Faults:

Glow plug. Not too expensive.

Driver's door electric window switch failed. Cheap and easy fix. Very common in this model to fail.

The rest was just wear and tear, interior taking on a bit of a rough look and feel, disappointing at only less than 80K miles, lots of rattles, vibrations and some breakage. VW interiors are not as solid as some claim.

Mechanically I take care of the car well, all oil changes and cam-belt change carried out.

General Comments:

2015 Passat, first of the new B8 shape cars. Absolutely stunning looking car with 17 inch alloy wheels in darker colors.

To drive the 1.6 TDi can move when it needs to, but by no means a fast car. But that is OK - this version is built for economy. You will have low tax and insurance, and around 50 mpg no matter how you drive it. VW's claim of 70 mpg is a bit out there, but drive carefully in summer months and on long motorway cruises, you will see around 60 mpg for sure.

Interior is very smart and comfy. Seats on this SE model are super comfortable. Dash materials are OK, but as mentioned above, maybe not as solid as they should be. There is also a lot of engine noise and vibrations at low speed. Not the most refined. But, it's certainly still a very comfortable car, and is actually much more smooth on motorways at speed, and cruises very well with a muted hum of that diesel engine that is not to intrusive once heated up.

The car is sharp to drive. There are various driving "modes", but to be honest the differences are subtle and hard to notice. You'll probably select normal mode and leave it there. As for the start stop system, it rarely activates and can be annoying, but you can turn this off also.

The car has plenty of features and the infotainment system is actually a little distracting on the move; best find your favorite settings when parked to avoid any messing around on the move. Touch screen can be unresponsive, I like analogue controls.

The boot is huge and seats four adults in comfort very well. Extremely practical car. Not a big fan of key-less start - easy to lose/forget keys when you get out and seems unnecessary.

But I have only minor complaints. The car has been mostly a positive experience over the last couple of years. I'd say its every bit as good if not better than rival cars such as Ford Mondeo, Vauxhall Insignia, etc. In short, the VW Passat is a super economical reliable car (if cared for) that should last many years. Buy nothing less than a car with full history and you have bought quality and reliability.

Faults:

Nothing so far.

General Comments:

2015 Passat, first of the newer shape cars for this year.

Love the look, considerably larger and more imposing than previous generation Passat.

Typical grey metallic but suits it well. I think it is a good looking car.

Inside grey also, but very comfortable and functional. Tech S model is a bit basic, but the car has all the electrics you would expect.

1.6 TDi is a good all round engine. Not the fastest car in the world, but with 55 mpg or more who is complaining? Tax and insurance are also reasonable.

A bit expensive to buy initially, but more than makes up for it in the long run, this is a reliable and economical vehicle if cared for. I know taxi drivers who run these with 200,000 miles on them, so mine has plenty life left in it.