In-depth reviews

Volkswagen Passat saloon review (2014-2021): owner reviews

“The Volkswagen Passat has a quality feel and offers lots of space, but the Mazda6 is better to drive”

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8 Jul 2021

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Carbuyer Rating

3.7 out of 5

Owners Rating

3.4 out of 5

SPECIFICATIONS

Reviews

Owner Reviews

5 out of 5
4 out of 5
3 out of 5
2 out of 5
1 out of 5

67%of people would recommend this car to a friend

Common Problems

Electrics, Engine, Other (1 case)
Engine, Gearbox / clutch, Other (1 case)
Other (2 cases)
Brakes, Electrics, Other (1 case)
Electrics, Gearbox / clutch, Suspension (1 case)

Review 1 of 9

Tell us what you think about your car?

Very disappointed with this car. After getting rid of a Golf after lots of trouble thinking I just got a lemon I had the same problems with the Passat. For a start they're very boring after the whole new car vibe wears off and the touchscreen is horrific to use and goes very slow after a year or so! I've spent over €1700 on repairs not covered under the warranty. The car has honestly spent longer in the garage than in my possession. Also trying to argue with VW is a futile battle. They just do not care after sales is horrific! Defiantly would not recommend. A friend with a Passat changed it for a 508 and is very happy with it. I feel I will be doing the same very soon! Bad form VW! Never mind I constantly get recall letters for the "dieselgate" which still has not been recalled. Also having to book and pay for a courtesy car when it goes in to be serviced is a joke. Volkswagen not what they used to be unfortunately.

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

No Red thumbs down

Tell us what you think about your car?

I have a real love/hate relationship with my Passat, as another reviewer has noted once the new car 'buzz' has worn off this car becomes about as exciting as wallpaper paste and the minor annoyances quickly turn to major ones. The main issue is the lack of standard equipment. There's no parking sensors, no apple car play or android auto (even city cars get that as standard now!), no rear windscreen wiper, full cloth seats (not even having half leather is just disappointingly cheap and unacceptable compared to its rivals), the boot is designed in such a way that you can't fit in a larger box or a large suitcase (which rivals from Ford and Skoda embarrassingly fit with ease!), the infotainment system was sometimes good but suffered from laggy inputs and a mind of its own (it would black screen for hours and sometimes not return for a day, after contacting the dealer they didn't have a clue and it never even got rectified before I just got rid), the manual gearbox was god awful it was extremely loose and rubbery and the clutch sometimes refused to give me Reverse gear, the 1.6-litre unit is a bit gutless at picking up revs from stationary and should be avoided, stick with the 2.0-litre!. Despite the complaints I still find myself recommending this car with CAUTION, ensure you find a Mid/High Specification model, avoid the manual and get the estate if you have a demanding life (kids, job with a lot equipment or if you are a frequent at airports with lots of luggage). Considering I used this car as a taxi for 2 years and I never had 1 mechanical fault I have to commend VW for the build quality, considering how I had hundreds of passengers and nothing ever fell off, squeaked or rattled, also the space! Its a leviathan of a saloon car this! The passengers were quick to commend on the car too and for some reason its a hit with the ladies! (honestly I only ever see women in the driving seat of the new Passat!). The sound system is really good but worryingly the car had 2 cupholders and they were both located in the front centre console area, so don't let people eat or drink in the back unless you want to do a lot of valeting!

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

Yes Green thumbs up

Tell us what you think about your car?

Drives like a dream. Adaptive cruise control is amazing. Plenty of power when needed. Great room for passengers and luggage. Sat nav excellent. Auto gearbox change is seamless.

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

Yes Green thumbs up

Tell us what you think about your car?

This is the best Passat ever, so smooth and well equipped. I have the GT model which is very comfortable and spacious lots of extras as standard equipment. I had only two options on this car a heated front screen and a reversing camera. It is also very economical as well as not expensive on insurance.

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

Yes Green thumbs up

Tell us what you think about your car?

This is my third Passat, the first two we're company vehicles and were excellent the total miles age covered during business use was 150,000 and not a single fault with the two company cars. I purchased my own Passat new in 2016 the vehicle is very comfortable and the engine performance is adequate for my needs. I have a few small faults with this vehicle firstly the radio sound failed to come on various occasions it went back to have an upgrade to the media system which was supposed to sort it out, but it is now doing the same thing again. Also there is an annoying rattle coming from the bulkhead it happens when the engine reaches 1800revs – and the longer you drive the worse it gets. The car has recently been into the local dealer who said the radio fault wasn't there, will have to wait and see also the annoying rattle was diagnosed as a loose engine cover under the engine itself. When I got the vehicle back the rattle was still there and they had failed to put back the wheel arch trim on the offside correctly so I returned the vehicle for inspection again and this time a mechanic accompanied me to listen to the rattle he has said it is the air con pipes in the bulk head rattling so they are going to sort it out we will have to see if this is the fault watch this space. These two issues spoil what is a very good car hopefully when I get it back everything will be back to normal.

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

Yes Green thumbs up

Tell us what you think about your car?

We have had the past four generation of Passats and we have never been disappointed with any of them and this one is just the same. Our Passat averages 60 miles a day on country roads and rarely does motorway journeys. When it comes to the engines, any of the 2.0 TDIs are recommended from me. Ours has 150BHP and while it is not as powerful as our 7th generation which had 170BHP, there is still enough power under the engine to overtake other vehicles which is a common task for our car with the route it has to do every day. The steering of the Passat is very light and the car is so easy to control which can be either a good thing or a bad thing depending on your personal preference. I personally like the steering to be lighter so this isn't a problem for me. The interior of the car is such a nice place to be in. I really do think it feels more upmarket and I honestly would rather be in the Passat than any other of the rivals such as the Ford Mondeo, Vauxhall Insignia or even a BMW 3 Series. Not only that, but everything is laid out logically in the car and it is easy to be able to adjust the air con without having to look where the control is. There is also a load of space in the back of the car for people of all heights so carrying adults in the back is really not a problem with this car. The ride quality is also excellent. Our 7th generation was the sport version which meant that it had sport suspension. I did really like the sport suspension but at times it did feel a bit too firm. The new Passat Business has the standard suspension which gives out the best of both worlds where you are able to feel the surface of the road but it isn't too firm when on a little narrow track or something like that. The boot is also a decent size and can fit everything you would need for a family holiday. However, the boot doesn't seem to be as big as it did as the 7th or even 6th generation of the Passat but it is still an excellent size. According to the computer in the car, it averages between 40MPG and 60MPG but that depends on who is driving it and the journey. Still impressive for a car this size. Our car does have SatNav, however it does require an SD card for it which does come with the car. However, don't think this will be a problem if you use an SD card to store music as the car has 2 SD card slots which means that you can use one for the SatNav and one for your music. The car also comes with a USB port but that is located in the central arm rest of the car along with an auxiliary port. The looks of the car to me is crossed between the 7th generation of the Passat with the skirts from the VW CC. I quite like the looks of the car but the 7th generation does look prettier to me. Our car is in the standard grey which I think suits the car the best so if you are considering purchasing one of theses, go for the standard grey and save a couple of hundred quid. However, with that said, there is an issue with the paint job on how it seems to be coming off under the coat so you can see the silver metal but you can't actually feel it so depending on where you look at it, it does look like a bird has had the squirts on the car but has managed to go under the coating. It is really hard to explain this problem and it has only appeared within the past few days and we got the car at the end of January 2016. We are going to report this problem to VW and hoping to get it sorted. There are a few minor problems with the car as well. One of the things that could be a problem for some people is that the actual CD player for the car is located in the glove box which means having to lean over to insert a CD. However, most people don't even use CD's these days as they either store their music on an SD Card, USB device or even on their phone which you can then Bluetooth up to the car. Another thing that could be a problem for some people is how to navigate through the trip computer. I found the navigation in the 7th generation really good and logical but it doesn't seem to be as logical in this car. However, these are very little faults and it shouldn't really stop you from purchasing this car as it is an excellent car.

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

Yes Green thumbs up

Tell us what you think about your car?

I acquired this Passat from our company pool with 26,000 miles on the clock. From the outset, the interior and looks impressed me - it is a vision of Germanic elegance in VW's solid grey colour. I must make clear from the outset that I cannot understand the rave review it gets from Carbuyer, especially Mat Watson's road test in which he couldn't name a single bad point! Within a week the parking brake had decided to release itself without warning - twice! The driver's window would only open half way due to tangled wiring in the door and I noticed the door lock button was broken - far from what expect of a car built to 'exacting standards'! I'm not naive and know that Germanic build quality is a bit of a myth nowadays but I still expected far better from an 18 month old car with 26,000 miles. The most disconcerting fault was the car losing all power while driving at 40mph before deciding to kick back into life after a few seconds. The central electronics system came up with a fault recently also and it's currently in the garage. VW have also told me the warranty doesn't cover trim - brilliant! It is certainly a nice, comfortable cruiser with composed and safe (rather than fun) handling but just don't expect much reliability! I'd sooner count on my 21 year old Mk1 Ford Mondeo

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

No Red thumbs down

Tell us what you think about your car?

I've had the car for 8 weeks - first week was great as I got used to the auto gearbox & the size of the car. 1,700 miles in and the niggles are driving me mad for a £30k car. Firstly, the gearbox is all over the place & seems to be overheating when I climb an incline at slow speed. The stop/start is going to cause an accident, it's forever stopping and restarting at the worse times. Example, it stops when the car is still moving at 3mph & worst of all just as you're approaching a junction & need quick acceleration. Switching it off is the only option (even this button is hidden behind the gear selector). The suspension, pull away a little quickly and the front wheels struggle for grip and the car bangs/bounces up the road...cheap suspension! The auto braking function can work well but is too intuitive. The in-car LCD display which controls 80% of the car's gadgets keeps going blank at the worst times meaning no sat-nav/phone etc... it only starts working again after a night on the drive. I could go on with many other niggles. Good points - clever cruise control which does everything - it brakes and accelerates... motorway driving has never been so easy. Another big issue is the auto handbrake. Move the gear selector from D to N and the handbrake releases (it will catch someone out!) The car is big, much bigger than my 2011 3 series BMW in every way. The driver's seat is fully adjustable & takes times to get perfect. Fuel consumption is poor, but I'm hoping this improves with time. I borrowed a colleague's 2013 Passat for 100 miles & it feels a better car to drive. Come on VW you're supposed to be chasing the 3 Series.... you're miles away!

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

No Red thumbs down

Tell us what you think about your car?

Stunning car. Despite the design being quite familiar the new lines really upgrade the premium feel. The trim in the GT is outstanding with the little things like the ambient light pack providing added comfort during night driving.

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

Yes Green thumbs up