Volkswagen Passat 2.0 TDI Sport 140

The main reason I bought this car was my love of VWs - I have previoulsy owned 6 VW golfs of different era's and swear by thier build quality and relaibility and performance. Due to a growing family I upgraded from a hatchback - namely a VW Golf - to a Passat. I can now report that my love and passion for VWs swayed my decision...to be the wrong decision!

The Passat is not that practical for a family saloon, the boot is oddly shaped and is not as big compared to other alternatives. The full-size replacment tyre, whilst good if you get a puncture, further restricts boot space. The Key fob as a handy button to open your boot if your hands are full, however, it rarely opens fully and you end up putting the things down in your arms to open the boot lid to get the stuff in - this kind of negates the idea in my eyes of the button on the key fob! Lastly on the boot, beware that if you need to put the rear seats down to fit in long loads the seats do not lie flat and there is an awkward lip on the inside of the boot that severely restricts the width of the inside of the boot to the rear cabin.

Performance is good, and the torque is unbelivable you get good pull even in sixth gear on the motorway. However, with performance comes the wear of the front tyres. I had gone through a set of front tyres (Pirelli's) in no less than 6 months of driving. If you are considering buying this model as a family saloon you need to factor in the costs of the front tyres.

The average cost of a full tank of diesel was 85 pounds, whilst this price is a little high you do get a good return on it, on motorway driving alone you can expect to reach at least 650 miles to a tank on that. Urban driving gives you lesser return averaging 38 miles to the gallon.

When inside and behind the wheel the driving experience is good, the car is responsive and holds to the road, however, as soon as your eyes wonder around the cabin you soon desire to see a little less drab plastic fittings. The look of design of the car too also gives the impression of a but of a plain jane and you soon start looking at better designed alternatives and dream what if I had puchased that...however, if you are not swayed by looks the overall driving experience is rewarding.

For the money alternative makes of cars give you more value for money in terms of kits and extras provided. Ordinarily you take the hit on the lack of extras and kit provided as the overall experience of owning a VW outmatches the extras provided. However this is not the case with the Passat especially operating in the excutive market.

There are reliabilty issues with the Passat of this era and touch wood whilst the injectors have not failed - the most commom reported problem for this model - in the matter of 11 months of ownership it has had its fair share of probelems. The following list are my experiences:

1. Constant issues with the electronic brake which you have to manually override on steep slopes.

2. Electronic brakes froze in icy weather making the car unusable untile they thawed (2 days!)

3. Rear passnger door lock failing.

4. Manifold flap failing.

5. Emission fault.

Overall, when the Passat is problem free and you are firmly sitting behind the wheel not thinking about the looks of the vehicle the performance is fantastic. However, the performance does not give you value for money in that tyre wear and diesel usage goes through the window. As a family saloon it is not as practical as its competitors. My advice would be do not be swayed by the VW badge on this model, as I did.

Lastly I would say that my Passat only had one previous owner and full service history - and even then had its fair share of problems. I am now getting rid of it as I do not have confidence in it lasting and the ticking bomb issue of the injectors failing as made me jump before being pushed.