A couple days ago, my 2002 Passat GLX wagon was due for rear brakes, an oil change, an oxygen sensor, and a purge valve (to extinguish a nagging check engine light), so I brought it to Fuccillo VW of Schenectady. They armed me with a 2013 Passat SE sedan with the sunroof and navigation package to drive for the day and a half that I left my car with them. Here are my thoughts:
1. This is a big car. Way bigger than my wagon and comparable in size to my 2010 Accord. It feels more ponderous than the Accord, though, and much more difficult to maneuver in tight spaces and park. The backup camera that they added to the SE trim for 2014 would have been very helpful.
2. The space pays dividends on the inside, though. I never lacked for room, and actually had to stretch a bit for my elbow to reach the soft part of the door armrest.
3. Speaking of armrests, the console rest on this car neither slides nor adjusts for height (the armrest on my 2002 wagon does both, and I missed both adjustments).
4. However, all four windows are one-touch down AND up, which is highly convenient when one needs to quickly let a fart escape from the confines of the interior. Also, the "tap for three flashes" directional stalk was extremely useful when making lane changes.
5. The seats were upholstered in leatherette (the S model gets cloth and the top-shelf SEL model gets a mixture of real leather and a suede-like material). This upholstery is awful. It's stickier than leather and doesn't feel particularly upscale. The seat heaters were a nice touch but not nearly as effective as those in my 2002 wagon.
6. While it was nice to have a power-adjustable lumbar balloon in the driver's seat, it didn't inflate nearly enough. Maybe I'm weird in that I like a nice football in my lower back when I drive, but coming from the awesome lumbar support of both the 2002 wagon and my Accord, this was a bit disappointing.
7. A couple other features from my 2002 wagon that I missed were the automatic climate control and rain-sensing wipers.
8. I also missed the torque of my V6 engine and responsiveness of my manual transmission. The 2.5 liter inline-five, while decently powerful, was unrefined by comparison and much weaker throughout the rev range. It didn't help that the six-speed automatic was reluctant to let the engine wind itself out when a quick boost of power was needed (for the record, it had a manual mode, but I hate Tiptronic systems, as they feel too much like a gimmick and don't feel connected). Thank goodness they're replacing this motor with a 1.8 liter turbo 4 for 2014, which will help power, torque, and fuel economy.
9. I think I would have liked this car much more if it had the 2.0 liter TDI (diesel) motor. I drove one with this motor a few months back and loved the responsiveness and "right-now" torque. The DSG (dual-clutch automatic) also was much more in-tune with my right-foot's power requests than the 6AT on this car was.
10. The stereo was decent and put out some OK bass, but it lacked the crystalline clarity and Chuck Norris-esque punch of the Monsoon system in my wagon.
11. The car was very quiet; more so than either my current rides, and the ride was comfortable and controlled.
12. It handled pretty well for such a large car, too, but the steering was too light and too devoid of road feel for my taste.
13. The soft-touch padding on the dash was pretty awesome and felt truly German.
14. The Bluetooth system, as well as the design of the trip computer / information display in the gauge cluster, was outstanding. It was easy to pair my phone and stream calls (and audio) directly through the system. The steering-wheel redundant controls were some of the most intuitive I've ever used, and the screen between the gauges displayed the perfect amount of information. I could also toggle between missed calls, etc. on my phone by using the steering wheel controls; very cool.
15. Overall, I liked the car quite a bit, even though it may seem that I'm criticizing it pretty severely. I would've liked it much better if it had the TDI motor, SEL trim, a wagon body, and a stick shift, but VW doesn't offer that combination in the US. Here's hoping that the 2015 Jetta Sportwagen will be offered in such a configuration; if so, that's a car I would trade for.
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