Faults:

Car ran beautifully for about 4000 miles and then it all started going wrong, as follows:

Warnings for "Low coolant" and "check brake pads" go off at random, despite aforementioned coolant level and pads being just fine.

Intermittent stuttering under acceleration until the engine has warmed up.

Climate control display sometimes shows garbage. You don't want to know what I have been quoted to have this fixed.

Popped two ignition coils (still stutters though)

Fuel consumption has gone from 34 mpg average to 26, yet my daily commute hasn't changed. Nobody can tell me why.

Scrubs outer edges of front tyres visibly from about 4,000 miles. Geometry has been checked by 2 VW dealers and proclaimed within spec.

Knocking wishbone bushes started in the last 500 miles, as has a groaning power steering pump.

General Comments:

I gave up my plasticky, but reliable 1996 Mondeo 2.0 Ghia for this car having been seduced by its gorgeous interior and handsome styling, not to mention VW's reputation for quality and durability.

It's an ex lease car from one of the biggest fleet management companies in the country. It's clearly been cared for (the interior and bodywork are both immaculate, and the car has never run so much as a mile late for a service), but as it approaches 97,000 miles, the repair list just keeps growing.

My Mondeo had 150k on it and was still as dependable as clockwork.

I prefer the Passat as a car, and apart from slightly numb steering, it drives beautifully. However, the days of VW building cars to last seem long gone. This is the most unreliable vehicle I have ever owned by a long chalk, and someone at VW needs to have a serious word with their component suppliers.

Interior quality is good though, which is nice when you're limping it to a garage for yet another problem to be fixed.

A terrible disappointment.

Faults:

I had to replace the battery at 20,000 miles as I had inadvertently left the heated wing mirrors on. There is no warning sound to remind you to switch them from the 'heat' position.

I had an ignition coil failure at 27,000 miles, resulting in misfiring and a flashing yellow light warning me that driving the car further could damage the catalytic converter. The misfiring was so bad that I could hardly drive the car anyway.

General Comments:

Generally it is a comfortable car which I enjoy driving.

Long journeys are far easier in this car than in previous, smaller cars.

The cabin is a nice place to be, roomy, with an excellent climate control system. I have got used to the gloomy colour scheme, which is outweighed by the overall feel of quality.

The sound system isn't bad and I feel safe in the car.

The handling isn't very good, but its OK as long as you are careful.

The car is expensive to own, in a very high insurance group considering its cost when new, and with poor mpg and expensive parts. I had 2 wing mirror brackets replaced due to vandalism, costing me £140. This wasn't covered by my insurance as they insisted on a £200 excess for the Passat.

The failed ignition coil was cheap to replace as I'm in the AA, but I am now worried that more coils will fail. I have read that ignition coil failure is a problem on this engine. I asked the dealer about this when buying, but he assured me that the model had been updated, and the problem eliminated. However, this clearly is not the case.