Overview & Reviews

The arrival of the 270-horsepower, all-wheel-drive W8 sedan and wagon disturbs the tranquility of the Passat lineup. Standard features in the W8 cars build upon the already impressive GLX equipment list, adding Electronic Stabilization Program with BrakeAssist, vented disc brakes all around (as opposed to solid discs in rear) xenon headlights with washers, wider 215/55R16 tires, an upgraded trip computer and extra chrome throughout the cabin. The rest of the Passats receive only minor upgrades for 2002, including a trunk escape release for the sedan, a cruise control indicator light and an on/off switch for the electrochromic mirror. In addition, all-new Volkswagens come standard with an improved four-year/50,000-mile bumper-to-bumper warranty, up from two years/24,000 miles. In addition, Volkswagen will offer a fully transferable limited powertrain warranty that covers five years or 60,000 miles.

• Fun to drive, roomy/comfortable interior, solid build quality, available all-wheel drive, powerful W8 engine.

• Some confusing interior controls, price goes up quickly with options.

User Reviews:

Showing 31 through 40 of 458.00

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  I hope you are a mechanic - 2002 Volkswagen Passat
  By DJW - May 14 - 10:16 am

  V-6, 5 speed. Gets great gas mileage - 26 in town, and 33 hwy. Leather interior still looks new. However, when things go south, they go quickly. Keep an eye on CV boots over 60k. At 70k, the whole top of the engine started leaking, and after 2 re-dos of the valve cover seals, they still leak. Shocks shot at 30k. Headlights go every 10K until I disabled the DRLs. Electronics in drivers door shot. Coating on interior peels. Sunroof is possessed. But - I wont sell it because the new Passat looks Japanese, nothing this good looking gets mileage like this, I still get comments on how unique and cool it is, so overall - if you are a mechanic - you cant go wrong!

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  Never Again - 2002 Volkswagen Passat
  By Disgruntled Sucker - May 13 - 10:00 am

  Bought new and had vehicle for over 2 years. Will never buy a VW - new or used - again. Poor, condescending dealer service; ignition coils failed one at a time - dealer replaced them one at a time (prior to VWs recalling all 02s); transmission failed & had to be replaced; impossible to smootly accelerate from stop due to poorly engineered transmission. Extremely unreliable car; the worst Ive owned since 1966.

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  Look high and low. Passat is best. - 2002 Volkswagen Passat
  By Kevin in Houston - April 28 - 1:30 pm

  Pros: "Laser-track" drive; quiet cabin; rich interior; fine finish even in hidden areas; 48mo/50K warranty; VALUE compared to all below $34K! Toyota/Honda, look! Cant touch it! Cons:"Turbo lag" takes getting used to. Passat is IT! Study the $24-34K market. Only 325i is close... so keep that extra $10K! Youll get much the same for a price below sticker. Turbo lag? Just punch through it. Youll always turn to look when you park. And Monsoon is superb - Better than in our Lexus.

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  Good performance, poor quality control - 2002 Volkswagen Passat
  By ralphie - April 6 - 2:23 pm

  Every a/c vent makes a various speaking sound and the guage cluster is constantly making rattling sounds despite attempts by service dept to fix. Interior door pull handles rubber rubbs and peels off. Already had door pull handles replaced twice on drivers side.

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  Fantasy - Reality - 2002 Volkswagen Passat
  By utilityowner - April 4 - 3:10 am

  10/2001 - needed a descent family car/something to take clients out in. Water temp sensor and trunk latch repl under warranty. CV boots tore (those that broke axles didnt inspect their car often) 115k before timing belt service, and a speed sensor. 31mpg @ 62m/h ave. Only complaint was that service departments are bad... independent mechanics offer superior parts and service. Brakes - 1 change on front 2 on rear - i buy cheap tires and destroy them. I drive this car hard and in 8 years in failed me one time( speed sensor wore out at 150k) VW is known for either awesome or horrible cars - but some issues are caused by flawed maintenance- the issue is with your dealer - not the car.

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  my vw is a lemon - 2002 Volkswagen Passat
  By McJJrod - March 28 - 2:00 am

  I only had my passat for 6 months, where 60 days from this time the car was in service. For this time Iv driven the entire fleet of cars from local rental shop. Did I buy a new car or a waranty- lifetime rental?

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  Not post warranty worthy - 2002 Volkswagen Passat
  By Ollie J - March 17 - 10:53 am

  I have experienced similar problems mentioned by other reviewers: horrible customer service, the radio stopped working and far too many light bulbs burning out. Also I was told at around 15k or 20k that the rear breaks needed to be replaced by the next scheduled service. Surprisingly, they never mentioned it again, and that was at least 15k miles ago. I suspect there is some low level electrical problem with these cars. When the radio quit on me all I had to do to fix it was remove the fuse and put it back in. It makes no sense that newer car would need both headlights, most of the tail lights and a couple of lights behind the instruments needed to be replaced in less than 30k miless

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  Nice looking/performing MONEY PIT:( - 2002 Volkswagen Passat
  By MIke T - March 10 - 11:36 am

  We bought this as a lease return with about 20k on it. Now has 68,000. Great motor fun to drive with good power for size. Be sure to be close to a repair shop though. I have replaced a bad water pump(plastic?) and timing belt at 40k. 2 sets of front brakes and rotors, one set of rear calipers with rotors. Both cv shafts, lower ball joint, tie rod end. 2 coils and 2 sets of plugs. I will never own a light beige cloth interior, impossible to keep clean, peeling paint inside, plastic trim breaks easily. 3 sets of tires in 68K. Brake booster froze up(fixed under warranty recall). Now the temp gauge is going out. Enough already! No more VWs. Honda/Toyota may be boring but you wont go broke.

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  The goods - 2002 Volkswagen Passat
  By Whiplash117 - March 4 - 10:00 am

  I purchased my 2002 Passat GLX on 4.17.02 and I fell in love at first site. I got the indigo blue with grey leather interior. I did my internet researching and came to the conclusion that nobody can touch the options that the Passat has. I drove it and it handled like a dream. Its a little stiff which is common in European cars and I loved the tiptronic option. My only concern are the little noises you hear when starting the car. Also when the air conditioner is on...it sucks the power and the pep of the car gets lost. Other than that...the car is great.

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  2 days and counting - 2002 Volkswagen Passat
  By DANO - March 4 - 10:00 am

  Gray with gray leather, 5 speed, 1.8, a fun car to drive, only thing I cant figure is the empty slot under the steering wheel...as if a shelf should be there...but that is the only flaw I have found with 350 miles. My buddy who has a Merc 4Matic thought it was great and was impressed with the price point. The sales guy Godfrey Campbell at Valenti in Watertown, CT was great!