Used 2013 Volkswagen Passat Sedan Consumer Reviews

Compares with cars that cost $10K more!

**UPDATE** This is an update to my original review posted below. Now that I have owned the car 2 1/2 years I can offer a "post-honeymoon" perspective. Overall I have to say that I am VERY satisfied with this car. I have driven it hard in L.A. traffic everyday for over 2+ years and it is holding up well. Unless you have driven in this type of traffic you cannot appreciate how this can wear down a car. The V-6 has plenty of power when I need to pass and the wide wheel base makes for a comfortable ride. Having said this, there have been some issues along the way that were all covered by the warranty but I felt I should still mention them. I should also mention that I bought the car with 8K miles as a VW Certified Pre-Owned which extended the warranty up to 60,000 miles. 1. 18K Miles, Fuel Door Stuck - For some reason the fuel door would not unlock and I could not put gas in the car. VW roadside assistance towed the car to the dealer and provided a loaner while this was being fixed. 2. 56K Miles, Fuel Sensor - This caused the check engine light to come on and was affecting the car's acceleration. VW repaired it and provided a loaner car while it was being fixed. 3. 58K Miles, Nav/Entertainment System Replaced - The Nav system would sometimes shutoff and reboot itself for no reason. This was an ongoing problem that I complained about multiple times at the dealership. They could not duplicate the problem and thought a software update would solve it but it did not. I was able to video this happening once and took the car to a different dealer. After seeing the video, they immediately diagnosed it as a hard drive problem and replaced the entire unit. I have had no problems with it since then. The only issue that some people may not like is the system does not read your text messages in the 2013 and 2014 models. I thought this was odd since it does everything else but I don't really miss it, and it was corrected on the 2015 model. Overall I am still very satisfied with the car and will probably give it to my son when he gets his license next year. **ORIGINAL REVIEW** I just bought a top of the line V-6 SEL Premium and I am loving it. I was looking for a luxury sedan with reasonable gas mileage and had driven almost everything under $45K. I was prepared to get the Cadillac ATS 2.0T Luxury with an MSRP of about $44K. I leased a new Passat for my wife back in '02 and remembered it was a reliable car so I thought I would stop at the VW dealer on my way to get the Cadillac. Needless to say I never made it to the Caddy dealer. This car blew me away with it's price and performance. The ride and interior space is comparable to the Mercedes E350 or Acura RL. For less than the price of a base model Cadillac ATS, I was able to get a fully loaded Passat V-6 SEL.

First VW ever

My wife and I bought a 2013 Passat a few week ago and we love everything about it. We just switched from a 2004 Camry ( Great Car) but not as much fun to drive. We are long time Toyota fans but we feld this car had alot more to offer. We love this car (so far).

new to me cpo passat 2.5 s

i traded my cpo benz glk for a passat s. i wanted german driving at lower cost. i found it. i tested automatics jetta and passat, 2.5, 1.8 and diesel. the 1.8 really livens up the jetta, passat not so much. diesel with dsg is sluggish in town and costly at 40k service. i was most pleasantly surprised by the passat 2.5. not alot of driving difference with passat 1.8, $4k cheaper (both cpo), 2.5 online reputation is bullet proof while 1.8 is too new, i prefer cloth to fake leather seats. my 2.5 gave me 27mpg suburban dc area and 38mpg i95 and i64 dc to va bch, at or just above speed limits, hand calculated, almost unbelievable. my advice: try the passat in 2.5, great cpo deals now. update jun 2016. two years later, now 42,000 mostly highway miles, 25/36mpg. no mechanical issues except for one flat tire. 40k service at dealer was most expensive so far but only $170. cpo warranty still active and cannot find any reason to trade in my 2013. only complaint is poor visibility when reversing, but 2016 passat has a backup camera. very happy with it. would i get another passat? why not, except i dont really need such a big car, jetta is more tossable.

Very balanced car

Very balanced, with excellent mileage for a larger gas powered car. (I confess to being hooked on the computer's fuel consumption feature, short of being a hyper miler. Best on my 30+ mile commute on country roads has been 34.7 mpg.) The 5 speed is well matched - the engine turns at 2000 rpm at 60 mph. Very quiet at 80 mph, with 30+ mpg even at that speed. Nice radio, simple to use.

Well Designed

I just purchased the gas model Passat 2.5 SE and have been very delighted with the car. highway mileage has ranged from 36.5 to 39.7 based on travel. Trunk storage is amazing. The seating is comfortable and extremely roomy. I do agree that the stock tires are a bit noisy, but that has nothing to do with the high quality of the car and i would highly recommend this car to anyone.

Better than Honda Accord

Some people find Passat inside and outside styling boring. The design is not flashy. The dash has a very clean and orderly look. The number of ' just enough buttons " makes you wonder why so many manufacturers make vehicles with so many confusing buttons if Passat can get away with so few doing the same work. Purchased my 2.5L SE auto in April 2016 from its original owner with 29K miles. I like Passat's solid feel, driving position, handling, and clean interior layout. It has excellent seat comfort, low road noise, and spacious back seat and trunk. The 6 speed automatic transmission shifts up and down smoothly and is never confused about which gear it need to be in. Sold my 2009 Accord EXL four cylinder for this Passat. Lack of phone/audio bluetooth, very high and annoying road noise, and getting tired of manual transmission were the reasons to make the switch. I recommend 2012-2015 style Passat to anyone that is looking at 2008-2012 or even 2013-2015 Accords. Maintenance Items: I wish VW used drain plug for coolant draining like so many other manufacturers. It is odd that you have to disconnect the lower radiator hose and make a mess to drain the coolant. Also having access panels to get to oil filter and oil drain plug are items to consider. You have to remove an underbody panel held in place with 11 screws to get to oil filter housing and oil drain plug. VW recommending 5W-30 oil instead of harder to find 0W40 of the older engine is a plus.

First VW!! Awesome Car

Toyota convert and love the fun, features, and value this car brings. Feels like a really high end vehicle. Well planned interior, smooth and quiet ride. Great value for the SE package.

Quality German sedan

This is the fifth VW I've owned and while not the most exciting, it is the highest quality! Smooth and comfortable, and very roomy. Back seat passengers are amazed. A terrific highway cruiser - every VW I've owned is as stable and smooth at 95mph as most cars are at 65. The 2.5 engine gets a bad rap, as it's more economical in real life than many of the newer turbo engines. I'm seeing 25 avg in around town driving, and 31 on a high speed trip through Texas. I shopped against a Fusion 1.6T and was certain the Ford would be my choice, but the quality of the VW shone through. I'm very satisfied with my choice.

German Engineering at the price of a KIA

First Volkswagen product purchase...absolutely flawless car. Very smooth and Quiet, excellent sound system. Looks larger than it is...same size as Honda Accord....too "vanilla". Drove Ford Fusion, "felt sloppy" and cumbersome. This car is a great value. And you should be able to negotiate the MSRP with 10% off. No longer use Costco program....you can do better yourself, as Costco is just another"middle man".

2013 Volkswagen Passat

I’m in love with my new Passat. It drives like a dream and is so roomy for the whole family. The back seat is big enough that we can all go on vacation and not feel cramped. There is a/c throughout the car and heat. Plus heated seats in the front that are very helpful for me due to my back pain. I couldn’t be any happier

First Impressions

First off, let me say I'v only had my 2013 Passat S for about three weeks, so don't expect any reliability reviews. But as regards my driving and build quality, well, read on. Yes, mine is the base model. Do I feel underwhelmed? No. The Passat S drives and handles just fine for basic family driving. Plenty of pep, smooth ride, and the "S"port gear when you need the extra oomph. So smooth is the ride that its easy to speed without knowing it. The interior is laid out cleanly and with all controls easily reached. LOVE the Bluetooth capability. Front seats are every comfortable. Huge leg room in back. And wow, what a trunk. I don't know how VW did it. Just wish the gas mileage were better.

Got most things right - but one big annoyances!

Initially I really loved my purchase. I like the simple layout and nice styling over some competitors. The only real complaint I have is the DSG lag - which is a noticable lag from a stop [think turbo lag but more annoying] but as it impacts every day driving I think it would make me not buy this model again. I recommend 1.8L Turbo 4cl as it's not DGS. Gets great mileage and all the other benefits I like about this car but does not have a DSG transmission. If you want V6 I would have to recommend the Accord over the Passat based solely on the DSG lag. Could be me being too critical though - I do suggest you test drive a passat.

Good deal on family sedan

Actually I originally purchased this vehicle to do a business. After the business did not work out profitably. i found myself thinking of selling the car for about a min. After really thinking about the fact that the trunk room is enormous , leg room in front and rear are adequate road for someone 6"4 like my son can actually lay down in the back seat. I could not part with it. It is clean bland and German . Classic lines no complications or surprises. Great gas mileage , take 87 unleaded can get at least 458 miles on a full tank before refill, Great road car . Great individual climate controls, sunroof. Can add navigation later from dealer for about 1800.00. It is not diesel so whatever the problem is with emissions complaints with the diesel you will not have that problem with this car. Plus it just looks like it will look good for a long time. I'm going to pay additional to put a clear coat on it. I like the chrome grille and the chrome around the car windows it gives it a real refined look. When I want fun i just jump into my 06 Infiniti . This is a safe , practical grown up car. I'm retiring soon so this just suits me fine. Check it out for yourself. An actually wheelchair plus luggage can fit into the trunk.

Passant SE

It has been great since I bought it. Mileage , comfort and handling very good. No issues

Very nice strong car made 5 cylinder

This is a car if u cant afford the higher end car but u want something looks nice feels like lexury gots great handling just like a BMW then really this car is for u and also if u r big this car has lots of room in back seat am 300lb 6ft 1inc I feel very comfortable in back seat ok now let's get to point I bought this car in 2013 brand new 0 miles now its 2019 still have it and honestly it's still running strong longest u do oil change every 9k miles u should be fine since from that day until i have 110k miles on it i have only bought new 4 tire last year and brakes and that's it so it's a great car engine is strong now how is the 4cylinder turbo I not sure not a big fan of turbo cars so overall I have a vw passat 2013 s model and love the car it's a great family car

Great car if you know how to take car of it

If you are mechanically inclined is a great car. Most important prevention maintenance. Great car for price and handling. 2013 passat 2.5 5 cylinder. Change oil and all fluids before recommandation. It will last longer. At 85k changed the thorttle valve body. Door lock . Changed. Over all for its price is good. If you don't take care your car go with Japanese car. Please don't forget prevention prevention for all German cars.

Great car, for a good price.

love it .

Love this car- lots of great things BUT a few not

Overall I like this car and am happy with the purchase. I think the interior layout is nicer than an accord or camry. I am a big fan of the Mazda6 but it had only one engine option at the time. That being said the Mazda6 may be a better overall choice. The Accord V6 has better shifting/acceleration from a stop and the Camry I am sure will last longer with lower maintenance costs. I am 6'7 and I can sit in the back without moving my seat from the location I had it in the front. Thus for tall people, or people with rear-facing child seats this car is great! I like the simple but stylish interior - to be expected in a VW. The DSG transmission is great once moving BUT there is a lag when moving from a start that isnt great and takes some getting used to. The trunk is HUGE (I can get a large stroller or a dual stoller in there). The price was very good - I bought a CPO with 11,000 miles. The navigation/entertainment system is slow - especially the back-up camera. It takes so long that you may just reverse without it..... an improvement in processing speed of the unit would be great. Also the HVAC isnt as solid as VW's of the past (I've had 5). The AC will eventually kick in but in hot temps over say 85/90 it can take upwards of 15-20 minutes. So... overall I recommend this vehicle. The newer 4cyl is a great option as well that addresses some of these issues.

Big Mistake

My wife @ I were in the market of purchasing a family sedan and ended up choosing the Passat SE. At first, it was a toss up who loved the car more-my wife or kids. The stereo system is awesome-the sunroof w/ its variable selections is right on, the way it handles a curve in the road or tight turns is very impressive and the leather seats are extremely comfy. At 29,000 miles the brakes started making that squeaking sound(rotors/pads required replacement) headlights are on recall from VW, the paint chips very easily and random computer messages keep popping up on the dash for no apparent reason. Just today the battery went dead and needs replacing. Trading it in on 2014 Ford Fusion SE!!!

Nice car

Good overall car, gets good mpg on the highway 30+ with the VR6. Fender sound system real good. No Xenon lighlights on a car that cost $36k. Navigation is extremely slow. Trunk extremely deep.

Awesome Car

Good car but not a great car.

I like this car but do not love it. It is smooth, has well thought out controls, is spacious, looks good, and drives well but i'm not sure if it is still the pick of the class. The big let down is the five cylinder power train. The mileage isn't great, the engine isn't as smooth as the Honda four i've come from, the power output is poor for something with five cylinders, and the transmission is slow to shift. No verdict yet on reliability. The car feels well made but VW cars have not always lasted. Only time will tell.

Bland Car

So i got this Passat because I was upside down on my truck trade in by 12k. It was a lease and I thought the Passat would be a good car because they were so well built in the past. Well the car was extremely big for a single guy 5'10 180lbs. The back seat was huge. This car was for a family. The front suspension was too bouncy and the car just floated along like a Buick. The 2.5 liter engine was weirdly displaced, it only had a 5 cylinder. The power was meh, and the MPGs were nothing to brag about. I've had a few BMWs and VWs before this car and the German Engineering was almost non existence in this vehicle. Very disappointing.

Bought on the fly

Bought this while on travel out of state, when my Volve gave the ghost. Rather happy with it. It is roomy and comfortable.

You Get A Lot For A Little

We bought our SE 2nd hand we traded our 2012 Camry 70 k our car had 18K on it and it's a awesome car luv the feel of the ride we also picked up leather & heated seats , sunroof, safer , great deal. At first I thought the service was expensive but you only get them serviced every 10 K vs every 3 K so it all evens out or maybe the vw is a bit cheaper in the long run . It's fun to drive in the sport mode , comfortable , good gas mileage , great looking , we now have 53 K on it with no problems . Only wish it had a back up camera . They don't hold there value as well as i'd like .

Love this Car!

We are a middle class family who searched for mid-size sedan that would be roomy enough for my 6 foot 3 husband, myself and two kids. we have been driving an SUV but i was getting tired of paying so much for gas. I wanted a luxury feel but at a middle class income price. This was the car that fit all those needs. It's huge. It's actually longer and wider then my Ford Edge. The kids and husband have a ton of room. It's really nice to drive, it has that cozy sports feel drive to it. It grips the road like a glove. I love all the techie touches. The stereo system is great with the touch and blue tooth and all the information if gives you on the dash! This car is great.

Avoid the TDI

The turbo will fail. The radiator fan and subsequently the air conditioning will fail. The Ad-blue heater will fail. The high pressure fuel pump will likely fail. These are all very expensive repairs. I'll not buy a Volkswagen again.

Beware

Do not purchase. Extended warranties will always mean repair bills. Major electrical issues that cant be explained and repair shops often do not notify manufacturer. Read the reviews carefully!

Good

Over all good car

Great

Good car especially when maintained properly

Smooth

Fast stable reliable cool

Love my 3.6

Love everything about my Passat v6. The strong v6 is quick and quite powerful. Beautiful interior with amazing sound system. Plus the interior has more than enough space. Trunk is huge. Back seat is the biggest in its class. I love everything about my Passat.

It ran with the best of them!

Loved my 2013 Passat 2.5L it handles well, heavy low to the ground sleek, not flashy but turned heads with 19' inch OEM custom rims it was well maintained only touched by VW techs cost could be higher end but well worth the care. I've traveled a lot opening up on the highway with Audi, BMW, Honda, and Toyota it held steady till they backed off I'm not afraid to drive put pretty good milage on it and still running strong! I'm in the process of getting my 3rd Passat I won't turn back Volkswagens till the end. FYI ( 2012-2015 ) strong durable engines find one with low milage, well maintained they run brand new.

Great car, great price, and great sales personnel

This was the best car buying experience I have ever had and I highly recommend Hertz in Harvey, Louisiana! My next car purchases will be from Hertz. The car was well maintained but not perfect being a rental/fleet vehicle (minor cosmetic issues). It was priced well, it rides well, and it looks good. Everything works as it should. Passats are very good cars.

Yay ! I bought a car 🤩

This car is super roomy. Has a lot of bells a whistles. I love that it’s sporty but comfortable. Sun roof, heated seats and great sound system.

Schultz

Of all the cars I've owned over 60 years( and there have been many ), this Passat has been the most dependable, reliable and least troublesome. I will hate to part with it if and when I have to.

Great Ride

Great Ride all round

Great, Relaible

100% synthetic oil change required

Awesome V6 Passat

Bought it second hand with very low mileage. Michelin tires are best for controlling traction for rapid takeoffs from start. Holds road well on sharper turns (even without Michelin tires). Glad I had Cilajet coating applied (maintains newer look of surface finish).