Used 2016 Volkswagen Passat Consumer Reviews
Used Passat for sale
See Edmunds pricing data
Has Your Car's Value Changed?
Used car values are constantly changing. Edmunds lets you track your vehicle's value over time so you can decide when to sell or trade in.
love my passat and support vw!
Edward Zhao, 02/13/2016
updated 02/14/2019
2016 Volkswagen Passat S PZEV 4dr Sedan (1.8L 4cyl Turbo 6A)
15 of 15 people found this review helpful
i love Passat from my first look at this car (i also test drove and like subaru legacy ), which is obviously very nice and very well built in every detail. design is both classical, detailed and appropriate. the ride is very comfortable and quiet. engine is enough for me or even pretty strong if you press pedal hard. very roomy for second row guests. i got Passat at a great price partly because of recent diesal scandal. although i love it, i was hesitant due to some bad comments. but once i get it, i fell in love it, and dis not have any issues so far. i can't comment on long term reliability, but the initial quality, original parts, assembly are in high quality and flawless. it is way way better than my toyota cars in terms of premium feeling and detailed consideration. safety is very good and actually my top reason to pick this car. mine passat is just the base model, but are still well equipped. compared to Passat, my toyotas (rav4, matrix) is much simpler, but has been proved to be super reliable. vw now has problems, but i think a company that builds such a nice, quality car (especially on the fundamental side which demonstrate its responsibility and professionalism), deserve my love and support. if other vw models are similarly competitive on pricing as my Passat, i may only buy vw in the future. feb2019 update: the car is our family's major people mover, due to its smaller size and more gas economy. we put nearly 53,000 miles on it for 3 years, and the car still runs strong and no mechanical issues at all. Still in love. Only minor problem is the backup camera failed to be launched when backup sometimes, but the problem went away next time.
- Safety
- Technology
- Performance
- Interior
- Comfort
- Value
For what it is, the Passat excels
Dustin C, 05/19/2016
2016 Volkswagen Passat R-Line w/Comfort Package 4dr Sedan (1.8L 4cyl Turbo 6A)
13 of 13 people found this review helpful
I owned a 2006 Jetta 2.0L I5 for 6 years, and it was an absolute blast to drive. It was the car that showed me how rewarding owning a VW can be. Exceptional handling, quick acceleration, and a ride so responsive it made the car seem like an extension of yourself. The Passat R-Line 1.8L I4, however, is none of those things, but for all the right reasons. This is a family car. Will it handle corners like a sports car? No. Will the sound of the engine turn heads? Nope. Will it win you drag races from stop lights? Probably not. What it will do, and what it does well, is provide a comfortable, confident and efficient driving experience. And it looks good doing it. From the extra spacious cabin, to the ultra luxurious interior and silent ride, the 2016 Passat is a car for your everyday family driver. The R-Line comfort package has enough technology and comfort options to make this a world class vehicle that doesn't break the bank. Heated driver and passenger leather seats, bluetooth phone connectivity, wide angle (this is important!) back-up camera, steering wheel controls, cruise control, and a turbo charged 4 cylinder engine that feels nothing like any 4 cylinder you've driven before combine to offer a rewarding and pleasurable driving experience. The Passat R-Line also includes a shiftable transmission, which is becoming increasingly difficult to come by since the introduction of continuously variable automatic transmissions on 4 cylinder vehicles. Personally, I hate the way CVT transmissions perform and would never buy a car without a geared transmission. They're sluggish, unresponsive, and worst of all unreliable. Is getting an extra 5-10 miles per gallon worth replacing the most expensive part of your vehicle prematurely? Not for this guy. That's bad business, I'll stick with what works. It's hard to find faults with this car when you appreciate it for what it is, a reliable, stylish, and comfortable family sedan. That said, some mild gripes would include Nitrogen filled tires (no airing up at gas stations with this car), the missing TDI class (VW didn't make any diesel cars this year due to their ongoing trouble with fraudulent emissions scores) and an oddly shaped steering wheel. The bottom of the steering wheel is flat and obstructed. For someone who typically drives with only one hand at the bottom of the wheel, this is mildly irritating, but not enough to make me consider a different vehicle. Overall, for what's included and for how pleasurable it is to drive, the Passat R-Line w/ Comfort Package is an exceptional car for an exceptional value. But go ahead and sign up for that extended warranty if you can afford it. Anybody who's driven VW long enough will tell you how much they love the vehicles, but hate the repairs. These machines might be built in Chattanooga, TN right here it the great ol' USA, but this is still a German car with German parts. Repairs WILL be expensive if you're paying out of pocket. But this is Volkswagen and it is a great car, take care of it and it will take care of you.
- Safety
- Technology
- Performance
- Interior
- Comfort
- Reliability
- Value
2016 Volkswagen Passat for sale near you
Showing 3 of 57 listings
- SE PZEV SedanMSRP: $8,9638 mi away
- SE PZEV SedanMSRP: $8,539104 mi away
- S PZEV SedanMSRP: $5,999182 mi away
See all 57 listings
Complicated
tray, 09/27/2016
updated 10/03/2017
2016 Volkswagen Passat SE 4dr Sedan (1.8L 4cyl Turbo 6A)
12 of 12 people found this review helpful
Still mostly in love with the Passat after driving it for 1 year and putting over 17,000 miles on the vehicle. First the positives include the vehicle handles great especially at high speeds, strong 4 cylinder turbo engine, nice rear seats, very attractive interior and exterior. The bad includes a front speaker rattle which Volkswagen cannot fix after three attempts, and hard surfaces especially on the door, cheap thin paint. Regarding the front right speaker rattle it seems that this problem just appears out of no where 80% of the time when I drive the vehicle, however the issue cannot ever be duplicated once you take the vehicle to Volkswagen. Regarding the hard surfaces I really feel that the door handle pads are to hard which makes getting comfortable in the Passat for a long drive a little harsh. Also the armrest is too small so two people cannot share the hard surface armrest. Recently I washed my vehicle and decided to use a towel to dry off my vehicle instead of the normal car wash air dry that i normally would do. Once I started drying the car I instantly started noticing that literally the car towel was causing the paint to appear scratched. Over over my 20 years of driving I've never seen paint this cheap before. So if you buy a black Passat please understand that it's in your best interest to only machine wash the vehicle vs hand washing. In terms of reliability I haven't had any engine problems at all. The one major issue that has driven me insane is the continental tires which have excellent grip, however constantly run flat from picking up debris. Too make matters worse the Passat will only notify you once the tire is dang near flat. The tire monitoring system also doesn't let you see the amount of air in all 4 tires, so basically you have to play the guessing game when it comes to air pressure in the tires. I have a Ford F-150 which shows me the pressure in all 4 tires which is extremely beneficial. I also have 3 other newer vehicles that I own ,and only the Passat has had multiple flat tires over the past 12 months. This is no lie , I have had every tire on the Passat plugged on this vehicle with some of tires having multiple flats. The issue got so bad that I replaced the front tires with cheaper tires and so far I haven't experienced any flats. Some advice to Volkswagen would include putting thicker rubber on the wheels so that the tires will not puncture so easily. Overall these issues are still minor and doesn't affect the reliability of the vehicle. The car has never broken down, and is excellent on fuel .
- Safety
- Technology
- Performance
- Interior
- Comfort
- Reliability
- Value
Not getting enough attention in its class
JP, 06/17/2019
updated 06/29/2023
2016 Volkswagen Passat SE PZEV w/Technology 4dr Sedan (1.8L 4cyl Turbo 6A)
10 of 10 people found this review helpful
I had all but settled on buying an Altima for your typical midsize sedan needs. Drove this Passat on a whim, and fell in love with it. First of all, there is much more room inside than most in its class. My kids love the room in the back seat. Second, on road trips, I get great gas mileage. 38mpg is pretty normal on the highway, 28-30 in town. So with comfort, and economy covered I have to say it is fun to drive. Accelerates and corners so much better than other cars I test drove. I've owned mine for 2 years now needing nothing beyond routine maintenance, I'm currently at 55k miles. If the reliability keeps up I'll be purchasing a newer model in the future. As an update, I'm as happy now with the Passat as aI was when I left the last review. We are approaching 70K miles and have yet to have any mechanical issues. for a family sedan, the car is still fun to drive on my daily commute and is great when #rd we take a family road trip. If you would like a comfortable family car, this is a good option. Update 3 here. 2016 passat is still comfortable, still fun to drive. My wife has a 2018 altima, and I prefer the Passat. Finally topped 100K miles. Car performs as well as it did when I bought it with 30K miles. I has recently started to burn a bit of oil. I change oil every 7500 miles, I have to add oil about twice between changes. This is a recent development, and a bit disappointing. Other than this I'm happy with the car. Update- 5 years into owning my 2016 Passat. It has been a budget friendly car. And a reliable car. It now has nearly 140k miles on it and runs well. The burning oil has picked up to where I have to check oil every two weeks and add a little, so that is a negative for sure. Other than that it handles well, has no electronic issues, and with the occasional cleaning, the interior is holding up well. I've been lucky with this one. I'm sad to hear that VW has discontinued the line. I probably would have traded this on in for a 2025 or 2026 had they kept going.
- Safety
- Technology
- Performance
- Interior
- Comfort
- Reliability
- Value
Never thought I'd own a Passat - but I love mine!
wmoore, 10/04/2016
updated 10/04/2018
2016 Volkswagen Passat SE w/Technology 4dr Sedan (1.8L 4cyl Turbo 6A)
9 of 9 people found this review helpful
After 12 months and 20K miles, I would still say this is one of my favorite cars that I've owned. It is smooth, quiet enough, plenty of 0-60 spunk. From a technology perspective, it's loaded with it! I'll add that even though it's loaded with tech, all of it is very user-friendly and functional. I can probably get along without some of it, but I definitely enjoy having it. Love the car. Update: here I am at a little over 2 years and I'm still enjoying the car. I didn't buy it purely for the looks, but I get a surprising number of compliments on it. The interior is holding up very well - hardly any wear noticeable after 37K miles. The only thing I think VW could improve on is the front seats. They're pretty spartan. Functional, to be sure, but I think a little more padding and maybe a side bolster or two wouldn't kill them. All in all, I'd buy another one today.
- Safety
- Technology
- Performance
- Interior
- Comfort
- Reliability
- Value