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 1 through 10 of 458.00

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  Best Looking Wagon for the Money - 2002 Volkswagen Passat
  By Jascon - December 27 - 10:00 am

  The only annoyance has been a sound in the right dash connection area that I havent had fixed yet. Other than that its a good solid wagon.

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  wow what a great car - 2002 Volkswagen Passat
  By cheri - October 8 - 2:00 am

  By pricing this car with edmunds and other internet sites, I purchased this vehicle for 27,759, it was 800 over COST not invoice, a fair profit for the dealer of less than 4 percent(msrp was 30,375, invoice was 27,187 plus 550 destination fee) holdback for this vehicle was 895, so that leaves you lots of room to negotiate! good luck

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  ITS NOT A BMW OR A BENZ - 2002 Volkswagen Passat
  By glaxowelc - September 20 - 2:00 am

  The Passat is a wonderful car and despite the reviews title, I do like mine. In my opinion, it falls far short of either the BMW or the Benz in most categories but, it doesnt cost over $45,000 either. This more than makes up for any of the cars shortfalls. German engineering at a bargain price.

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  6 year review - 2002 Volkswagen Passat
  By bjss - September 17 - 9:13 am

  Bought the car new in 3/2002, very fun to drive. However, would agree that it is expensive to maintain. Oil changes and recommended mileage checkups are not cheap. Have read many postings about changing the timing belt between 60-70K (VW manual recommends 90K), plan to do, but will run 1000-1200K at an independent shop ($1500 at dealership). Concerned about oil sludge issues since the dealership did not use full synthetic until VW announced it should be standard (2004).

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  Headaches - 2002 Volkswagen Passat
  By Headache - September 9 - 10:00 am

  So many minor problems. Ranging from malfunctioning electronic displays to car not starting. It has caused nothing but headaches and worries about what is going to happen next?

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  Money Drain: $5000.00 in 6 yrs. - 2002 Volkswagen Passat
  By ileangoodnite - September 4 - 4:20 pm

  I loved this car. I believed the seller: "it might last 12-15 years". Excessively expensive routine- maintenance, + $ thousands for major system failures. In 6 years, they sucked $5,000.00 for: Sensors x 5; Ignition coils; radio; left axle; right axle x 2; gas hood strut; water pump; left rear door lock x 3; motor mounts (1 month before engine failed & replaced under recall); intercooler; heat shields;(recalls) rib belt; timing belt; homelink dropped off...fix cost= $500; tires replaced x2; transmission range switch cleaned ($101.00. Following week: same switch replaced: $1,000.) Upholstery frayed; paint peeling; Disappointing. Stressful. Friends and I will not buy another VW product.

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  long distance cruiser - 2002 Volkswagen Passat
  By john bowles - August 26 - 2:46 pm

  We bought this car after 911 primarily because we wanted to avoid airport hassles when traveling to Albuquerque and Ashland OR;ten to fourteen hour journeys by car. This car has more than filled the bill! Fast, comfortable and totally unstressed with loads of room for fishing rods, skis;you name it. At seven years it has had very few problems (CV boots, headlights) and still feels as good as the day I picked it up. Nothing in the new car market looks this good so Ill keep it till it falls apart; no sign of that yet. Only down side is fuel consumption-big torquey diesel engine would make the perfect car.

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  2002 VW Passat GLS 1.8T 5-spd Manual - 2002 Volkswagen Passat
  By hawkjet48 - July 20 - 3:06 am

  I have experienced only minor defects with this car. The radio connector failed three times under the dash. Also, I had a bad bearing in the blower motor which was covered under warranty. Other than random misfires during interstate driving, this car has been problem-free and repair-free over 63,000 miles. My only complaint is about the weakly designed pop-up rear seat power receptable, which has been fixed three times at the dealers expense. For a sedan, this is a blast to drive while consistently getting 31 mpg to 33 mpg at highway speeds. This car is a good combination of performance and economy with the 5-speed manual transmission.

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  Mileage & Fender Problems: READ THIS - 2002 Volkswagen Passat
  By Mike Kurry - June 27 - 2:00 am

  My wife and I love this car but have two major complaints: 1. The mileage is 14 city / 22 highway - weve spoken to Boston VW about this - they say nothing can be done. Given that VW still adverstises 19/26, we feel deceived. 2. The rear fender is terrible. It dents at the slightest contact, like cheap plastic with the paint coming off. Look at the fender of a VW on the street.

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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!