Volkswagen Passat road tests and consumer car reviews

Volkswagen Passat 2.0 TDI 2006

The Volkswagen Passat has been a very poor car. Turbo failed, clutch failed prematurely, inside cabin rattles and squeaks making the cabin ambience unpleasant. The electronic parking brake is useless and fails essentially when ever you need. It sticks on when setting on a hill or similar, leaving you sat at junctions unable to move. It also has a habit of letting itself off from time to time. I keep coming back to finding it sat in the middle of a car park somewhere. The engine gearbox combination is a poor marriage making the car hard work around town - you will be stalling it constantly until you have got used to it. Equally unless on open motorway, in the Passat you will find yourself endlessly changing gear in a hunt for power or some activity from the turbo charger to move it along. Don’t push it at all on winding roads, it is very prone to understeer whilst the steering does not give enough feedback for you to know what is going on with the car. It is strictly for straight labrador in the back driving. Fuel economy is OK on longer journeys but in real world driving expect 36-41mpg. It does OK on motorways. If you have a labrador, drive 3 miles to walk that labrador in the woods on a daily basis, then this is probably a good car. Otherwise I would advise steer clear and choose another option. This car is plagued with faults. Not a nice car. There are plenty of better options out there.