Ride quality, engine, handling, ergonomics

Wind and road noise at higher speeds

I bought this car new in July 1997. It has every option and the VR-6 engine. It is a silver wagon.

This is a fantastic automobile. It now has 49,000 miles on it and has not had a single problem! Very impressive.

The ride quality is excellent, yet it is firm enough that it handles great too. I had a 99 passat sedan as a rental in Switzerland for a month and think that the older models handle better due to their firmer setup(even compared to my wagon!) The brakes are super strong and predictable.

The VR-6 motor has good power and is silky smooth. It is definitely worth the upgrade over the 4 cylinder. I average about 22 m.p.g. in mixed driving.(love the onboard trip computer that keeps track of all important info like average speed, mpg, oil temp, outdoor temp, total m.p.g., total miles). The shifting is silky smooth also. Clutch action is a touch tricky, but you get used to it.

The interior is great. The stereo has pretty good sound quality. The heater kicks in almost instantaneously as does the air conditioner(powerful even on the hottest days). The heated seats are super nice and I wish my truck had them. The seats are excellent and the black leather is of fine quality. The sunroof works well. This is a very spacious automobile in every regard and we've found the wagon to be very versatile. Copius leg and shoulder space front and rear.

The headlights throw tons of light. I love to be able to see at night and they definitely get the job done.


What I don't like:

Cupholder by the passengers feet is a post design add on that is better than nothing, but thats about it.

No tilt for the steering wheel.

Wind and road noise levels are too high.


Overall:

This is a fine automobile. It drives like a dream-even at 130 m.p.h. It is very versatile in that it is quite sporting yet is also a great grocery getter-dog hauler-luxery cruiser. The fact that it has been 100% reliable so far has surprised me a bit I must admit(happily).

I paid $21,800 for this car just before the new body style came out. The list price was $25,800. Even at $25,800 I feel this car is a bargain. A bit of BMW at Ford pricing.

I normally like to upgrade my cars every 2-3 years but I think my wife and I(she's the primary driver, by the way)will keep this car for at least another 2-3 years(especially with the 10 year/100,000 mile powertrain warranty).Part of the reason is that there isn't anything better to upgrade to unless we go to a BMW or Mercedes. Maybe a 540 wagon, that would be a nice ride. Sorry, but Volvos ride quality sucks.

In case your wondering I drive a 1998 Chevy C/K 1500 Silverado truck and just ordered a 2000 Silverado to replace it.(See my review of the C/K)

Thanks, and enjoy the automotive experience!!!!!

Gordy

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Toyota Camry, Nissan Maxima, & tons of other similar vehicles

Beautiful car, sweet handling, grippy tires, good ergonomic interior design, awsome stock stereo system (8 speakers), powerful and smooth turbo, very engine noise , seats are supportive, front + side airbags standard, and best of all: full size spare.

Oh yeah, the car feels very well built. It feels strong, hood and roof appear to be thick, as compare to my old Honda, where as if I push on the hood or roof, it would sink-in.

erratic interior noises from dashboard (some say it is caused by heat expansion, my interior color is black/beige). initial quality is lacking: I found 2 minor flaws in the cabin, both vey visible.

Lastly, VW service needs great deal of improvement. Their repair/maintainance facility is way too small, which results in long waits for customers. I had to wait 2.5 hours for them to replace the burned out headlamp bulb.

Great 4 dr sedan for the value: I only paid $19000 + fianance, etc... for it. mysterious noise in cabin can be annoying, but hey, no car is perfect, yet.

I would highly recommand it.

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90 Ford Festiva, 91/93 Honda Civic, 1996 Honda Accord

Great design and detail. Holds up well over time. Smooth but sporty ride. European car at American prices.

No cup holders (on 1991 model). Very expensive repairs. Low torque on hills (with automatic)

A great European sedan with excellent details and luxury. The ride is smooth but responsive, and the controls are well laid out. There's plenty of room for hauling with the rear seats down, but trunk is not very dee. There's plenty of room for two people in the back, and the rear seats are tilt adjustable.
The automatic transmission on the 4-cyl model has nice low-end torque, but lacks on high-speed pickup, especially for passing and climbing hills. Basic maintenance is expensive, as brakes, mufflers, and belts all require original parts, as generics are not readily available.

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Volvo 240, Honda Accord

Unique styling, well made, appointments great for the price

Could use a bigger cup holder, However I do like how it is unobtrusive.

I bought this car used for 18,000. It came with a sunroof, CD changer, side airbags, theft deterant system with remote (trunk release on remote too) and plenty of room ( in the front and in the back. I am 6 ft with long legs, with the front seat adjusted for me, there is at least 12 in of room from the back of my seat to the front of the rear. My G- friend's Altima has at most 9in. As far as performance, the 150 hp 4 cyl is a tad underpowered, but a measly $200 dollars will kick it up to 180-190 hp (through a computer reprogram). Handling is good for a car it's size, especially for "normal" drivers. It is very quiet inside. I was on the interstate and noticed I was flying past cars, I looked down and I was going 100 mph. Barely a sound was heard. Overall I think I got a good deal for the money. Be different, buy a VW.

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1994 Altima

VR6 is a Great Motor. Seats are very comfortable. ABS works well.

Door locks that don't, fan motors that need regular replacement, somewhat noisy.

I just sold my 95 VW Passat GLX VR6 after 93k miles. I bought it new, and did all scheduled maintenance. My driving is mainly fast highways, and twisty back roads.

From my home in the Northeast, to Florida, to Kansas and Missouri, this car got me there without a hickup. It always started, and cruised past speed traps far too fast without attracting attention.

The downside was wind noise at speed, and problems with the door locks. A couple of buddies also own this model, and a few with the VW Cabrio, and all of us have had problems with the locks. They are expensive to fix, and forget about the friendly image when you have to deal with VW. The national organization is trash. I also replaced the electric fan that cools the motor twice in 93k miles. VW paid for the first one, but I pad several hundred dollars for the second one; unnacceptable.

Properly maintained I think the VR6 motor will run forever. At 93k mine used no oil, and felt as strong as the day I bought the car.

On reflection, this was a good automobile that served me well. I enjoyed driving it and as speed increased, the suspension felt great. Having said that, if you are buying a fully loaded model, for the same money you can have an Audi A4, which I think is a better car. I was disgusted with VW North America, and went out and bought a BMW, which has been great.

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VW Cabrio, BMW 3 series

Fabulous gem of a motor. The 1.8T pulls authoritatively off the line and is seriously quick. You'll swear there is a V6 under the hood. It is smooth, responsive and very torquey, yet very quiet. You also get many features for the price. Some of them, can't be found on any other car at ANY price - for instance the remote locking system. Sure, it does the usual lock/unlock, etc. But I don't know of any other car for any price that will open all four windows to let out hot air just by putting the key in the door and turning right and holding it. Or, turn left and hold it and it will roll up windows you forgot to close AS WELL AS close the moonroof for you! Nice touch. I've got 15000 miles on mine and have had no problems

I can't think of anything

Excellent car for the money. Get the 4 cyl 5 spd, it is the most fun to drive. I've heard some complaints from those who bought the 4 cyl with the automatic saying that it is unresponsive at takeoff. With the stick, that is certainly NOT a problem.

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Owned a 1990 Ranger previously.

-smooth engine
-triptonic is the best of both worlds. automatic in city traffic and manual on the mountain roads
-looks
-cool dash lights that impress friends

-turbo lag (the fact that I live at 9000 feet might have something to do with it)
-power: could be a bit faster, but then again it would guzzle gas (like the V6)

Ever since I was 16 and I watches GTI's zoom by me in the fast lane, I wanted a VW. It is everything I imagined. I have the wagon version w/ turbo 4 and triptonic. I think the wagon is better looking than the sedan and is much more versitile. In a word this car is "balanced". It doesn't have the harsh ride of a sports car, but is not soft and mushy like most american sedans. My parents drove it and now they want one. Buy one. You won't regret it.

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Saturn SL2

Overall build quality, interior design and materials, excellent handling for a FWD, peppy engine, exterior/interior size balance, heated seats, Tiptronic (hated at first, but it's proven to be sort of fun over time but still doesn't satisfy like a true manual tranny), huge trunk, ease of operation in in-city driving, long drivetrain warrantee, loads of character, excellent resale value (so far).

Min. 92 oct. fuel, so-so fuel economy, elctrical bugs, minor build quality glitches upon delivery, bloody expensive factory/dealer maintenance (after warrantee expires), VW's lousy seat reclining system, mediocre venting and air exchange, EASE OF fogging, poorly thought-out center console, hidden trunk release switch, degrading ride qualities over time (becomimg floaty, like so many Big Three cars of years past), buzzy engine w/ not much torque at speed, turbo lag at speed, relatively short bumper-to-bumper warrantee

Considered pricey in 1998, but average in 2001. Despite the weaknesses, the car's still pleasurable to live with (so far). But the deterioration of ride quality is troubling, and going to the VW shop for routine maintainance is a hard hit on the wallet. But the handling is involving, and makes the car quite tossable for those so inclined like me. It's no 3-series BMW, but for a FWD it's pretty darn good. Took a while to get used to the coccoon feeling of the greenhouse, but it does provide a cozy and comfortable cockpit for serious driving. Emmensely more room than it's cousin, the A4, and less worrisome to drive than the bigger Max. QC not the same as either the Honda or the Max, but the car's got personality, which is more distinct that the Nissan's and totally overwhelms the NON-personality of the Accord. Overall a sound choice, but far from the perfect car. But driving it enthusiastically will leave a smile. Just stay away from the VW repair store if you want that smile to last, however.

True overall rating should be 3 1/2 stars (slightly better than average).

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owned: Nissan Maxima SE, Audi A4, Honda Accord

This car has attractive exterior and interior styling. The VR6 has adequate power. Interior is well laid out and the seats are comfortable with leather. The trunk is enormous and with the split folding rear seats, even bigger. I bought this car with only 56k miles and it is in remarkable condition.

The factory stereo is crap and the speakers are worse. No power locks which is inconvenient. The cruise control doesn't like to work all of the time. The placement of the gears make getting into first difficult, sometimes put it in reverse on accident.

So far, I have had a good experience with this car, but only have had it a month. I will come back and six months and see what happens. Nebraska winters can be very hard on cars, especially all of the salt and gravel, but no rust seen so far.

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Considered a Ford Countour, but the fit and finish was very cheap. Similar to all American cars. Had a 98 Honda Civic, which I liked, but wanted something more exciting to drive.

Purchased the 1.8T with auto transmission. Excellent handling, transmission smooth as silk. Looks are awesome. Price is so similar to Honda, Toyota yet far better vehicle. Go there!

none

Both dealer and vehicle have been excellent. Style is superior to former passat's. Handling, looks, and response make me realize that switching from Japanese to German was the best move I could ever make!

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Blows away similarly prices vehicles.