Overview & Reviews

The 2012 Volkswagen Passat has been fully redesigned. Highlights include a lower price, a roomier interior and a newly available turbodiesel engine.

• Roomy cabin
• Refined ride.
• Many upscale features come standard
• High-quality cabin
• Available fuel-efficient turbodiesel engine

• Rearview camera not offered.
• Lackadaisical throttle response
• Below-average braking distances

User Reviews:

Showing 61 through 70 of 83.00

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  Passat! Love it! - 2012 Volkswagen Passat
  By sigjuliussen - May 27 - 12:01 pm

  Im 64" and over 300 lbs and the car fits great. Can stretch out my legs all the way. Drove 400 miles round trip to my cabin and with studs and snowy Alaska mountain conditions the car still go 41 mpg. 3 fill ups so far with all Anchorage city driving and twice it got over 30 mpg, and one time with lots of snowy cold days and still got 27.5 mpg. Cant wait ti see what it gets with summer tires and no snow (I have a few months to god lol) Car handles great in the snow and drives like a dream.

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  German luxury on a budget - 2012 Volkswagen Passat
  By drjkalyan - April 30 - 8:25 am

  This is my first new car and I love it. It looks impressive with taut lines and geometrical shapes that accent the angular look of the new VWs. The car is decidedly large for the American market and can be a problem only in some crowded cities. Inside the cabin the interiors are excellent quality and material with symmetrical layout - maybe a bit boring. It has the best in-class rear seat legroom and boot space. It has adequate equipment as standard. Ride is a bit choppy on rough roads but is very well absorbing on usual city roads. Power is just about adequate and delivery is a tad linear. Engaging the sports mode creates more engine noise than speed. I love the tank-like build quality!

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  2012 VW Passat Quality Issues Are Piling Up! - 2012 Volkswagen Passat
  By prospective - April 1 - 5:38 pm

  I have had all kinds of minor quality problems with my 2012 Passat... I love the car but VW doesnt do a whole lot to rectify these issues: 1. Seatbelt light and chimes even though my seatbelt is fastened and Im the only person in the car. VWs lame excuse is that my cell phone is emitting electromagnetic waves that are setting the seatbelt light and chimes off. VW told me not to charge my cell phone in the car and not to get my phone too close to any of the seats. LAME! 2. Front end suspension noise. I has to bring my car in to the dealer twice before they admitted the right front suspension was defective. I had to put the tech guy in my car and roll over speed bumps at low speed before he admitted there was a defect. They have since rectified the problem. 3. Drivers door. The drivers door doesnt close unless you slam it like you are angry. The door should close properly with just the weight of the door. The VW tech told me "You know, everything on a new car doesnt actually work perfectly." Another LAME! 4. Rear trunk lid. Same problem with the rear trunk lid not closing unless you slam it like you are angry. There are scratches on the inside lid latch that show the latch is not aligned properly. Tech response, "All VWs are like this." A third LAME! 5. My brakes squeek in the morning. Eveyday, when leaving my house, my brakes squeek. Tech guy: "Due to the high humidity in the Hawaiian Islands, its normal for VW brakes to squeek in the morning." Huh, Ive leased Hondas for the last 14 years and never had squeeky brakes before. This must be a VW Issue? One more time: LAME!

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  after 14 months of ownership ~ 30K miles - 2012 Volkswagen Passat
  By botanybob - February 7 - 10:08 pm

  We drive the manual (stick shift) model and do a mix of country and city driving. The last tank, filled after 720 miles, we averaged almost 48 mpg, and it has been about that all summer. We had one tank go for 780 miles before the low fuel light came on. In addition, the car is very comfortable, handles beautiful, has plenty of power, and holds four people plus a large trunkful of supplies easily and with room to spare.

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  Some Irritating Quality Issues! - 2012 Volkswagen Passat
  By prospective - January 3 - 12:56 am

  Hey Everybody… I just leased a 2012 Passat S… Although I absolutely love driving this car, I have noticed some irritating quality issues that VW America needs to be aware of. My Passat is just over a month old and currently has just almost 1,400 miles on it. My irritations are as follows: 1. The seatbelt light and chimes come on even though my seatbelt is fastened and I’m the only person in the car. It’s very frustrating to hear the chime and see the dashboard light illuminated. I’ve pulled over to turn off the car and restart. I’ve unbuckeled and rebuckled. I’ve stopped to get out of the car and start the whole process over and nothing seems to solve this problem. It’s kind of like driving down the highway and having someone ringing your doorbell every 10 seconds. My main concern is that this may be a safety issue? 2. Drivers seat rattles. with only 1,400 miles on this car, Is this a quaility issue? Keep in mind, I’m not a heavy set person. It seems like the seat is just not secured properly. I’m hoping this is a quality issue and not a safety issue. 3. Trunk lid is not aligned properly. I have to slam the trunk lid closed in order for the trunk lid latch to catch. You should be able to gently push the trunk lid closed in order for the latch to secure itself. I also have the same same problem with the drivers side front door. I have to slam it shut or the open door light illuminates. Both of these are frustrating as my wife thiks I’m mad everytime I have to close the door or trunk. These are both very minor quality issues but the liitle issues are starting to add up. And, I’m getting tired of hearing my wife say to me “What’s wrong” everytime we get in the car together. 4. Suspension noise from front and rear corners seems to be getting worse as the days go by. This is especially prevalent at low speeds when rolling over speed bumps or climbing the curb to pull into the driveway of my house. If this were a 1995 Ford Tauras with 120,000 miles on it, I’d be more understanding. But this is a brand new 2012 VW Passat and I expect better from a German car company which touts German Engineering as it’s tag line. Once again, I love driving this car… The handling, power (I have a 5 speed manual transmission), body style, bluetooth connectivity and generous back seat legroom make this car a beautiful ride. I just hope VW America understands and responds to my concerns to correct these minor but irritating quality issues. Luckily, this is only a 24 month lease, so if VW America choses not to respond to my quality claims, It’s a short term relationship and I can return to a car company like Honda who has a history of solid quality control. My concern is that after leasing Honda’s over the last 10 years, I’m not used to having to deal with these types pesky quality issues. I understand this 2012 Passat was built in America (which is a big reason why I chose to lease this vehicle), but it seems to have some quality issues that still need to be ironed out. I’ll be interested to see how VW America responds to these issues… Will they ignore me? Let me know these are normal inconveniences that I need to tolerate, or will VW America correct these issues to make sure I stay a loyal VW owner for years to come? I’m big on long term relationships. I don’t know the answer to my questions but I’ll make sure to update everyone on how this turns out!

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  Solid, Reliable Car - 2012 Volkswagen Passat
  By Justin - June 4 - 2:12 am

  I have now owned my Passat for nearly 5 years now. I have to say that this car has been very reliable. I have had no maintanance issues, there have been a couple recalls but for very minor things that I would have never noticed had I never received anything in the mail. I truly recommend this car for someone who wants something that is reliable, roomy, and affordable.

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  You cant beat buying a Passat off of lease. - 2012 Volkswagen Passat
  By jimbogus - May 14 - 4:14 am

  I only buy vehicles that have three or more years of depreciation. I compare VWs to Toyota / Honda in reliability without the price. To purchase a late model competitor like a Camry or Accord youd not only have to shell out more money but you also get a vehicle with more mileage. Im very happy with the Passat as it drives with a more firm / sporty nature as compared to other vehicles in its class. Its like an inexpensive Audi A6 but without the price but also minus the luxury. The 2.5L motor is a quality engine with no turbo to worry about and a timing chain that never needs to be replaced. I get 26 MPG average and the vehicle wont need much maintenance over its lifespan plus its got enough HP with good gearing to pass on the highway with ease. All manufacturers have reliability issues here and there just inspect the car well or take it to an independent mechanic for evaluation before you buy. The best feature about the car is the very spacious passenger compartment and large trunk. Go with the 5 cylinder 2.5L and not the turbo diesel ... the TDI has allot more maintenance and quality issues so whatever you save in fuel cost is spent on keeping it on the road.

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  Couldnt Pass Up this Passat SE TDI! - 2012 Volkswagen Passat
  By partymarty - February 2 - 7:49 pm

  I have owned this car for four months and am just about to take her in for the (free) 10K service. I owned a 2011 Jetta TDI, and fell in love with the Passat when I saw her in the showroom while my Jetta was being serviced. The folks at my local VW dealership worked their fannies off to make this deal happen, as I am fanatic about shifting my own gears and will not ever own an automatic. There was only one 6-speed manual car available several hundred miles away, and the dealer had it trailered to me at no additional charge. So far, this vehicle has been an absolute pleasure to drive, and it actually exceeds the published mileage figures by about 2 mpg.

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  I Can Afford A Passat?!! - 2012 Volkswagen Passat
  By westys_4_ever - January 12 - 8:53 pm

  Yes. Yes I can! This car is so packed full of value, bought on a lease, anyone could afford it. And they would be right to do so. The details inside the cabin are so thought out, they really didnt cut any corners. All of the cubbies found in the car are lined with grippy rubber to prevent sliding of phones or other hard items. The top of the dash, near the bottom of the windshield has a strip of brushed stainless matching the stuff on the dash and center console. The seats are supportive and comfortable. The drivers seat has power lumbar which feels amazing. I really like the stark white dash numbers at night. They are easier to read at a glance than the blue ones.

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  Not the VW of years past - 2012 Volkswagen Passat
  By Doug - January 6 - 8:00 pm

  I bought my Passat TDI for the fuel economy, reliability and longevity of the diesel engine. Ive never had a more unreliable vehicle than this one including a few couple hundred dollar vehicles when i was a kid. The turbocharger failed. The fuel pump failed. The exhaust flap failed. Then the new turbo was damaged by the dealer. Then the clutch broke. The transmission synchros broke. Then the heater core plugged. Now the oil cooler is plugged. Almost every major component has failed and lead to enormous repair bills.