Overview & Reviews

The Volkswagen Passat has long been a favorite among shoppers looking for a little more luxury and style in their midsize family sedan or wagon. For many folks, the Passat has traditionally filled the gap that exists between normal, humdrum family cars and the financially out-of-reach luxury brands. Displaying a classy, restrained style inside and out, the Volkswagen Passat gives the impression of quiet competence, which is borne out by its refined driving character. A quality cabin and competent handling, along with a supple ride, are typical Passat traits.

The latest Volkswagen Passat is the biggest Passat yet and is priced considerably lower than before to more closely compete with mainstream family sedans. There has been some cost-cutting to meet that lower price, though, which means the Passat may be a little less appealing to aspiring German luxury car owners. Still, we think it has retained enough of its premium feel to make a case for itself as a gateway vehicle. As for used Passats, both second- and third-generation models are very good picks.

Current Volkswagen Passat
Available in a quintet of trim levels (S, Wolfsburg, SE, Sport and SEL), the current Volkswagen Passat boasts many of the qualities that have drawn folks to German cars in the first place. The well-controlled, buttoned-down ride quality is one, while its restrained exterior styling is another. The cabin, though not quite as special as that of VW's CC or the old Passat, is still one of the nicer environments to be found in the class. It's also one of the most spacious, with plenty of rear seat legroom and a large trunk.

The base Passat "1.8T" engine is a peppy yet fuel-efficient 1.8-liter turbocharged four-cylinder that produces 170 horsepower. It is one of the more appealing engines in the midsize sedan segment, yet the Passat TDI's diesel engine is nevertheless worth strong consideration. Although a tad louder and with more low-end power than the 1.8T, the driving experience is similar enough that its 34 mpg combined fuel economy comes without a drivability penalty. Its highway fuel economy is actually better than what some midsize hybrid sedans can achieve. For those seeking more power, a 280-hp 3.6-liter V6 is also available.

On the move, the Passat is an engaging sedan to drive thanks to its well-sorted suspension tuning, precise steering feel and strong brakes. The car also manages to earn high marks for ride comfort, which is ultimately more important considering the fact that most buyers will be far more concerned with schlepping kids to school or co-workers to lunch than taking a spirited drive along winding back roads.

In total, the Volkswagen Passat is a midsize sedan that's worthy of consideration alongside the stalwart class leaders from America and Japan. While it still mostly looks and feels like a German car, it now has the generous space and attractive pricing expected of an American one.

Used Volkswagen Passat Models
The Volkswagen Passat was completely redesigned for 2012. It is larger and less expensive than the car it replaced, putting it more in line with American expectations for the midsize sedan class. Since that debut, there have been just a couple of notable changes. Specifically, these Passats came standard with a 2.5-liter five-cylinder engine good for 170 hp. It was sufficiently powerful and efficient, but loud and unrefined, making one of the other engines a more appealing used car choice. It was phased out midway through the 2014 model year in favor of the current 1.8T engine. The current Sport trim level and the Car-Net telematics system were also unavailable.

The previous, third-generation Passat was produced from 2006-'10 in sedan and wagon body styles. It was larger than the car it replaced and Volkswagen made an effort to move it upscale, increasing feature content and price. Perhaps as a result, this Passat wasn't as popular as previous versions, but generous passenger space, a high-quality cabin and strong engines should make it a good used car pick.

The standard engine for this third-generation Passat was a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder that produced 200 horsepower and 207 pound-feet of torque. A six-speed manual transmission was standard and a six-speed automatic was optional. From 2006-'08 a narrow-angle V6 known as the VR6 was optional. This engine pumped out 280 hp and 265 lb-ft of torque, and it could be had with all-wheel drive in the 3.6 4Motion trim. An automatic transmission was standard for the V6.

There were initially four trim levels -- Value Edition, 2.0T, 3.6 and 3.6 4Motion. Even though the lower trims had steel wheels, other desirable features like a tilt-and-telescoping steering wheel, an auxiliary audio jack and high-quality leatherette vinyl upholstery were standard. The upper trims could be had with luxury features like adaptive xenon headlights, automatic dual-zone climate control and 12-way power front seats.

The short-lived Wolfsburg trim level in 2007 added some extra luxuries and visual distinction to the 2.0T model. For the 2008 model year, the trim levels were renamed Turbo, Komfort, Lux and VR6. For the final two years, Volkswagen dropped the V6, reduced the Passat to just a single (Komfort) trim level and discontinued most of the car's upscale features. A new hard-drive-based navigation system did become available, however.

Overall, our road tests of the time had good things to say about this generation of Volkswagen Passat, from the high quality of its fit and finish to the engaging yet fuel-efficient performance of the turbocharged engine. Tuned more for ride comfort than clipping apexes on a twisty road, the Passat's suspension nonetheless struck a happy balance between a plush ride and athletic handling dynamics.

The second-generation VW Passat was available from 1998-2005. It was a little smaller than the third-generation Passat but was very popular thanks to its tasteful styling, peppy performance and solid Germanic feel. Based on a stretched version of the Audi A4 platform of its day, this Passat offered an unusually upscale feel. From the way the doors shut to the way the car absorbed bumps without drama and confidently carved its way along a winding road, this Passat was one midsize sedan or wagon that was actually desirable. This certainly had an effect on our editors; both the sedan and wagon were Edmunds.com Editors Most Wanted award winners for five straight years, from 2000-'04.

Engine choices included a 1.8-liter turbocharged four called the 1.8T that made up to 170 hp, a silken 190-hp V6 and a short-lived 270-hp eight-cylinder W8. Equipped with the W8, the Passat grew too heavy and expensive to have widespread appeal. During most of the car's run, VW offered 4Motion all-wheel drive as an option on V6 models (it was standard on W8 models). A frugal 2.0-liter turbodiesel engine called the TDI became available in 2004. For used-car shoppers, any Passat should be fine, but those built for 2002 and later are the best choices, as they received updated powertrains and beneficial chassis improvements.

The first-generation Volkswagen Passat (1990-'97) sold in North America isn't quite as desirable as its successor. Although space-efficient, this Passat's styling was boxy and a bit strange, especially during the first five years when it had a grille-less nose. The base 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine was not a strong suit in these earlier Passats either, as it was described as rough in nature and was taxed with moving this midsize sedan. A few years after its debut, the Passat received more gusto under the hood in the form of the 2.8-liter, narrow-angle VR6.

User Reviews:

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  should have bougth the infiniti - 2000 Volkswagen Passat
  By morbius - August 14 - 10:00 am

  My wife really wanted this car, a luxury sports sedan. For the first 20K miles, all was well. Then it was old all of a sudden. The warranty ends @ 24K so bizzarre repairs I have never seen happen at these mileages are our responsibility. I note the other reviewers either love or hate these cars. I second what sounds like a weird theory - ours was built in October, and I think that may explain it. Another important note - the nice curvy sheet metal on these cars is paper thin, and it dents incredibly easily. A slow moving shopping cart can cause 2k worth of damage!

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  Fomer SUV owner - 2008 Volkswagen Passat
  By trailmower - August 13 - 4:20 am

  Chose the Passat Wagon over several mid-SUVs and Accord. Ride is crisp and lots of road feel without being harsh. The Komfort level trim is good value, at least for me, for the money as I like a sunroof and this is not available on the Turbo level car. The sound system is outstanding. Like the exhaust note as well, especially at highway speed when you push the accelerator a bit. This car has plenty of power without being a gas hog. The rear of the car has enough room to haul a full assortment of baseball gear without putting the rear seats down. I find myself looking for reasons to run errands so I can drive the car.

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  Awesome Disc brakes saved my car from crashing - 2012 Volkswagen Passat
  By aviamar - August 12 - 9:48 pm

  I am proud of the brakes on my 2012 VW Passat. It not only saved me from any injuries but also from causing any damage to the car. I was driving down at 45mph towards a traffic signal. Slowed down a bit but picked up my speed back to 45 as soon as i saw it turn green from a distance. There was a vehicle, in front of me, which had started moving too. I then took the eyes of the road and before I realized the vehicle in front had come to a unexpected halt. I was at a distance of 25-30 ft, I guess, before I hit the brakes hard. I was almost certain that I was going to crash (used to driving cars in India) But the ABS kicked in and made a perfect stop. Passat - totally worth the money.

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  Diesel engine. VW dealerships are scammers - 2012 Volkswagen Passat
  By Richard Fleming - August 7 - 11:10 pm

  Not sure why I couldnt select anything but gas models from the drop-down list here but I have the 2012 TDI SE with automatic. The car was in the dealership so many times for repairs and recalls that the salesman joked about how he saw us there all the time. Very amusing. The windows got noisy when moving them up and down. We had wind noise from the windows that took two trips to the dealership to get corrected. The vehicle came to us from the factory with damage to the interior trim in five places. We had ordered ahead of time and thats the thanks we get? The "leatherette" vinyl looks nice but is very stinky for years from off-gassing. The rubber matts are very smelly, too. Cloth wasnt available with an automatic transmission which is stupid. Youre forced to buy a sunroof you dont want and smelly vinyl seats. I can go on but the real scandal is how we started having problems with the emissions system near the end of the warranty. We took the vehicle to Fairfield Volkswagen three times for "repairs". The first one was them turning off the issue in the computer and telling us to wait and see. The same problem happened again (the urea system told us it would shut off the car in X miles). The third time they said they had done this and that. Well, then the warranty expired and the same problem happened again. I took it to another VW shop in Cincinnati and had to fight to get VW to cover the repair under warranty. Well, apparently that "repair" didnt actually repair anything. My spouse, when it acted up again, took it back to Fairfield because we started having tire pressure warnings. They replaced all four tire sensors, claiming they were faulty. They also claimed the entire urea system needed to be replaced. He ended up paying $2400 for these repairs – repairs that had allegedly been done already by the other dealership under warranty. The reason the tire pressure light had come on? There was a nail in the back tire that VW never found and repaired. None of those tire sensors were actually bad. I bet the urea system had already been repaired by the other dealership and Fairfield knew it could scam my spouse because hes too nice a person so they probably either ripped out the replacement system or just charged us for something they didnt even do. So, we have a car with poor resale value thanks to DieselGate and its a ticking time bomb, knowing VWs legendary reputation for reliability. And we cant rely on the dealerships to even remove a nail from a tire rather than charge us thousands for alleged repairs to things that should have been fixed before and which werent a problem in the first place. VW doesnt just lie to the world its dealerships have a reputation for lying to customers.

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  I love Diesel - 1997 Volkswagen Passat
  By Sean La Garde - August 5 - 2:00 am

  I have put all but 17 miles of the 97000 miles I have on it. I get great fuel mileage and have had very little problems. The only major problem was a cracked valve in the brake vacume line. Scared the pants of me. I plan to keep her for another 100k

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  My VW nightmare - 2002 Volkswagen Passat
  By Peter Boyde - August 5 - 2:00 am

  Buy a VW and all your nightmares will happen to you. In a matter of 4 months of buying a new 2002 VW GLS I had my Monsoon sterio system not working,inition coils failing(it took 2 weeks to get that fixed) and had to be replaced, fog lights stopped working and had to contend myself with inefficient wipers and defroster. I dont know whats more in store for me. Iam thing of looking to the lemon laws for help.

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  Solid Sedan - 2000 Volkswagen Passat
  By Mattlmitchell - August 5 - 2:00 am

  Never had a problem with it. The turbo is certainly sufficient (theres no need for the V6). The only bad thing was the short 2 year warranty. Fortunately this has not been an issue.

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  Warning!!!! - 2003 Volkswagen Passat
  By Upset2 - August 5 - 2:00 am

  If you purchase a 1.8 beware you are looking at a hefty timimg belt replacement that even if it fails VW will not back you and you will pay 5K for repairs!! Ask the sales person before you buy!

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  GLX Passat Wagon, 5 Speed Manual - 2003 Volkswagen Passat
  By citispot - August 5 - 2:00 am

  I usd to be a valet car prkr and hve drvn thsnds of cars, rngng frm Yugos to Lmbrginis. Fr undr $30,000, the Pasat is an absltly fblus cr cmprd to othrs. I also cnsidrd the 2003 Hnda Acrd but I didnt lke its mre desensitized sterng and suspnsn; tpicl of Japnse cars. Dont get me wrng whn you read my sugsted impvemts; I thnk the Psat is a fblus cr. Its jst tht car cmpnes wld be wise to hire me to fnd thngs wrng with ther crs. I excel at that. Thre are ltraly hndrds of outstndng thngs about ths car. Only 300 chrctrs ar alowd in the nxt two clmns, so I am gng to wrte sgstd impvmts in bth clmns.

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  Oh My God!! - 2003 Volkswagen Passat
  By Not what I Planned - August 5 - 2:00 am

  Timing belt failure!! $5000 and none of it covered under warrantee!?!?!!? Just be wary a regular change at 60K cost almost $2000 and yes the car is not paid for yet!!!!!!!