2009 Volkswagen Passat Consumer Reviews

Almost perfection

Written by: spidaman on 11/01/2009

Vehicle

2009 Volkswagen Passat Komfort 4dr Wagon (2.0L 4cyl Turbo 6A)

Review

The Passat Komfort Wagon offers a wonderful balance of design, performance, comfort and safety. We traded down from an 04 Touareg, and have not been disappointed by the fit and finish of this vehicle. The sole Achilles Heel is the powerplant. While peppy and enjoyable on the highway (especially when passing), there is significant turbo lag, especially compared to our other driver, a Saab 9-3 with the same size 2.0 L turbo-charged engine. Additionally, the mileage is not nearly as good as the Saab's, and gear selection in this automatic could be better tuned. The VW shines on design, fit and finish. The leg well is a bit narrow, but seats are comfortable, and leads to a fine day drive.

Favorite Features

Love the Bluetooth integration for the cell phone, and remote rear liftgate opening. Seats are comfortable. Very roomy storage.

Suggested Improvements

Automatic transmission needs to be reprogrammed. Not a deal breaker, but other carmakers implement this better.

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1-month review

Written by: BK on 10/24/2009

Vehicle

2009 Volkswagen Passat Komfort 4dr Sedan (2.0L 4cyl Turbo 6A)

Review

Purchased on September 12th, 2009. Test drove BMW 328,335; Mercedec Benz 300, 350; Acura TL; Infiniti G37. Although all of these cars were great, I found the perfect mix of driveability and fun factor in my Passat. I only have about 750 miles on it right now and I am trying to break- in the car as gently as possible. But you can feel the surge of power when you just tap the accelerator. So far I've had no problems. VW offers a 90- day or 6K miles free check up, which I intend to to take advantage of. Since I have not taken it on a long trip, I do not have true HWY mileage; however, so far, I am averaging around 25 mpg with 60/40 Hwy/city.

Favorite Features

steering wheel control buttons, the white multifunction display, ergonomics, DVD touch-screen navigation with 20 GB of space for music, USB interface, HDHC card slot; driving position; acceleration; tip- tronic transmission

Suggested Improvements

please make the blue-tooth with all features as standard; tune engine to crank out 250 HP/300 ft-Lb torque; memory seats; panoramic sunroof;

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So far so good and fun.

Written by: Jorge Gomez on 10/23/2009

Vehicle

2009 Volkswagen Passat Komfort 4dr Sedan (2.0L 4cyl Turbo 6A)

Review

Almost 4 month and still so fun to drive. Good in gas. Excellent choice from all the cars we tested.

Favorite Features

Power and handling. Fun to drive.

Suggested Improvements

Aluminum wheels could be better quality. Got few stone chips and winter salt can make this worst. I will get winter rims to save the originals.

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Fun to drive German

Written by: psupdx on 10/01/2009

Vehicle

2009 Volkswagen Passat Komfort 4dr Sedan (2.0L 4cyl Turbo 6A)

Review

Own this car for one month. It is truly fun to drive Passat compare to other imports. Love the look inside and out. It drives like 6 cylinder car, thanks to turbo. Consequently, it consumes gas like 6 cylinder. I average 22 to 23 mi/gallon on 60 freeway/40 local. My old 2000 Maxima was better than that! I had to check the car with a local dealership for rattling noise from driver side glove box and door panel. It was fixed once and came back. So it's been at service twice for the same issue. Hope this problem won't come back.

Favorite Features

Int/Ext look. Domestic cars can never come close to German design. Power and handling. Interior materials.

Suggested Improvements

Homelink Better Fuel Mileage (it's too thirsty!!)

3 out 3 people found this review helpful

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Will not be beat for the Price

Written by: Gab4ever on 09/27/2009

Vehicle

2009 Volkswagen Passat Komfort 4dr Sedan (2.0L 4cyl Turbo 6A)

Review

Super vehicle especially for the price. Standard features, build quality and performance is something I would expect in a much higher end vehicle, The turbo makes the gas pedal like a hair trigger on a gun, the attention to detail and quality materials is far superior to this cars competition. Something as simple as an umbrella storage compartment built into the drivers door are the small touches that really make the vehicle a standout aside from what Ive mentioned.

Favorite Features

everything

Suggested Improvements

headlights turn on automatic at night

1 out 1 people found this review helpful

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Great Car

Written by: orimai on 09/20/2009

Vehicle

2009 Volkswagen Passat Komfort 4dr Sedan (2.0L 4cyl Turbo 6A)

Review

This car is smooth, quiet and comfy. My wife, daughter and I are looking forward to getting out on the open road with this. This car breezes down the local freeway and streets effortlessly. Handline is precise\crisp and drives rock solid like a heavier car. The only real drawback thus far is the lack of bluetooth which is optional on Passat but comes standard in other cars. Other than that, it could use a bit more power, but for a mid size sedan the fuel economy and power are both excellent. Comfortable, plenty of leg room for a 6'5" driver with some to spare.

Favorite Features

Smooth slick handling and solid drivability, fuel economy, comfort, safety and visibility.

Suggested Improvements

Make bluetooth standard equipment, especially if you are going to put the buttons on the steering wheel like ours; it's an non functioning tease. Cabin noise could be decreased.

1 out 2 people found this review helpful

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Keep it German but think American!

Written by: Emeka on 09/14/2009

Vehicle

2009 Volkswagen Passat Komfort 4dr Sedan (2.0L 4cyl Turbo 6A)

Review

Two months after purchase, I was at the service station due to some rattling sound coming from my front bumper.Come to find out that something was coming loose. The following month, I was at the service station again due to a hissing sound that comes on each initial pull out.After these issues were fixed for free of-course, I have enjoyed every ounce of my car. Everyone who sees my Passat all say the same thing.."wow, your car is beautiful". Some think its a BMW at first sight while some say they never ever considered a VW until seeing mine. German engineering rocks but they need to understand that Americans love comfort and convenience together with reliability.

Favorite Features

Steering wheel, rear & side window sunshade,sunroof opens all the way, comfortable seats, plenty storage compartments, deep black exterior paint on mine had some shiny little sparkle like things that made it stand out from other black color vehicles, SAT radio is awesome, free 3yr maintenance.

Suggested Improvements

Why the blue tooth phone button when it really doesn't work? No Xenon HID light,less cabin noise,remote control should do more than unlock doors,memory seats should be standard and provisions should be made to allow for installation of a DVD navigation on models that did not come pre-installed.

6 out 7 people found this review helpful

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The right car

Written by: Dan Goia on 08/30/2009

Vehicle

2009 Volkswagen Passat Komfort 4dr Sedan (2.0L 4cyl Turbo 6A)

Review

This is my 3rd generation Passat and my 5th VW car in the last 25 years. I have owned also recent models of Nissan Maxima, Toyota Camry, and Honda Accord. I have driven during my business trips in Europe various Mercedes cars (C200 and E300)and BMW (300, 500 series). Similarly, I drove in USA Lexus and Infinity midsize sedans. I find the Passat the most sensible combination of performance, comfort, and value. You get Audi engineering (on par with BMW and Mercedes) at discount price. The gas mileage (34-35 miles/galon) is better than that of my Toyota Camry 2005 (XLE 4). As for the reliability, it is better than my Camry 2005 so far

Favorite Features

Driving experience, interior space, gas consumption, quietness.

Suggested Improvements

Offer higher trims.

3 out 3 people found this review helpful

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2009 wagon

Written by: guido on 07/08/2009

Vehicle

2009 Volkswagen Passat Komfort 4dr Wagon (2.0L 4cyl Turbo 6A)

Review

Bought this car on the basis of owning a 2006 jetta, was not disappointed.The fuel mileage meets or exceeds the epa sticker,2l. 4 cyl drives like a larger engine.

Favorite Features

The Passat SW does everything well.I had a mid 70's Rabbit and the difference is remarkable.

Suggested Improvements

Better interior materials, more options, standardization of features.My car has HID headlights, many I looked at have halogens to name one.The 6sp DSG would be a great option, no problems with the available auto, just the DSG is great.

9 out 9 people found this review helpful

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Turbo lag

Written by: Alex Povolotski on 07/07/2009

Vehicle

2009 Volkswagen Passat Komfort 4dr Sedan (2.0L 4cyl Turbo 6A)

Review

VW Passat is a great feat of German engineering. Autobahn for all, after all :-) The exterior is to fall in love for, interior is good and minimalistic, too but the drive feel... The steering is speed sensitive and I absolutely loved it! But... The speedometer has small numbers on it that are hard to read, so it's not clear from a quick glimpse on it whether you're making 60 or 70 km/h. The transmission is lovely, very responsive and seamless. You really cannot feel it but the engine is unrefined. Usually, I'm a big fan of smaller engines because of their efficiency, and almost limitless possibilities for improvement. But turbo lag kills me. Not responsive at all and jolty!!!

Favorite Features

Dashboard, transmission, suspension.

Suggested Improvements

Improve fuel economy. 2.0 litre engine drinks like a herd of horse! Thirsty! Mostly because of turbo but there is turbo for me equals unrefined engine. A lot of lag between the time you hit the gas and turbo kicks in and lot of jolt as a result. I prefer pure atmospheric more rounded motors.

10 out 16 people found this review helpful

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