Anyone have ownership experience with the current generation of VW products? Has the "product" improved enough for a realistic recommendation? In other words, do the windows now work correctly, and not when they feel like it? Electricals trustworthy? Turbos more robust than a roll of wet toilet paper? I'm asking because other mags are "singing the praises" of the Passat and Jetta and I am in the market for a nearly new car.
The only VW product I would buy is a MK 5 or 6 golf GTI, as the GTI was still built in wolfsburg. Passat TDI is a great car if you drive a lot of miles, but short trips can cause turbo problems. Jetta and gasser Passat are outclassed by a number of other vehicles, IMHO, such as the Mazda 6, the new Impala, Accord Sport with a 6Mt, et al.
But I am thinking of sliding to the dark side and finding a nice low miles MK 6 GTI this fall.
We've had an A5/MkV '09 TDI Jetta with DSG transmission since new, just hit 85K miles this past weekend, and we still love it. We had a MkVI '13 2.5 SEL Jetta for 31 days while our TDI was in the body shop after getting rear-ended... we loathed the new gas burner Jetta.
The rental didn't have quite 30K miles on it, and the interior was literally falling apart, I know it was a rental and I'm sure treated as such, but still ours hasn't been babied, and while not pristine it's in darn good shape with 85K on it. The '13 was cheaper in every way than our '09, materials, build quality, fit/finish, etc. but buy-in on the current Jettas are cheaper than the previous generation so I guess some of that is to be expected. Finally that 2.5l I5 is wheezy, gutless, and mediocre at best on fuel economy, granted we're spoiled by the TDI.
The VW 2.5l compared very similarly to my N/A Volvo 850 (2.4l I5) on power, the Volvo has more low end, and doesn't rev quite like the Jetta's 2.5l, but both are lacking for power, and the VW I5 doesn't best the 20 year old tech of the Volvo I5 in fuel economy by a whole lot either.
I had our Jetta at the dealer for it's DSG service a couple months ago, and was really intrigued by the new "new" beetle, seemed better put together than the Jetta, I don't care for the looks of the Passat, plus it's kind of big. I really have/had my heart set on a GTD, but the US is no longer getting one for the foreseeable future. I want 4 doors, so that excludes the Beetle. Leaving the Golf as the best option of the current line up, for me anyway. Whatever I got from VW it would either be powered by the 2.0L turbo or TDI, definitely not the 2.5l.
I have had two German-made mk6 cars: a '10 Golf TDI and a '12 GTI. Had no problems with either one, both were great daily & highway appliances. Nice seats & great interiors & excellent mpg too. Granted I sold both while still under warranty but regardless, I would recommend. Guess we'll see what happens with the mk7, it's on my radar for when I get tired of the FoST in another year or two 
Bump thread...
I'm wondering if anyone has any experience in how the Passat TDI (2011-present) compares with others in its class such as the Accord and Sonata. We're looking for a family sedan and I drive about 50 miles a day for work. Test drove the Honda and Hyundai, haven't had time for the VW yet but would like to.
A friend of mine has one and absolutely loves it and recommends it but he's not technical in his reviews.
Thanks too to @Teggsan for the emails and help too!
You'll need to log in to post.
