2008 Volkswagen Passat review
February 11, 2008 by Matt Brogan
2008 Volkswagen Passat 2.0TDI Sedan & Estate Review
Models tested:
- 2008 Volkswagen Passat 2.0TDI Sedan & Estate, 5-door, 6-speed DSG, 2.0-litre diesel, $44,990 – $46,990
Handling, Performance, Quality Fit & Feel, Quiet
Reverse Gear, Basic Stereo, Torque Steer.
CarAdvice rating: 
- by Matt Brogan & Alborz Fallah
Alborz – Before getting myself to Volkswagen Brisbane, I was a little pessimistic about the car, “Not a Paassaaat…” I said to myself in that 8-year old tone-of-voice better suited to words like “homework” or “vegetables”.
One thing automotive journalists don’t like to admit all that often is that in this day and age, it’s quite rare to really hate a car, yes the Proton Savvy and the Colt Cabriolet made me incandescent with rage, but I didn’t HATE them, I just wished they would go away and drown in the Brisbane river.
For some reason I was expecting bad things from Volkswagen’s family car and to make matters worse, it was a diesel, so it was instantly going to be boring, noisy, gutless and people would think I was married with 3 kids.
Besides, picking up the Passat meant handing back the keys to a car which I’d just fallen in-love with, the Volkswagen EOS (expect a review on that shortly). Alas, I sat in the Passat, glanced back towards the EOS for the last time and with a loud sigh, I turned on the diesel motor.
When they say first impressions count, they don’t lie.
CarAdvice.com.au Podcast
I haven’t had a post here for a while. I still love my 125kw Passat. Although fuel economy is excellent. My fuel burn this time was not so good. 10.68 lr/100k (8.9 in the computer) but all done in town, not once over 70kph and many times feeling crap and stressed so I didn’t care for easy fuel saving driving. I had the particle filter sensor come in twice asking for a better ran to clear itself.
One other small annoyance. The reverse light is not strong enough. With tinted glass and the glare resistant rear view mirrors it is very hard to see behind while reversing.
The temp gauge is 2 degrees on average higher than the actual outside.
Now isn’t this getting picky. :-) So hard to fault that I had to find something because nothing is every perfect.
Those who are thinking of getting one. Get it. Those who have one – Aren’t we lucky. Those who bought something else. HAHA – sorry about that.
Had my 125kw Passat(all the bells & whistles) for 8 months now and love it BUT there are a few little things that are annoying.Reversing up hill is abit unnerving – like the brake is still on,wierd!!The reverse light is pathetic and headlights are average at best.The car has developed some annoying rattles and squeaks which the dealer said they would attend to,no problems – we will see.Apart from these rather minor problems I really DO love it,just hope I am not disappointed.
My passat is only a month old & I love it . I see a few people have not figured out that to give a better reverse light just put the lights on & pull out the knob to light up the rear fog light. ie. The red dot in the middle of the r rear light cluster
My only concern so far is the engine vibration at at between 1250 & 1500 rpm. It has improved in the first 1500km & am waiting to take it back for the dealers comment.
Has anyone else had this problem.
Hi Iv’e just completed 8,000 Klms (July 08)in (2) different 2.0 Turbo Passat Wagons. Both 6 speed manuals. First left Hand drive, Hamburg, Germany to Bergin Norway: second Right Hand Drive, Newcastle UK to Lands End and back. The manual is even better in it’s power delivery than the auto and at 160 Kph on the Hamburg to Berlin Motorway with 4 adults and a ton of luggage it was better than a V8 – especially in 5th – rather than 6th. Both vehicles gave remarkable fuel economy too however I want to express a few concerns that mean I WON’T be buying one here. First, both vehicles were unconfortable to get in and out of, secondly I could never judge the end of the bonnet and third I found the ignition system with the funny key and the manual requiring the clutch to be depressed regardless of whether it was in neutral or a gear – downright quirky. I stalled both cars several times at lights and roundabouts, then I ended up hitting a guard rail in Norway because in difficult weather conditions one is really having to sit low and forward to overcome the poor forward vision that the tiny windscreen provides. I’m prepared to bet that the next model has a much lower waist and a higher ceiling and front screen. So I give the engine 5 and the body 2. Maybe Jeremy Clarkson, James May and Richard Hammond can cut the roof off one for me and put a few bricks under the drivers seat to elevate it enough for me to see over the bonnet – then it really would be a straight 5
I am planning on buying a 125KW passat wagon early next year. Having owned a Jetta TDI DSG now for the past 18 months, and encountering no problems from the Passats ‘little Mexican cousin’ I have no hesitations at all in trusting my money in the hands of VW. When I first got the Jetta the service guy told me to bring it in at 7,500 k’s instead of 15,000 k’s as they tend to chew a bit of oil in the first 5,000 – 10,000 k’s. He was right, it used about 500ml. I decided to just top it up and wait till the first schelduled service (15,000). Have now done 44,000 k’s, and have not noticed any usage since.
I have mine on a novated lease, so get some discount, but first two services cost me $230 each. Next one due soon, so will post back.
To me the VW diesel/DSG combination is truly a car you learn to appreciate more and more as time goes on. I recently learnt from my local dealer (Hi Dean!) that the DSG detects driver style in the first few minutes of drving and adjusts shifts to suit. So if you get in and slowly take off into town, stop and start calmly a few times the gear shifts wil be fairly modest. But as DSG owners will know if you start putting your foot down a bit the gearbox will react differently, though it does need some time to adjust to this new drving style, hence the sometimes apparent hesitation. If you keep driving it hard you notice it shifting up at higher revs and down through the gears earlier, pre empting your ineviatable acceleration. Great I think.
I usually drive fairly modest and achieve 5.8 lt/100k’s on average. As VW quote 6.2lt/100 k’s for my model Jetta I would expect to get in the low 6 -6.5lt/ 100k’s out of the Passat.
Have looked into my resale value on the Jetta, and have never had a car like it! FANTASTIC
Funny how nobody is mentioning safety here either. I have two kids, and what car could we compare the Passat to?
Simon,
Sorry for the late reply.
Essendon VW- Mt Alexander Road.
I bought mine through a lease arrangement. Because Essendon VW where not one of the preferred dealers of the leasing company they were very keen to match any quotes and beat by $500. So $44K did include on road as the basic purchase price before options was $36700. Sometimes you just gotta play hardball.
Have since had it serviced. Must say they were very good also. Courtesy car provided, Passatt was washed and vaccummed inside as part of service. And because I bought the car from them also, unlimited Km on the courtesy car and no need to re-fuel. With todays fuel prices, you might argue I came out in front.
VW FAN
I had a qoute from my local dealer, which is also on novated lease. $48,500 driveaway which includes meatallic paint, leather, fog lights. I thought this was a great deal, what do you think?
Hi,
My partner and I are thinking of a new car upgrade. I have driven my Honda CRV 98 and loved it, he has a Jeep.
Looked at the new Honda, didn’t like the six gears as down low was useless, engine too quiet. Took the new Forester for a spin, heard that engine quiet well, as well as tyre noise.
Seen a Jetta in a car park and liked the look of it. Off to the VW dealer and fell in love with the new Passat. Took it for a drive, after driving a diesel 4X4 for many years was very very surprised. Very responsive, good vision, comfortable seats. I did notice that with the lock brake on reversing uphill to awhile to move, and also from stop start at lights a slight hesitate to move off. The talk of service does scare me as we live in Cairns Far North Queensland. But I must say the dealer was great and maybe it could work in our favor being in a small town, word gets out.
Have found reading the reviews very interesting, and lemons come in all cars. My father had a Peug Diesel 504 and loved it. I do a lot of city driving so don’t know if I would get the economy as stated, but every now and then do a long haul to blast the cobwebs out as you should in all cars.
Thanks for the great advice and knowledge.
Hey undecided,
The lag with the turbo in reverse or from start can take a little getting used to. Thats one of the disadvantages of a small displacement engine that delivers good fuel economy and loads of power and torque. Do not let that dissuade you from the vehicle. 125kw is same power as a Mazda 6 2.4 litre engine gives but with 120nm more torque.
Around town and with quick driving expect 8.8 l/100k. A Subaru Forester will give you 13 l/100k. It will tell you when it wants a good run. The particulate filter clogs us and an indicator light reminds you that it wants a bit of a run to clear it.
I’ve had no trouble with service from the local Veedub dealer.
Hi, never written to this blog before so here goes.
I own a 2006 Passat 3.2 wagon, from new, and absolutely love it. Options fitted are seat memory, metalic paint and tow package (for the boat). Have covered 34000k and averaged 9.8l/100km. The only problems have been rattles in dash in very hot weather. Apart from this the car is a pearler.
Very good size for my purpose: wife, 2 teenagers plus large dog. I’m 6′4″ and at 115kg find the seating brilliant. The best feature is the seat memory working from the keys – my wife’s key adjusts the seat to her setting and my key to my setting. Have done several long holiday trips and the car performed very well.
Looked at Subaru Liberty wagon – too small, Mazda 6 wagon – bigger but a bit tinny. Tried Camry and when I asked the Toyoya dealer if there was going to be a wagon version he told me “There already is – the Kluger!”
My only regret is that the 125KW doesn’t come with 4Motion AWD.
Mazda 6 bigger?
Perhaps you are speaking of the new one? The old model (good looking one) was certainly smaller than the passat. It (diesel) used more fuel, was slower 0-100K and had 10K service intervals instead of 15K. On top of all that there was no auto option and it wasn’t 5 star safety. For all these reasons I chose the passat over it. It just wasn’t in the same league. Perhaps Mazda will fix these issues. Then it will certainly be an alternative as it is a fair bit cheaper!
I’m almost up to 15K now. Car still makes me smile. Only real dislike is when you attempt to accelerate briskly while turning sharply into another street. It seems the steering angle sensor’s input to the computer delays the acceleration. Combined with the initial turbo lag, this has been unnerving a couple of times when pulling out into traffic. Not sure if there is a fix but will be asking Mr VW when service is due. Thats assuming I get serviced at VW too! ($$$!!!)
I’m sorry to you VW fans, but I’m not a fan of the current Passat. I think it looks a little awkward from a certain angles. Especially there is just something not right about the rear tail lights of the sedan.
I’d go for a Renault Laguna Estate from $45,490 instead. It is a much better looking (although I’m sure many of you would think otherwise, Aussies don’t seem to ‘get’ Renault’s design language), nice curves and the exterior looks exceedingly elegant. As Matt Brogan said in the Laguna review…
“From almost any angle, the car is stunning, quite Bavarian in sculpt, and although I’m not personally a fan of the tail light positioning (in the hatch), just about every other angle of the car strikes a chord for aesthetic pleasure.”
One of the other main things about the Laguna is that there are much fewer on the road than the Passat, so it has that exclusive status that can be hard to find these day. The interior is smart, stylish and so much more individual than the Passat’s generic German look.
I’m sure much of you will disagree with what I’m saying but I dare you to take it for a test drive THEN judge it if you must…
Steve
Hi All,
Very interesting to read the likes and dislikes of the 125kw Passat.
Have had a 1.9TDI Passat back in 2003, I think that was the old TDI engine which was very sluggish and did blow smoke. Have had 2 A4’s both sedan and wagon ( both whilst working in the UK ) really enjoyed the 6 speed manuals as there was no or very little lag. Have just ordered a 125KW Passat last week, not sure how i’ll go with the DSG but it sure drove ok on the test drive, will be here 1st week December, I must admit I was impressed with all the extra’s they are including nowaday’s. Looked at the Mondeo however Ford do not offer road side assist?? when I asked why rep said no assist on imports?? I thought the Mondeo was a good car for the $’s but put me off ordering because of this.
I love diesal’s have been driving them now for nearly 6 yrs and can’t fault them. I think the VAG have a build and finish quality equal to BMW ( pay for the badge ) and Merc ( retirees cars ). Driving a new Commodore Omega while waiting for my Passat to arrive. Biggest load of thirsty junk on Aussie roads with little standard extra’s and a crap audio system, and the car interior is like something out of a chinese plastic toy factory.
With GM in trouble and Ford looking very dodgy If your parting with big $’s don’t buy anything from those 2 boy’s!!.
Price paid for the 125KW inc mettalic paint was $44,700 drive away, with the first 3 services thrown in for free by the dealer excluding any parts or oil.
Took passat in for inspection service. I’m told she has 42 computers on board. They plugged it into their system which talks to VW germany and looks for updates. Sadly none were found – already have the latest.
I’ve noticed that the times where I have had frustration from an unresponsive engine have always occured just after I have set off somewhere. This could be coincidence but during the first couple of minutes driving the onboard systems are meant to be adapting to your driving style. Perhaps the system is not sure how to perform and this could explain its driving ambiguity.
Steve, I can understand the looks aren’t for everyone. I’m actually grateful for that or else the passat would be as common here as the corolla. I’m curious from your post, you prefer the laguna’s looks – no problem there, but suggest once you’ve driven it you’ll think highly of it. I’d give it a go no probs. My question is, have you driven a passat?
On another note, I’ve been exploring upgrade options for the passat.
Towbar: there is still no aftermarket options here. $1800 for genuine simply isn’t going to happen.
Performance: Harding performance offer an Oettinger product and increases power from 125Kw to 143KW, torque up 30 to 380Nm (400 for non-dsg).
Being only 14% increase in power & 8.5% torque, the $2200 asking price (which is only software) is out of the question.
Lucky I’m generally well-pleased with her.
Hey Simon,
Don’t get me wrong, in many ways I think the car looks very elegant (I love those nice alloy wheels). There just are a few areas that look awkward (like the rear lights of the sedan, which I think look flat :S I’m not sure how to describe) and I prefer the Laguna’s less conservative, more swoopy and sculpted styling.
You do have a good point however. I’ve had my fair share of experience in the last generation Passat, but not the current model. And the Passat has a V6 with 4MOTION all-wheel drive over the Laguna’s 2.0 turbo front-wheel drive. So I guess I should test it out before I say anything, so I’ll try arrange a test drive soon hopefully.
Thanks for hearing me out, and I’m also glad to hear that you also prefer cars that are exclusive and not seen everywhere like a Camry or Mazda6 (the 6 still being a good car, just a few too many of them around).
Steve
Just bought the new (09)Passat 125TDI wagon with leather, park assist,Bluetooth, auto tailgate and window tint for $46000 drive-away.Great dealer and factory bonus applied – seemed like an alright deal. Another dealer in Brisbane quoted $6574 MORE and said it was the best price in town. It pays to shop around. The vehicle has to come from Sydney so will keep the forum informed on satisfaction level.
Agreed, I’m not a fan of the sedan tail lights either. I’ve got the wagon and think it looks much better.
What was the factory bonus Gary?
Oh and FYI haven’t been impressed with Austral. Their customer service was sub-par. In my experience, eclipsed by even Ford and Holden (Chermside & Aspley dealers that is).
Is there any way of telling whether a Passat has the 125KW engine or the 103KW version?
Iain,
the badge on the rear of the 125Kw has a red “I” in the “TDI”.
Apart from that, not sure if there are other external differences.
I’m sure if you are having a spirited drive, the 125Kw will make you smile more!
Was at the dealers today. The 103KW diesel didn’t even have a TDI badge.
Hi guys just wondering if anyone has any feedback on the 01 passat V6 i had a 99 1.8T and loved it to bits had to swap it as insurance was waaay to high for a P plater. Getting off my P’s now but prefering a v6 as i’ve had a Holden VY v6 for a bit now and thought it would save on insurance either way. wouldnt mind the 07 but dont have that kind of $$ lying round =(..i’ve found a few 01’s several with cloth interior(not my liking) my old 99 had cream/beige leather seats a sunroof and the stereo gave my freinds with ’subs’ a run for their money =D wondering if anyone knows where i could get a set of leather seats from, rather pay 5k less for cloth and get new seats..just me tho..any i dead?? i love these cars even with all the problems i had with the 99 (turbo change,drive shaft going twice) it was still a very nice cay for the yr altho im guessing the problems i had were from a previous accident it was in before i got it
any feedback would be great
cheers
Miki
I am considering buying a second hand 2003 Passat V6 2.8L 4motion. I have been reading on the web about the so callde “sludge” problem, mostly from USA blogs. Is this a problem with this model in Aus? Is this model ok? What should I look for/ask?
Hi all.
Ordered a Passat 103 TDI Estate and take delivery in March this year. When I ordered the vehicle they only had a 125 TDI in stock which I was very impressed with the performance “I have been driving a ford Territory for 3 years”. The company I work for would not come up with the extra cash for the 125 as the Passat was already more expensive than my other options. Just wandering if anyone has driven both and is the difference “Extremely noticeble”. I could not bring myself to go find one to drive as I was already wrapped with the car. Also, has anyone towed with one, I would appreciate any feedback.
yeah…I just purchased a 06 VW Passat..When I turn the volume up it will go up…then go right back down. Sometimes the volume will stay up for a minute or two?
I have had VW’s for 12 years, but after the agony of living with the new Passat (2006 Model), I can’t stand the site of them ! Great looks, features, safety and 2 L FSI engine, but the plastics and interior have been a nightmare. After only 8 months it started to creak like a ship out of the front console, and still does, despite 7 visits to the dealer in 2008, and rebuiliding it 7 times. I suspect the body shell flexes, and it’s unfixable. 5 or 10 other failures- handbrake, seat belt, gearbox, power window, ventilation stpper motors, door seals, etc. I thought I got a Friday car but I read the Dog and Lemon guide which rates it’s quality as poor. The dealer told me VW never replaces cars – maybe because they’d go broke!
My advice, if you have heaps of time to waste,love seeing the dealer service guys each month, or drinking their latte, buy a Passat ! My mental image of the VW brand now
is that of the local $2 Shop – lots of features, poor build!
Has anyone else had problems, or just me ?
I have had a Passat V6 4 motion station wagon since September 2008. Done 8,000 kms. Overall very happy with the car – much better than the Volvo Cross Country I had previously. However there have been a couple of frustrations.
First I have had the lag problem other have referred to – which can be a big safety issue when I try to get into a line of traffic. There is a delay in resposne, you press harder on the accelerator and then there is a sudden acceleration – sometime too much in heavy traffic. At my 15,oookm service a couple of weeks ago the dealer provided a “software update” that seems to have lessened but not removed the problem. The other comment from the service department was that the lag comes with using your left foot on the break. Finally I was told that any remiaing lag was simply “part of the DSG system”
Second the ambient temperature guage is generally 4-6 degrees higher than the actual temperature. I have been told that the workshop connected it to the computer “and found the guage was operating within acceptable limts. This I find hard to believe given the technology elswhere in the car.
Third I got the dynaudio option – fantastic sound. I asked for a brochure about the system – after all it was $2000 – and finally after 4 months of numerous questions to numerous people, was told there is none.
Mark the lag problem is something I mostly encounter within the first few minutes of driving. It seems the computer hasn’t decided how to optimise the engine management and DSG to match the conditions and driving style. I’m surprised it’s a problem in the V6 as in my mind it was related to turbo spool.
There is also the inherent “lag” with 1st gear on the DSG which I suspect is the way it’s programmed to protect the clutch. It’s probably programmed for a compromise between jerky operation and a long engagement (riding) of the clutch. Do a search for “DSG launch control”. And if you dare – let me know how it goes. It seems to be disabled on the TDI.
Try manually shifting +/- when you need to drive “assertively”. When you get used to it, it’s a bit of fun!
By now many TDI owners have come to realise that the Passat has hi spec, low ash oil which costs a BOMB. They don’t sell it in large quantities to mechanics thus keeping the cost up. One good thing about the warranty period finishing will be the ability to use a lower cost but just as good oil.
Damn VW and Castrol got us by the short and curlys till then.
Only plus is 15K service intervals, but if the oil was cheap, I’d change it more often anyway.
Have been going to my local Ultratune and been happy with their service. Cost is less than half of genuine VW service.
Yeah, something they dont tell you. The oil is around $30 per litre. But hey that is a diesel thing not only VW.
If I were in the market for a family car I would seriously consider the passat 125kW diesel wagon or the Peugeot 407 diesel wagon. They are both fantastic cars for the dough.
I like the 407 too although I had one try to drag me off recently. Not sure who he was kidding!
Gotta buy a new wagon next 1-2 weeks. What do you reckon 407 or passat 2.0 diesel. When is the 408 due, would I get a good deal on the 407? Is the current passat model staying for a while. Thanks
Kelvin, the 407 will still be around for a couple more years and the Passat will be around for longer again. You’ll be looking at the current models then, so I would say just get the one you like more. They’ve both got good 2.0 diesels, they both have pretty good reliability records, they both have good quality interiors and are both good to drive. They also have big boots, which is the point after all.
However, there are a couple of things to think about. If you are planning on keeping it for a long time, French cars tend to just keep going and going but if you were only going to keep it for a few years, Volkswagens hold their value much better than Peugeots.
The other thing to consider is that the Peugeot would certainly stand out more because it looks more distinctive.
They both make great all rounders but I would also suggest that you look at the new Mondeo wagon which is also brilliant, possibly even better than the Peugeot or the Volkswagen. The Renault Laguna Wagon is also worth a look. You may get a good deal on one already because they sell terribly. The Laguna is also a good car with a lovely interior and all the things the other have, but will lose it’s value quite quickly.
However, if it does come down to the 407 or the Passat, as I wrote at the beginning, just get the one you like more. The one you feel better about buying is usually the right choice.