Faults:
Services and new brake pads. Changed cam-belt early as I always do. Expensive, but worth it if keeping the car long term.
Last winter the car's dash lit up with all warning lights, but I'm sure it was just a glitch, never did it again and no apparent problem.
Suspension sounding a bit worn at front, will get it checked out soon.
General Comments:
The Passat of this newer generation (2015 onward) is an incredibly smooth and comfortable car. They are very expensive to buy used, but worth it in my opinion - they return with excellent reliability and low running costs.
2.0 TDi is the one to go for - "Blue Motion Tech" just means the car does its best to be economical. Mine certainly does that - even driving fast I always seem to return well over 50 mpg, very good for a larger car. The car is very nice to drive - 150 bhp and not over the top sporty, but the car is more suited to cruising on motorways. But on twisty roads you can still have fun, seats are very supportive and the suspension is firm enough for faster cornering. GT spec has all the kit.
Interior is very nicely styled and has all the modern equipment you could ever need. If I am being really picky there is not much color choice - all Passat's including mine that I see seem to have black/grey interior, but it kind of suits it. But my car is also grey on the exterior, a dull color but it works on this car. Buying used I had no choice, but if I bought new I certainly would have picked brighter colors to spice things up a bit.
My Passat has been very reliable so far, it is a much improved car over previous generations. A friend of mine has one like mine from 2015 and is used as a taxi, currently on 160,000 miles and has had no major problems. I forecast my car will last me a long time as the mileage is low for its year.
Be under no illusion however, these are expensive cars to repair if things do go wrong. But find a nice looked after Passat at lower mileage and take care of it, and you have a solid car that will last you many years, so they are worth the higher asking price (though they are still ridiculously over-priced for a used car!). More expensive but easily a better car than similar rivals like a Vauxhall Insignia or Ford Mondeo in my opinion.
19th Mar 2024, 16:17
Most cars in this sector in the UK used market are at a premium, even at a decent age with some miles on them. When VW, Ford, all of them really upped their game in the large family/executive market, they started pricing them accordingly, still undercutting BMW and the likes for similar cars however. But the prices of used cars in general has risen since all the covid nonsense, that hasn't helped.