The remote central locking system developed a fault. This was caused by a faulty internal sensor which was replaced under the manufacturers warranty free of charge.
The black cloth seats get dirty very quickly especially, when you have children on board!
The inside is spacious and the boot cavernous.
The climate control is superb, and the seats and ride are very comfortable.
The funky dial lights take a bit of getting used to, being red and purple, but are certainly a talking point when it's dark!
The manual gear box seems quite clumsy compared with some other cars which is a shame, given the otherwise luxurious feeling of the drive.
The build quality is great and you know your in a German car when you close the doors and the car shakes.
"More street cred than a Mondeo". Really??
Both are decent cars, but at the end of the day the Passat is a commonplace mass market fleet car, just like the Mondeo. Unless it has one of the higher output diesel engines, it doesn't particularly hold on to its value, and although competent enough, it's hardly a buzz a minute to drive. They're as close as makes no difference on price, and in terms of how common they are on the road.
Being brutally honest, I would say for "street cred" you wouldn't buy either of them. Does anyone really look at a Passat and go "phwoar!"???
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