2003 Volkswagen Passat GLS review from North America
"The car is beautiful, but has a few points to iron out"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
Actually, very little. The gas cap has had to be replace and the trunk light was not connected since day 1. Both things corrected without issues.
I can't get replacement windshield wipers at any auto store, that means more money for VW.
General comments?
The car was bought for my wife would had to have a Passat. My only condition was I had to have a manual transmission. So it worked out OK.
Here's the straight story. (I hate it when people make a car out to be solid gold or a royal mess. Most should be rated in the middle.) The things I like about the car are the transmission, the handling, the full size spare, the mileage and reliability to date. I have had no issues with the mechanics of the car. The engine does NOT like, but a wee-bit of ethanol. A tank full of 10%Eth will produce hard cold starts regardless of octane level or brand of gas. I run pure gas at 87 octane and all is good. I have also run synthetic oil since about 20,000 miles. Mileage has average over 29 mpg in the first 35K miles. Mechanically it appears to be a solid value.
BUT here are the things I do not like, listed.
The turbo engine is unappealing. The turbo rush kicks in right as I shift which makes things awkward. I did change my pattern. When the air conditioning is on the car is a lazy old dog until the turbo spools up. I actually turn the A/C off if I have to go 0mph to??mph in a short time. I have almost gotten myself killed because of the turbo lag. DO NOT buy a turbo and the automatic transmission. If you have to have an automatic get the V6. You will be fine with the 5-speed and the turbo. We test drove almost all combinations of engine and transmission before buying.
The dash is unattractive i.e. boring. Quality is good, but there is nothing to be excited about.
The rear seat cushions are not very comfortable for anything longer than about 2 hours. (I have leather seats).
The center console between the front seats will not store any CD's and be able to close.
The hand crank reclining mechanism on the front seats is horrible. A lever is so much easier.
Recommended reviews
| Solid, comfortable, but trouble-prone |
|
| Amazing car that needs a good owner to take care of it's engine |
| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | Yes |
| Model year | 2003 |
| Year of manufacture | 2003 |
| First year of ownership | 2003 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2005 |
| Engine and transmission | 1.8T Manual |
| Performance marks | 5 / 10 |
| Reliability marks | 8 / 10 |
| Comfort marks | 6 / 10 |
| Dealer Service marks | 8 / 10 |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 6 / 10 |
| Overall marks (average of all marks) | |
| Distance when acquired | 280 miles |
| Most recent distance | 35000 miles |
| Previous car | Pontiac Grand Prix |
| Date of Entry | 16th September, 2005 |