Passat Highline Estate 1.9 tdi

What a Volkswagen SHOULD be.

I bought this car from an independent dealer a little over three years ago, around 75k on the clock, full VW service history, mint condition, massive amount of receipts and mot’s provided, so it was as good as it could get. Following a test drive, I simply had to buy it. After a little over three years and 25k miles driving, my conclusions so far...
Totally reliable. I change the oil every 5-6 thousand miles, let the turbo cool down on tick over after long journeys or hard driving, service it on the dot (or sooner) and use premium diesel. Recently I was absent minded enough to miss fuel it, then drove down the road until it died on me. Realising my mistake, I was expecting a hefty bill and wondered if it would be better to just sc*** it. My mechanic laughed when I arrived with the recovery wagon, and said it wouldn’t be a problem. It wasn’t, cost was £80 and 5k miles later it’s still going strong. Very impressive. As there is no DPF on a car of this age, it’s made it all the more reliable, too.
Build quality it excellent, the whole thing feels like it was carved from a granite block. Paint finish very good. Interior very conservative (some would say dull) in it’s universally grey finish, but it suits the car. Leather is very good quality, tough as an elephant’s backside and wearing very well.
The car I have is the 130bhp version, which has lots of torque and is surprisingly quick for such a big, hefty car. A little bit agricultural sounding sometimes, but it’s a tried and tested unit, and delivers around 50 mpg. Somewhat roly-poly when driven hard around corners, though sure footed. Steering is light, gear change smooth, brakes very good, all in all a very comfortable, secure drive. 15 inch wheels and big spongy tyres make short work of potholes and speed bumps. Cruising on a motorway, it’s like your favourite armchair has been bolted to the front of a train.

If all VW’s were like this I’d buy nothing else again. I’ve been told by both garages I use that as long as I maintain my Passat, it will most likely keep going for many years to come. However, their opinions of later Volkswagens is the complete opposite, by all accounts that reliability and solidity has long gone. What a shame, as this car has proven to be everything I wanted it to be.

Report as offensive