Used 2012 Volkswagen Passat Consumer Reviews
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Best car I’ve ever owned!
Nathaniel, 01/07/2023
2012 Volkswagen Passat SE PZEV 4dr Sedan (2.5L 5cyl 5M)
0 of 0 people found this review helpful
I’ve owned 3x 2.5 VW vehicles and you can’t go wrong with this engine! I put on 180,000 miles on my 2012 Passat without any major issues and not one check engine light. Only complaint was the throttle body went out at 125,000 miles but was a fairly easy job to replace. The valve cover and MAP sensor are prone to going out prematurely as well so I ended up replacing those ever 60,000 miles. Overall I wish VW still made these engines as they were sound. Only complaint would be the BRAKE NOISE, it’s awful, I thought my brakes were bad but after replacing all of the pads, rotors and bleeding the brakes they still creaked everywhere I go.
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This particular VW Passat checked all my boxes.
Pieter Wallace , 01/25/2023
2012 Volkswagen Passat SE 4dr Sedan (2.5L 5cyl 6A)
0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Very clean, runs great with good tech. I live in the mountains. This VW hasb that wonderful German ride and scooted around hairpin turns like a champ.
2012 Volkswagen Passat for sale near you
Showing 3 of 261 listings
- SE Sedan w/SunroofMSRP: $8,9999 mi away
- SEL PZEV SedanMSRP: $7,99577 mi away
- SE SedanMSRP: $10,13487 mi away
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German quality, American space, Japanese price!
Kalyan Jagarlamudi, 03/17/2023
2012 Volkswagen Passat SE 4dr Sedan (2.5L 5cyl 6A)
0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Bought this gem of a car in 2012 after my trusty Hyundai Elantra went kaput. I thoroughly enjoyed this car. It was my trusty steed during my winter storms in the Midwest doing launch hauls to Chicago from Detroit with ease. The ride was extraordinarily well planted. It was not plush but was definitely comfortable. Steering was a bit weighted. Build quality was superlative. My biggest concern was the lack of punch from the 5cyl engine. The transmission also lacked life and was slow to respond. The interior was very well appointed. Class leading interior space and trunk space. Overall great car for a young professional starting a career. It was not pretentious. Maintenance was a touch expensive. Fuel economy was decent. I took this with me to Arizona and it did the Phoenix to Los Angeles hauls with ease. The air con always was impressive. I moved to Las Vegas and the car was totaled due to an unfortunate accident. I would have kept it for the long run but had to part ways.
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Denver47
Denver47, 06/22/2023
2012 Volkswagen Passat SE PZEV 4dr Sedan (2.5L 5cyl 6A)
0 of 0 people found this review helpful
We have had this VW since new in 2012. It is approaching 68,000 miles and has pretty much been trouble free. It has the 2.5 liter five-cylinder engine and never uses a drop of oil between the 5000-mile oil changes.
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Engine problems
Scott M, 07/09/2023
2012 Volkswagen Passat S 4dr Sedan w/Appearance (2.5L 5cyl 6A)
0 of 0 people found this review helpful
At 60,000 miles the engine became bogged down and misfiring constantly. TWO different Volkswagen dealerships had the car for one week each and after spending $1600 for a "DIAGNOSIS" both service managers stated they could not figure out what was wrong with the engine. They said they were in contact with Volkswagen which did absolutely nothing. I love VW but absolutely hate this vehicle.
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Great Car!
Andrew, 11/15/2023
2012 Volkswagen Passat SE 4dr Sedan w/Sunroof, Nav (2.5L 5cyl 6A)
0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Car has been pretty reliable for its mileage at 150k, it’s really only needed things like suspension bushings, an alternator pulley, and a sensor. I find that the parts are so much cheaper than on our other car which is a honda. This is one of three passats in my family. They all have been great. I will say though the rack and pinion also did need to be replaced but that was from accident damage. My next car will definitely be another VW.
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Excellent car
Kevin Alvarez , 04/08/2025
2012 Volkswagen Passat S 4dr Sedan (2.5L 5cyl 5M)
0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Handles great, runs awesome. No problems at all.
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Great solid car!
Ben, 04/03/2016
2012 Volkswagen Passat S PZEV 4dr Sedan (2.5L 5cyl 5M)
0 of 1 people found this review helpful
Very well solid built car tight steering doesnt shake at all at high speeds just a solid built german car what I expected
A great ride!
John Heffernan, 04/03/2016
2012 Volkswagen Passat SEL 4dr Sedan (2.5L 5cyl 6A)
0 of 1 people found this review helpful
Don't expect a lot of pick up but beyond that, an amazing car!
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A good looking nice ride.
Larry Hilliard, 10/28/2016
2012 Volkswagen Passat SE 4dr Sedan w/Sunroof (2.5L 5cyl 6A)
0 of 1 people found this review helpful
Some road noise.
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REVIEW
Patti, 09/01/2019
2012 Volkswagen Passat V6 SE 4dr Sedan w/Sunroof (3.6L 6cyl 6AM)
0 of 14 people found this review helpful
As a single woman I found this site to be very helpful