Faults:

Minor problem with the radio - dealer replaced under warranty - no quibbles.

General Comments:

The options added to the car at purchase were metallic paint, sports suspension (kept the standard SE alloys) and the winter pack that came free with the car at time of purchase - the heated seats were spot on, especially on early cold winter mornings.

I found the 130 diesel engine to be a reasonable mix of performance and economy. It is a little on the noisy side, when compared to some of the competition, but I didn't find it to intrusive, in fact I quite liked it (weird maybe!!). On one occasion I managed to squeeze almost 60 mpg on a 600+ mile round trip (Didn't even need to top to fill the tank). On the whole it generally averaged approx. 52mpg, which for an estate car, that probably has all the aerodynamics of a wardrobe isn't too bad at all - especially considering the sort of kit that I had to run up and down the country.

The seats were OK, with plenty of adjustment to get comfortable and all the switch gear seemed to be in the right places. Something that sets this car apart from some of the others is the attention to detail, for example the small sun visor that flips down from behind the rear view mirror, closing off the gap that's always between the passenger and drivers sun visors - no need for the black stipple effect that's usually found in that area of the windscreen.

Although it is only meant to be an estate car and not really designed for chucking into roundabouts, keeping the standard wheels, but opting for the sports suspension, gave the car more precise handling in the corners, but did not effect it's motorway ride quality too much.

I found the dealership very helpful and efficient - I cannot comment on service costs etc, as this car was my company car, so all costs were covered.

On the whole this car is a good all rounder, it's probably not the best car in this category, but I found that it managed to do everything that I needed it to do.

Faults:

4 new wheels replaced under warranty. Old ones were blistering.

Gearbox refurbished under warranty.

Rust on the rear tailgate. Dealer hadn't checked previous owner's poor repairs.

Dashboard has been removed and re-fitted. Rattled.

Driver's seat belt has been replaced. Wasn't returning preoperly.

Various creaks and groans from the interior trim.

Turbo stopped working one day. Loose pipes.

General Comments:

Replaced VW Golf TDI 130 with this Passat for more room for my family.

Typical VW reliability problems.

Dealer has been polite and efficient in resolving the problems. Despite having caused 1/2 of them themselves.

Cabin is gloomy, but the VW trademark blue illumination helps at night.

Mine's got the tinted windows in the rear which is excellent for passengers.

Fuel economy is excellent on longer journeys - around 47mpg. On shorter journeys - generally 40mpg.

Seats are exceptionally hard, so some people find them uncomfortable.

Performance is acceptable considering the vast size of the car.

VW roadside assistance will fix your car quickly and politely.

Faults:

Temperature gauge stopped working.

Passenger footwell trim fell off.

Intermittent misfire - dealer had it in twice and couldn't find anything wrong with it.

General Comments:

A nice car in many ways. It's big, elegant and still looks sharp even though they are everywhere now, and the design is getting on a bit. The interior design looks high quality and modern, and the performance from the 1.8 turbo engine is good.

I didn't like the steering which was too light and the brakes which were over-assisted to the point of being dangerous. Much less of a drivers car than the Peugeot 406 I had before, although it was a bit better built. Not as much so as the hype would have you believe though.

Some niggling faults, but basically reliable. Some of the trim quality and levels of fit and finish were not so good if you looked closely, despite a good, solid overall impression when you first get in the car.

The worst thing about the car though was the fuel consumption. Even on a motorway run at a steady 70-80, it wouldn't do much more than 28-30 mpg and around town it averaged 24. Not good enough for just 150 bhp really.

Generally an OK car, but like the 406 it does feel old hat now next to the Mondeo and Mazda 6. New model should be better.

Faults:

Absolutely nothing.

General Comments:

I had a 1999 Passat and this new model just strengthens my faith in the VW brand.

Unfortunately this is what the fleet company call a pre hire car, which means I only have it for 10,000 miles or until whatever car I have chosen is delivered. This was out of my price range so I have had to settle for a Mazda 6. It will have to be one hell of a car to beat this.

Its the estate pump deause engine, quick, economical, smooth.

It is finished in the nicest shade of metallic blue.

The only down point on the entire car is the useless wipers. They are a new design with no metal parts, just like a big blade. They shudder, smear and jump off the screen at anything over 50mph.

Brilliant car though, Buy one.

Faults:

On collection from dealership to getting the car home I noticed all the chrome around the windows had white blemishes. Took it back and two days later the car had all the chrome replaced.

I asked for black paintwork, but got a metallic black which shows the smallest of scratches.

General Comments:

This car can shift.

Super six speed gearbox

The 2.5V6 engine launches you

A little body roll on corners to my surprise with having 225/17 tires should have opted for sports suspension

Would you believe it 20000 miles between services

Very happy to own this motor.