2.0 TDCi Zetec Estate

An excellent family 'barge' and long-distance workhorse

Just completed 24,000 miles in 2 years, 4 months.

The good:

Huge amount of room for driver, all passengers and luggage. Interior a nice place to be and materials seem robust. Very comfy seats, fully adjustable driving position, plenty of space around pedals.

Excellent ride, both taut and compliant, and excellent road noise suppression on standard 215 / 55 16" tyres. This and the quiet engine make it a superb M-way car, 400+ miles in a day is far less stressful / tiring than my previous B5.5 Passat.

Handling very good, very little body roll and quite neutral steering makes it fun to drive fast on bendy roads, although you're still aware that it's a heavy car to be chucking around. You can't cheat physics.

Engine is more punchy than the figures suggest and really does go well. It revs smoothly and is fairly quiet even when pushed hard. Gearing in 4th and 6th is a touch too long for my liking but that's a minor niggle.

After a week or so of driving it really doesn't feel as big as some road tests would have you believe.

I've averaged a genuine, measured 42.25mpg (43.0 on the computer, which I have never reset), 70% driving in urban 30 / 40 limits and journeys under 10 miles, 30% motorway / A road trips. Considering the size & weight of car, I think this is pretty good.

I've had no DPF problems, regenerations are unobtrusive. The one sure sign of a regeneration is the engine cooling fan coming on. You can hear this, and the exhaust note does change a little, becoming more 'boomy'. If you're near your destination and you hear this, it's worth driving round the block until the fan cuts out to complete the regeneration, in my view.

I reported before about the "oil service" light issue: www.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/post/index.htm?t=65055&m=740483&v=e


The indifferent:

Slapdash assembly-line work under the bonnet, with intercooler hoses and clips, and vac pipes not fitted accurately or securely . Correcting these cost me a few skinned knuckles but has paid dividends in better throttle response & driveability.

It really is worth checking these, otherwise an owner may never know how quick and economical this engine can be. If you have oil mist or weeps at any intercooler / hose joint, the hose needs positioning correctly and the clip needs tightening, simple as that. There are datum marks on the hoses to guide you, but whoever assembled my car took no notice of them ...

Annoying buzz in driver's door corrected by tightening trim screws which were a bit loose.

Some interior plastics could be better quality, in this respect it doesn't feel as good as the old Passat B5.5.


It's needed nothing apart from washer fluid, a brake light bulb, services at 12,000 mile intervals and the oil drop I mentioned above.

All in all, I've found it to be an excellent family barge / long distance workhorse, and a pretty good A-road charger to boot.

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