1999 Volkswagen Passat 1.8 T Sport review from UK and Ireland

Air Mass sensor fault at 56000 miles.

Passenger door lock failed at 58000 miles causing door to jam shut.

The Passat has superb performance and reasonable economy. Acceleration is brisk and the car cruises well on motorways.

The ride quality is very good although I would prefer slightly firmer damping (my car does not have sports suspension despite being a sport model)

The perceived build quality is quite high, the doors feel heavy and make a solid clunk and the interior is well finished although rather gloomy in black.

The car has been let down by problems you would not expect from a "quality" German car. The air mass sensor is clearly a design fault as 3 of my friends with late 90's VWs have had identical problems with their cars.

The door lock fault is apparently quite common according to a friend who works at a dealer. First the door was difficult to close and required several slams and then one day it decided to not open at all.

These faults and dealer's attitudes has left me seriously disillusioned with the marque to which I have been loyal to for 12 years.

It appears that VW have become a victim of their own success and risk losing many of their loyal customers.