2013 Volkswagen Passat TDI: 43 MPG and a Fender Stereo
April 28, 2014
I spent the weekend with our 2013 Volkswagen Passat TDI. This was the first time I drove a diesel-fueled car for more than a few hours, and I was excited to see if it behaved any differently than the hundreds of gasoline-powered sedans I've driven over the years.
I noticed two things: The turbo lag at acceleration and the Passat's sound while idling after a cold start. Neither of these things bothered me. I picked up the car on Thursday afternoon, and was used to these quirks by Friday evening.
On the highway, the car sounded very ordinary to me. Besides, I was too busy enjoying the Fender audio system. I didn't make any phone calls, but I did stream Bluetooth audio. Pairing my Android was a snap, and the stereo sounded great.
The multi-info display on the dash is a nice touch too. I used the navigation only once over the weekend, and being able to have simple turn-by-turn instructions in my line of sight helped. Looking to my right for a navigation screen that isn't at eye level can be distracting.
My only complaint is that the backup camera looked a bit fuzzy. However, I think the huge trunk and comfy seats more than made up for a slightly blurry rear cam.
I averaged 43.2 mpg over 200+ city and highway miles according to the Passat's own calculations.
Matt Jones, Senior Editor @ 18,649 miles