that was annoying from a visual perspective where two (unnecessary) gaps in the wood panelling right above the navigation screen. The car was equipped with the big DVD navigation system which was extremely easy to use. The only annoying thing was when I was in the middle of a snow storm in the Alps and wanted to find an alternative route that navigating the map is not possible. You can zoom in and out but I wasn't able to move the map to the right or left (maybe I just didn't know how, but it should be a feature that's intuitive).
All the other controls where where I would suspect them in a Mercedes too. Very easy to use.
After doing some unnecessary highbeam flashes I finally found out that the cruise control stalk is lower than the light stalk.
Space was enough but after 4 hours of driving my back felt very tired, something that never happens to me in a C or E-Class.

Driving:
The first annying thing is that the car doesn't flash when you lock it. It flashes once and the headlights go on when you unlock it, but no signal when you lock it WTF?
The next thing is the handbrake which is very cool. You just press a button, very nice.
The car was equipped with the 6 speed manual which is by no means a 3 series shifter. It shifts nicely but you need to get accustomed to it. The shifter in my A-Class is better.
If you start the car, the turbo lag in 1st gear is horrendous. It doesn't move at all. After 2nd gear the 140 hp TDI pulls very strongly up to 200 km/h (that was the max I had it at). The steering is precise but gets very very stiff at speed (I guess it had some sort of parameterized steering).
Straight line stability is very good (also partly to the very stiff steering at speed). Cornering is ok for such a big car. I feels a bit more disconnected from the road that let's say a 5 series or a C-Class but more connected than an E-Class. I pushed the poor thing up a mountain road at good speed and it certainly had traction problems (even with winter tires) in sharp slightly wet (not icy) corners in 2nd gear after the turbo kicked in  (I stopped testing that because it wasn't my car). Otherwise you can direct it pretty nicely but the front-end of the car is totally invisible. It certainly lacks the star to indicate the end of the hood.
Another annoyance are the automatic lights. There is no indicator that tells you whether the damn thing has now switched on the lights or not so I just switched on the lights automatically in order to not get into trouble in Austria. the automatic wipers worked flawless though.

All in all, it is a very nice car that I would take over a C-class or 3 series or A4 wagon anyday, since it is considerably nicer and the others are not that much better. Well done VW, a nice family transporter.

[TBR]

I think variable assist power steering is pretty common. If my 1995 Honda has it, I'd think that most new cars do. It is probably just more obvious in the Passat than most other cars.

[cawimmer430]

Keine Bilder? 

Nice review. You should work for Audibild...eh, Autobild. 

[AltinD]

...The only thing that was annoying from a visual perspective where two (unnecessary) gaps in the wood panelling right above the navigation screen.

... The first annying thing is that the car doesn't flash when you lock it. It flashes once and the headlights go on when you unlock it, but no signal when you lock it WTF?

...The steering is precise but gets very very stiff at speed (I guess it had some sort of parameterized steering).

... Another annoyance are the automatic lights. There is no indicator that tells you whether the damn thing has now switched on the lights or not so I just switched on the lights automatically in order to not get into trouble in Austria.

All in all, it is a very nice car that I would take over a C-class or 3 series or A4 wagon anyday, since it is considerably nicer and the others are not that much better. Well done VW, a nice family transporter.

Why didn't you pushed those gaps and you'd have seen what are they about. They have compartments or if the car have Blue Tooth, the phone keypad is in one of them.

Flashing and all are adjustable and programable as you like (of course by the service center)

Yes, the steering responce is adjustable.

To activate the automatic lights, you should move the headlight switch to the appropriate position. (So you have OFF, Parking Lights, Full Lights, Auto Lights positions, as well as for the fog lights)

Indeed, I would also take the Passat over those other cars.

[nickdrinkwater]

It's a very nice car.  Good review, too.

I wouldn't buy one though - two reasons:

1) It's been marketed as 'midlife crisis retreat' here - http://www.easier.com/view/News/Motoring/Volkswagen/article-117513.html
2) My dad has one (to be fair, he bought it before they started the midlife crisis thing)

[Autobahn]

Why didn't you pushed those gaps and you'd have seen what are they about. They have compartments or if the car have Blue Tooth, the phone keypad is in one of them.

That is what I did, but in the wood panel above those things where the keypad is there are some more gaps

The pic below is with aluminium only but has the same problem I tried to mark them.



Flashing and all are adjustable and programable as you like (of course by the service center)

cool then I would be happy

Yes, the steering responce is adjustable.

Can I actually go to the service center and ask them to make it a tad lighter? It was very heavy even on mountain roads at higher speeds, it's not a problem but I am not used to it.

To activate the automatic lights, you should move the headlight switch to the appropriate position. (So you have OFF, Parking Lights, Full Lights, Auto Lights positions, as well as for the fog lights)

I did move it to the auto position and the lights turned on in tunnels etc. But there was no indicator whether they are automatically on or not which would be convenient. Nevertheless since in Austria you need to turn on the light all the time I just did that :)

Indeed, I would also take the Passat over those other cars.

[TheIntrepid]

The first annying thing is that the car doesn't flash when you lock it. It flashes once and the headlights go on when you unlock it, but no signal when you lock it WTF?

Push lock again to chirp the horn. Every VW has this.

[CALL_911]

Push lock again to chirp the horn. Every VW has this.

The horn doesn't sound. It beeps. That's the case in the Audi, at least.

[nickdrinkwater]

If that is the case (about the lights) then that's pretty stupid.

The only car I've ever driven with auto lights was a Nissan Qashqai, and once you had set the switch in the auto position, whenever the lights came on, the indicator on the dash was shown and the instrument panel was lit - just as if you were using 'normal' lights.

[Autobahn]

If that is the case (about the lights) then that's pretty stupid.

The only car I've ever driven with auto lights was a Nissan Qashqai, and once you had set the switch in the auto position, whenever the lights came on, the indicator on the dash was shown and the instrument panel was lit - just as if you were using 'normal' lights.

My A-Class does it the same way. Once the auto lights turn on a little sign in the dash is lit so you acutally see that they are on.