Why choose a Camry over a Passat?

[pommes-t]

I don't know.

Everybody should buy the Passat... 

I really think it can do everything better - except the reliability maybe, which is a reason actually...

[Raza]

As anecdotal evidence, my boss has had 3 VWs, the last being a Passat. Vewry nice to drive, but all of them spent a lot of time at the dealership. He finally returned the Passat early on it's lease, paid the penalty, and got a Subaru.

Personally, I find the Passsat the better looking in the Camry/Passat comparo, but I'vebeen a VW fan since the old aircooled days, so I know I'm biased a bit between them. The Camry is cheaper and has a better reputation for reliability (thugh it's probably no more reliable in reality), and it doesn't look bad, just slightly less proportional to me. So, there are reasons people might choose one over the other.

My Uncle Mike is the same way.  He had an original, rear engined Beetle back in the day.  Drove that car everywhere--he's been a fan of Volkswagens ever since.  He's looking into buying a GTI or GLI now, and he's my father's age. 

[sandertheshark]

Why choose a Camry over anything?  Becasue it's a Toyota.  What else has it got going for it?  It's ugly and out-classed by one or more of its competitors in every category.

[Raghavan]

Just get an Accord V6.

[The Pirate]

I would take a VW over a Toyota any day, but for most consumers, point A to point B in max comfort is the priority and the Camry is definitely good at this.  The other factor which plays a big role (even for many enthusiasts) is the proximity of a dealership.  There is a Toyota dealer about 20 miles from me, but the nearest VW dealer is about 74 miles away.  That pretty much eats up your whole day for any service. 

[Raza]

I would take a VW over a Toyota any day, but for most consumers, point A to point B in max comfort is the priority and the Camry is definitely good at this.  The other factor which plays a big role (even for many enthusiasts) is the proximity of a dealership.  There is a Toyota dealer about 20 miles from me, but the nearest VW dealer is about 74 miles away.  That pretty much eats up your whole day for any service. 

I'm the other way around.  I think my closest Toyota dealership is nigh an hour away, but VW is 10 minutes. 

EDIT:  Oh damn, I forgot.  There's one about 5 minutes beyond the Volkswagen dealer.  So it's 10 minutes versus 15 minutes.

[Raza]

Just get an Accord V6.

Yeah, but it's no 20 year old Corolla.

[850CSi]

You really considered the B5 a sport sedan??!!

Yes it is. We have a 1.6 overseas, and I can still speen wheels with that thing. Bloody fun, I hit 140 km/h on practically a 1-lane road.

It IS a sport sedan, and that's a lot coming from me.

[850CSi]

it's not nearly as ... sporty...as even my Camry.

'Nuff said.

[850CSi]

The B5 Passat is about the same size as the previous generation A6 (the one saxonyron used to have). Its bigger than the A4.

No, it's smaller, and you can feel the difference just stepping into it. Passat's also noticably lighter on its feet, although the A6s steering is heavier.

[The Pirate]

I'm the other way around.  I think my closest Toyota dealership is nigh an hour away, but VW is 10 minutes. 

EDIT:  Oh damn, I forgot.  There's one about 5 minutes beyond the Volkswagen dealer.  So it's 10 minutes versus 15 minutes.

Raza, how has the 1.8T engine proved as far as reliability and fuel consumption?  There is a local used dealer with an 03  or so Jetta wagon with a 5 speed and that engine.  It's pretty much equipped exactly as I would want too, so I might have to go check it out.

If it can get close to 30 mpg on the highway, I can live with that

[SJ_GTI]

Raza, how has the 1.8T engine proved as far as reliability and fuel consumption?? There is a local used dealer with an 03? or so Jetta wagon with a 5 speed and that engine.? It's pretty much equipped exactly as I would want too, so I might have to go check it out.

If it can get close to 30 mpg on the highway, I can live with that

My previous car was an A4 1.8T (AWD with a 6-speed manual). For me it was perfectly reliable (biggest issue I ever had with the car was a blown tail light). It got pretty good "average" mileage considering I lived in Montreal. I averaged 24-25 MPG.

On my trips between Montreal and South Jersey (practically all highway except for a short stint through NJ) I usually averaged between 31-33 MPG. 6th gear was pretty tall so I was able to go ~75 MPH while only turning ~3k or so RPMs.

[The Pirate]

My previous car was an A4 1.8T (AWD with a 6-speed manual). For me it was perfectly reliable (biggest issue I ever had with the car was a blown tail light). It got pretty good "average" mileage considering I lived in Montreal. I averaged 24-25 MPG.

On my trips between Montreal and South Jersey (practically all highway except for a short stint through NJ) I usually averaged between 31-33 MPG. 6th gear was pretty tall so I was able to go ~75 MPH while only turning ~3k or so RPMs.

Thanks for the info! 

[850CSi]

My first car was a '99 A4 with the 1.8T mated to a 5MT. Like SJ said, the 6th gear is useful.

It gave me some trouble, but it wasn't really the engine itself (besides the time the alternator belt snapped). Good engine, powerful when the turbos kick in.

[Raza]

Raza, how has the 1.8T engine proved as far as reliability and fuel consumption?  There is a local used dealer with an 03  or so Jetta wagon with a 5 speed and that engine.  It's pretty much equipped exactly as I would want too, so I might have to go check it out.

If it can get close to 30 mpg on the highway, I can live with that

I have the newer engine, with 170bhp (the Jetta will have 180, benefits of transverse mounting) mated to a 5 speed automatic.  With some cruise-and-self control, enve a lunatic like I has made 32 on the highway, which is EPA, I believe. 

Jettas have had their troubles though, as most Mexican Volkswagens have.  I'd take a close look into the car before you make a decision. 

[1 BAD 7]

I never cared for the last generation Toyota Camry. I thought it was very plain vanilla boring. So if this same question was asked a year or farther back I would have picked a Passat in heart beat. But the new generation Camry looks nice and is much improved and makes it much harder choice. But the AWD setup in Passat gives it a sight edge in my mind over FWD Camry.

[ifcar]

Of course, an AWD Passat with no options is already more expensive than a fully loaded Camry.

[SJ_GTI]

Of course, an AWD Passat with no options is already more expensive than a fully loaded Camry.

That's an unusual way to phrase it, though I understand what you are saying.

AWD forces a lot of options, which is why its so much more expensive. AWD itself isn't that expensive, its just that VWAG doesn't offer it on lower trims (in NA anyway...I am pretty sure 4Motion is offers with smaller engines in Europe).

An AWD Passat is priced more against the TL/ES350 rather than the Accord/Camry. The Passat 2.0T is a decent value though.

[nickdrinkwater]

The old Passat, which I think people are referring to, is not considered a sport saloon at all in Europe.  It's not in the slightlest a sporty car.  The handling was inferior to the Mondeo and in terms of looks, it's more about it looking classy than like a sports model.  The main selling points were probably the excellent diesel engines, the comfort, and the upscale image.   I'm not saying they're aren't very nice cars - just not considered sporty.  That would be a BMW 3 Series.

I think the new Passat is a very nice car and I would definitely pick it over a Camry.  I am biased though.  My family took delivery of a brand new TDI the other day.  I can get some pics of it if anyone is interested?

[omicron]

The old Passat, which I think people are referring to, is not considered a sport saloon at all in Europe. It's not in the slightlest a sporty car. The handling was inferior to the Mondeo and in terms of looks, it's more about it looking classy than like a sports model. The main selling points were probably the excellent diesel engines, the comfort, and the upscale image. I'm not saying they're aren't very nice cars - just not considered sporty. That would be a BMW 3 Series.

I think the new Passat is a very nice car and I would definitely pick it over a Camry. I am biased though. My family took delivery of a brand new TDI the other day. I can get some pics of it if anyone is interested?

Get out yo' camera, fool

[850CSi]

The old Passat, which I think people are referring to, is not considered a sport saloon at all in Europe.  It's not in the slightlest a sporty car.  The handling was inferior to the Mondeo and in terms of looks, it's more about it looking classy than like a sports model.  The main selling points were probably the excellent diesel engines, the comfort, and the upscale image.   I'm not saying they're aren't very nice cars - just not considered sporty.  That would be a BMW 3 Series.

Maybe not considered sporty, but I'll be damned in the B5 Passat didn't mask its identity and handle better than any FWD car I've ever driven. The new one is a dissapointment, though... The Mazda 6 felt noticably more tossable.

[ifcar]

That's an unusual way to phrase it, though I understand what you are saying.

AWD forces a lot of options, which is why its so much more expensive. AWD itself isn't that expensive, its just that VWAG doesn't offer it on lower trims (in NA anyway...I am pretty sure 4Motion is offers with smaller engines in Europe).

An AWD Passat is priced more against the TL/ES350 rather than the Accord/Camry. The Passat 2.0T is a decent value though.

I agree. I was referring specifically to the post above mine.

[TheIntrepid]

We're talking about the B6 here. I never said the B5 was luxurious. Certainly better put together than any other car in its class, though.

And it's funny that you're calling me a troll, and then calling the Camry sporty. I haven't driven the new model yet, but the last Camry was downright dangerous at its limits.

Lol Raza i'm sorry I'm coming off really rude. The "troll" was a joke;) and also I didn't call the Camry sporty. I called it sporty IN COMPARISON to the B5 Passat V6. But yeah the new model's much better (Camry and Passat).

*For the record, I may be the Camry troll of the forum, but I HATED the last gen Camry with a passion. It was a travesty to Camry owners, and was also the only generation Camry my family didn't buy.

[ifcar]

The 2.2-liter I4 wasn't a terrific engine though. The 02's 2.4-liter represented a substantial improvement.

[TheIntrepid]

The 2.2-liter I4 wasn't a terrific engine though. The 02's 2.4-liter represented a substantial improvement.

I had the 2.2L I-4 (codenamed 5SFE) in my last Camry. It was horribly slow and annoying. I never drove the 2.4...and I've never driven a 4-cylinder car after that Camry (except my family friend's 1.8L 1998 Corolla VE)... but it's good to hear they've improved the Camry's base engine.

[Raza]

Lol Raza i'm sorry I'm coming off really rude. The "troll" was a joke;) and also I didn't call the Camry sporty. I called it sporty IN COMPARISON to the B5 Passat V6. But yeah the new model's much better (Camry and Passat).

*For the record, I may be the Camry troll of the forum, but I HATED the last gen Camry with a passion. It was a travesty to Camry owners, and was also the only generation Camry my family didn't buy.

Actually, I'd say the B6 is not an improvement over the B5 in any way, other than size.

[ifcar]

Actually, I'd say the B6 is not an improvement over the B5 in any way, other than size.

The engines are much better.

[Raza]

The engines are much better.

That's true, the new V6 is much better than the old one, but it's not like there was anything wrong with the 1.8T (I consider it a much better engine than the old V6), but the 2.0T is a marked improvement.

I'd actually look into buying a Passat 2.0T 6 speed, but to get any decent options, like leather or a sunroof, you have to get an automatic.  Silly package system.

And even then, I don't really need a large car.  It's cavernous compared to the old model.

[850CSi]

I called it sporty IN COMPARISON to the B5 Passat V6.

nope.

[850CSi]

And even then, I don't really need a large car.  It's cavernous compared to the old model.

Have you driven it? It really does feel clumsy compared to the B5, with that high seating position and whatnot.