[punitkakri]

Hi Guys,
Bought home a used Oct 2010 VW PASSAT on 31st October 2012. The car is in scratch less showroom condition and has done 33K kms.
The car was registered in the name of VW India itself and was used and maintained by them.

The car is a a 1.8 TSI Pertol.The transfer formalities are now done. I paid Rs. 11.18 lakhs for the car (including transfer charges from the Chakan Pune factory to my Bandra West address weak foglamps etc.)


-What l like about the PASSAT:

• Extremely well built. The door thud inspires tremendous confidence. Overall gives you a feeling of confidence. Excellent fit and finish
• Lots of technology around. (Adaptive Cruise Control, ESP, Touchscreen controls, almost everything automatic)
• Smooth engine. Very low noise levels
• Great amount of seat adjustment options at the front.
• Great Handling
• Excellent interiors. Very similar to the new gen PASSAT
• An excellent driver`s car. Great to drive.


What i didn't like:

• Rear legroom though enough not as much as some other cars like Superb
• Lack of music controls & ac controls on the rear seat
• Slightly low seating position at the rear
• Deep potholes enter cabin slightly
• Large dimensions take use getting used to. Need to be careful of over-enthusiastic bikers and rickshaw-wallas
• New Shape is now available
• Wanted black interiors (rare to find)

Alternatives that were considered, and why you zeroed in on this particular car

I was clear i wanted to go in for a USED D-segment car. My upper cap was Rs. 18.00 lakhs. I tried the following cars

• Used Skoda Superb (both petrol and Diesel 2009 and later)
• Used C-Class (2008 and later)
• Used BMW-3 series (2008 and later)
• Used Passat (both diesel and Petrol 2009 and later)

Reasons for choosing the particular car

• Excellent condition. Not a single scratch
• Owned by VW themselves. Owned and maintained by them.
• Oct 2010 model. Relatively new for a used car
• PASSAT overall offered a complete package as a car. Merc and BMW though have better snob value, they lack in certain areas like Rear Legroom and overall interior levels. (I was frankly a bit disappointed by the C-Class)
• My running is not very high. In that sense i was okay for petrol.
• The price i got it for is extremely reasonable.

Dealership Experience

I bought the car from Auto Pavilion located at Khar West. The dealer was extremely cordial throughout me dealing with them and was happy showing the cars around. Auto PAvilion deals only in used cars. One common thing i noticed was the excellent condition of each of the used cars for display there. They generally get the cars from corporates. The car buying was fairly quick. I finalized the car within a day after negotiating on the price. The dealer was very helpful and has gotten he required transfer done and has provided the updated RC book to me with the required transfer done.

When the car was new it retailed for close to Rs. 23 lakhs. I got it for less than half the price which made for a very sensible and compelling buy. At Rs. 11.00 lakhs i felt this car was a great buy.

Equipment levels.

The car itself is extremely well equipped and rivals an E-class for the goodies it offers. Well sunroof, Adaptive Cruise Control, ABS, ESP, Touchscreen controls, electronic seat adjustments. Dual zone climate control, 6- CD changer, Electronic mirrors, automatic rear sun blinds are a few of the features. Another thing i like is a button on the drivers side serves as the handbrake. Apart from this there are host of other features like "Auto Hold" (useful since keeps the car steady on inclines), parking sensors (with display on the LCD, no camera though), Bluetooth connectivity, rotating lights, heated and cooled seats, tons of seat adjustment options, 8 airbags. All in all a complete luxury car experience. The engine is push start and the windows and boot can be opened by pressing buttons on the car keys itself.

However one sore point for me was the absence of a USB port. There is an Aux in but no USB port :(

Exterior styling

The Passat is not a small car, this really shows. With a length of 4,765mm, width of 1,820mm and height of 1,472mm, it is just a bit smaller than the 5 Series and E-Class and surprisingly wider than a Superb.

The face of the Passat is a handsome one with the rounded headlamps, sleek fog lamps with signal indicators and that prominent chrome large grille that houses the VW dominantly at the center of it all. The car has a good road presence and looks distinct when on road (also to do with the fact that not as many Passat`s are on road as may be a superb or an accord). The overall shape is more sober and sophisticated and not as flashy as say a Teana, however the same gives the feeling of a no-nonsense sort of a car. The rear is slightly plain dominated by the huge tail lights and the VW logo at the centre. However being plain doesnt necessarily mean it's bad. Overall the car has rounded lines as opposed to sharp ones. Overall i quite like the exterior. However would have wished for a bit more spunk.


Overall build quality/ Fit & Finish

This is once area where this car excels. Bits of quality are evident everywhere. The build is really solid with tremendous door thumps. Quality bits are on use everywhere. The steering feels great to hold, the plastics used are great and everything feels as if its made of quality bits. The attention to detail is good with hydraulic boot/ bonnet opening, felt lining in the glove-box. The only thing which could have been improved i felt were the buttons on the sides of the gearbox. But overall great quality/ fit and finish.

Interior Quality/ Space/ Ergonomics

The Passat interiors are a great place to be in. Though i personally prefer black, the light beige gives a feeling of openness and space. While the beige interiors look very plush, they seem to be susceptible to getting dirty. (However when i bought the car they were spic and span and look the same now after about 1500 kms). The interior space is what you expect from a car of this class. Though the legroom may not be as much as a Superb, the same is more than adequate. Even with the seat pushed fully back, there is plenty of room. There will be no compliants when it comes to interior space. However there is a niggle. As with most European cars the floor is raised in the middle at the rear. This may cause some bit of irritation to the middle passenger in case three people are seated at the rear.

The seats inside the Passat are wrapped in Vienna leather, and add to the fact that those seats are well contoured, makes it extra comfortable. Also both driver and front passenger get electric seats with memory. Rear seats are extremely comfortable too. Rear air-con vents are sufficiently good.Cabin kit includes a 6.5-inch touchscreen, six-disc CD changer and eight speaker audio system, three-spoke leather steering wheel with paddle shifters, electric parking brake with auto-hold function and hill-hold control. The air conditioning system is nice and delivers well. Overall there are a few good cubby-holes for the knick knacks and glovebox space is also good.

The buttons are well placed and within easy reach. The controls on the steering work well. The touch screen is responsive. However the touchscreen related controls especially the ones related to the CD changer are not as intuitive as i wished and take a bit getting used to.All said and done the interiors of the car are a rewarding place to be in.

Engine and Drive ability

In the car itself i have clocked about 1500 kms. in the city. I have driven in traffic as well as on empty roads in Mumbai.The seat support is excellent and the driving position is spot on and can be adjusted. (lots of seat adjustment options).

The engine is a peach. Its smooth and punchy. There is a bit of turbo-lag, almost negligible, but once past 2000rpm the motor pulls strongly. The peak Power appears to be around 5000 rpm, but the car can go beyond that (i tried during odd times on the Bandra Worli sea link). The drive is smooth and the car is well behaved. The grip levels are pretty good. The gearshift though smooth could have been slightly better. The gear response is pretty good though. The ride quality and handling are very good. However when going though deep potholes bumps are felt in the cabin.

The steering is good and the car responds well to it. When pushed, the car moves around well and responds with adequate power. My driving is mainly city based and mostly in traffic. The car is easy on the body to drive even in bumper to bumper traffic. Overall i have pushed the car upto 170 kms so far and it felt stable enough even at that speed. At the cost of repetition i must stress that the road grip is excellent. The drive per se is hassle free. Overall to sum i would say the car is well behaved, though it does not have the outright performance of say a BMW, it`nothing to complain about.

The ride and handling are very good. The suspension seems fairly well tuned for our roads. However a few bumps do manage to gt into the cabin in case potholes are deep.

Fuel efficiency

Well lets get straight to the point. The efficiency so far is about 8.5 kms in city with the AC on. This is with 60% of the time in bumper to bumper traffic. In my opinion this is a pretty good figure for a car of this size and class. As far as highway efficiency is concerned i have obtained between 14-14.5 kms (On empty roads and sea link combined during night time). Overall a satisfactory figure.

Some other points
-Extremely large boot. Lots of luggage space
-Servicing happens once a year and costs Rs. 13300/-
-Need to be careful to not scratch the car in bumper to bumper traffic. The car is deceptively large.
-Personally feel sunroof is a bit small.

Overall

Well the Passat offers all the features of a luxury car and with the reasonable price tag for the used petrol it makes quite a compelling buy. In case the running is within reasonable limits one may seriously consider this over a used 3 - series or C-class as one would also save a lot of money upfront while purchasing. Overall i`m happy with my call.

Few pics. Will add more including the night drive ones. Cheers

[pganapathy]

Congrats on the new car. As a vehicle it is brilliant and will serve you well. I only hope service reaches the same levels soon.

Anyway, first tell us what accessories / goodies are on the car and we can then advise you accordingly. Try to stay with authorized accessories only within the warranty period. If you wish to change them, do so after the warranty expires. The peace of mind warranty offers is phenomenal, especially in cases where spares and service are expensive.

[GTO]

Thread moved from the Assembly Line to the Initial Ownership Section. Thanks for sharing!

[Lalvaz]

Thats an excellent car, Punit. Great condition and very good price indeed. Surprisingly low service costs too. Does it also have a warranty? Could you also share the contact information of Auto Pavilion in a PM?

Thanks, wish you many miles of driving pleasure in this gem of a car.

[mempheS.D]

That interior picture almost looked like it was stolen off the VW webpage. Immaculate looking car and I'm sure the TSI just urges you to put pedal to metal since you do not have any "running-in" to worry about.

What I did non understand was a pre-owned car owned by VW India? Meaning?

Congratulations, and wish you a pleasant ownership experience.

[revintup]

Thats quite a ride you got there and all the more awesome at the price which you got it for. Congrats.

I personally like this model a lot better than the current Passat. Its got more of a personality and of course, the valet does not get mixed up with the vento-jetta-passat confusion.

Keep her in the present condition and am sure she will serve you well. Enjoy !

[punitkakri]

Originally Posted by Lalvaz

Thats an excellent car, Punit. Great condition and very good price indeed. Surprisingly low service costs too. Does it also have a warranty? Could you also share the contact information of Auto Pavilion in a PM?

Thanks, wish you many miles of driving pleasure in this gem of a car.

Yes, it has warranty till October 2014. Will send you the details via PM

Originally Posted by mempheS.D

That interior picture almost looked like it was stolen off the VW webpage. Immaculate looking car and I'm sure the TSI just urges you to put pedal to metal since you do not have any "running-in" to worry about.

What I did non understand was a pre-owned car owned by VW India? Meaning?

Congratulations, and wish you a pleasant ownership experience.

The car was registered in the name of VW India at their Chakan factory in Pune. It was used for transporting senior VW executives between Mumbai and Pune. The car has been serviced and maintained by VW India themselves and that explains the excellent condition.

Originally Posted by revintup

Thats quite a ride you got there and all the more awesome at the price which you got it for. Congrats.

I personally like this model a lot better than the current Passat. Its got more of a personality and of course, the valet does not get mixed up with the vento-jetta-passat confusion.

Keep her in the present condition and am sure she will serve you well. Enjoy !

I agree with the Jetta and Passat confusion in the current gen. Also the interiors in the old gen and new gen seem nearly same, so dont mind much.

[ghodlur]

@punitkakri,

Congratulations on owning the Passat. Was confused regarding the colour of the car. The first pic shows darker shade whereas the later pics shows silver coloured. The interior looks lovely, like a wallpaper pic.

Happy many more mile crunching and take efforts to keep her in the pristine condition she is in right now. Drive safely.

[Omtoatom]

Punit, congratulations on a great deal and on acquiring a great looking car. Apart from the obvious well-proportioned good looks of the outgoing Passat (which I'm a fan of BTW), this one looks pristine and spotless inside out. I love that last picture where the Passat is gleaming away to glory with the Ikon in the background. Well done scouting this gem out my friend!

When you say owned by VW themselves, do you mean to say that this one was driven by one of their executives presumably on a company lease? Do clarify.

At any rate, I wish you a very enjoyable experience with the TSI-powered Passat in the weeks to come.

[ninjatalli]

@punitkakri,
Lovely deal you got over there! Congratulations!

Originally Posted by mempheS.D

What I did non understand was a pre-owned car owned by VW India? Meaning?

VW owns several cars ranging from Vento to the Pheaton and uses for its own people/clients/etc. A lot of these used cars are available for purchase (strictly) to the employees at dirt-cheap prices. A friend of mine (VW employee) had shortlisted a (VW/Skoda owned) Yeti for 11 lakhs but later backed out due to financial reasons.

Once no offers are availed, they are then handed over to the dealers to sell them to outside buyers. Till now I was of the opinion (and informed so) that these sales were only to corporates; maybe they have relaxed the rules to sell to individuals too.

[issigonis]

>>>

Welcome to the VW club with miles of smiles. The Passat is a great highway cruiser as well as a quiet executive express with outstanding build quality.

I prefer the looks ( and some features) of the previous gen Passat and Jetta as these are more distinctive and in a way more distinguished looking. Although the new gen models must have progressed in many areas, but in some they have been built to compete with the Japs (not a good idea to me) : for instance the new Jetta doesn't have the multi link rear suspension or the "hydraulic" boot struts.

Savour the driving experience.

Regards

[punitkakri]

Originally Posted by ghodlur

@punitkakri,

Congratulations on owning the Passat. Was confused regarding the colour of the car. The first pic shows darker shade whereas the later pics shows silver coloured. The interior looks lovely, like a wallpaper pic.

Happy many more mile crunching and take efforts to keep her in the pristine condition she is in right now. Drive safely.

The car is silver coloured. The first picture the light condition probably made it seem darker. I`m being extra careful to keep the car in present condition

Originally Posted by Omtoatom

Punit, congratulations on a great deal and on acquiring a great looking car. Apart from the obvious well-proportioned good looks of the outgoing Passat (which I'm a fan of BTW), this one looks pristine and spotless inside out. I love that last picture where the Passat is gleaming away to glory with the Ikon in the background. Well done scouting this gem out my friend!

When you say owned by VW themselves, do you mean to say that this one was driven by one of their executives presumably on a company lease? Do clarify.

At any rate, I wish you a very enjoyable experience with the TSI-powered Passat in the weeks to come.

Well the car was company registered. It was chauffeur driven. As rightly pointed out by @ninjatalli, VW owns several cars to use for its own people. This was one of those. The dealer i got it from has agreement with VW and Skoda to sell their company.

[mkpiyengar]

Congratulations on your wonderful purchase.

You've got yourself a Passat for the price of Honda City. That is real value for money.

Could you PM me the details of Auto Pavilion @ Mumbai ? Looks very tempting to go for an upgrade.

Cheers
MKP

[Guna]

Congratulations! That is lot of car for a price of Honda city. FE of 8.5 in the city and 14+ on highway is very good. Does it have 7 speed DSG?

[punitkakri]

Originally Posted by Guna

Congratulations! That is lot of car for a price of Honda city. FE of 8.5 in the city and 14+ on highway is very good. Does it have 7 speed DSG?

This one is a manual 6-speed gearbox. As far as i know,the 1.8 Tsi was not available in the Automatic version for Passat in India