2006 Volkswagen Passat SE Estate review from UK and Ireland

First car I have owned that has actually dropped oil on my drive - caused by Tandem Pump fault.

Vibration under dashboard due to broken loom clips.

Intermittent rattle on front passenger door.

Having bought a VW Passat seven years ago and been generally pleased with it, I decided to buy this new one - having had two Audi A4s since the first Passat. The Audi/VW price difference has widened a bit too much.

I have been excited about taking delivery of this vehicle since ordering it last November. It has a light coloured leather interior, something most people don't go for these days - everyone wants black??? In my opinion it has a rather luxurious feel about it considering its price. The car feels solid, and is comfortable, with a good driving position. In general more than coming up to expectations.

It is a pity that the initial shine has been taken off the vehicle, due to the problems already encountered - however I was very pleased to get back into the drivers seat yesterday after having had a very drab new Golf SE for the last four days (all black inside).

I tow a caravan with my vehicles and on more than one occasion have had a juddery & rather 'smelly' clutch with my A4s - something that I have read is a common fault. I just hope that this vehicle is a little better in that area.

Early days yet, but have great expectations for this vehicle and hope that it doesn't have to pay too many visits to the dealership.

VW dealerships do seem to have improved over the past few years. The general attitude put out five years ago by VW dealers was that they did not need to sell the Passat - it sold itself - so I bought an Audi, as the dealership we went to wanted to 'Look after us' - which they did very well with both cars. Hopefully the VW dealer we are now dealing with will continue to give us the service that I believe we should receive - spending in excess of £21000.