2003 Volkswagen Passat GLS review from North America

I didn't encounter any problems at all with this car.

At 42000 miles I did the 40K inspection at the dealership where I purchased the car. Besides the regular 40k inspection two open recalls (water pump and heated seats) were resolved.

As long as you keep the up with the maintenance plan, I found Volkswagen very reliably (so was my 2000 GTI). I did not encounter any of the problems other user seems to have on both cars.

This car was very reliable for me so far. Since purchase 10 month ago I already drove 12000 miles with this car.

Even on hot weather, I drove through Death Valley and around Moab a lot last Summer, I did not encounter any problems. The AC works very well on this car, compared to my earlier car, which was a Volkswagen GTI 2000.

As I live in Colorado, I really like the big trunk space and the fold-back rear seats. I frequently carry my skis and mountain bike with me on the weekend so for me the trunk space was a huge issue when buying this car.

I wouldn't recommend keeping the standard all season tires (15" 195x65) as there are quite poor on slippery mountain roads.

I'm very impressed with the fit and finish of the cabin interior. The Monsoon stereo system is a must have. Seats are very comfortable on long trips. Full economy is fine for a non-diesel car, I get around 31mpg (top was 38mpg on I-70 in Utah) on the interstate and around 20 - 25 in the city and mountain driving.