My first impressions of the Passat are all positive. Very roomy cabin, with nice look and feel of all surfaces in plain sight inside the cabin.
The car is highly functional with huge legroom in the rear, a humongous trunk and split 60/40 folding rear seats for even more cargo space.
The engine is a civilized modern 2.0l directly injected diesel engine and it gets 45mpg when driven at 70mph on cruise control with the AC running – a given in Texas. The steering is responsive and the DSG shifting (double clutch manual-automatic gear box) silky smooth. The feature I like best though are the state of the art consumer electronics in the car that the 2001 BMW 740iL was lacking. Integrated Bluetooth, iPod integration, satellite radio and hands free phone integration, including sync’ed phone contacts, are all features unavailable in the BMW from 13 years ago. And I really love that stuff. The google maps NAV streams the audio for directions right into the premium speaker system – brilliant!
Low points of the vehicle are definitely (lack of) power: with 140 diesel hp this isn’t a race car. I’ll chip it at some point to 180hp but even then I don’t expect the car to outpace the 300hp gasoline competition from a full stop. Elasticity for acceleration from 35-65mph though will be the car’s strong point. Combined with the stellar fuel efficiency this is a neat package. Creature comforts are amazing considering the price tag. The suspension is just adequate, compared with the 740, but that’s kind of expected when comparing a $28k car with a $80k car when they were fresh off the production line.
So I’m quite happy with the car I got for $28.5k. Some features just stun me (hill start assist, electronic steering, SAT radio, auto dimming rear view mirrors – just to name a few).
Will I miss the Diva? Definitely. The 740 is hard to beat on the highway at 65mph+ speeds. But after driving her for 8 years or 80,000 miles it’s time to let go, as I’m not a car collector – or at least that’s what the wife says.