Volkswagen Passat Saloon (2000 - 2005) 1.9 Highline TDI (130ps) 4d (2003/53) Owner Review

What does this car say about you?

Thinking mans Audi :-)

What do your friends / family / neighbours think of the car?

Plenty of features, very comfortable with plenty of space. The boot is just massive.

Would you buy this car again and why?

Possibly either the passat or the A6. I couldnt justify buying the A6 at the time I bought since it was considerably more expensive for essentially the same car.

What are you likely to buy next?

New model A6 Avant TDI, or E60 5 Series Diesel.

Type of dealer you bought from?

Didn't buy from a dealer

Did you buy this car new?

No

What price did you pay?

£8,400

When did you buy the car?

October 2007

Did you get a good deal and why?

Got a reasonable deal as I bought the car in hard cash.

Is there any special reason why you bought this car?

What was the dealer like?

Ok, but I would not buy from them again.

What's it like to drive?

Plenty of poke from the 130bhp. Plenty of wheel spin in 1st and 2nd gears until traction control cuts in particularly in wet conditions. Very comfortable car for long journeys however there is a bit of body roll in cornering. Being a diesel the front of the car is quiet heavy and tyres wear a lot quicker than other cars my last set of tyres lasted for about 22k. The nose of the vehicle can dip a bit under heavy breaking but the car always feels safe.

What's it like to park?

Parking is medium - parking sensors are very useful in judging proximity to obstacles. One thing I did notice when parallel parking is the wing mirrors dont give a good view of road side kerb. I always have to adjust them to pan downwards perhaps VW can implement a similar feature that used be available on old 5 series BMW where the passenger mirror used automatically pan downwards when engaging reverse.

Have you had any problems with the car?

Few things have gone wrong with the car since I bought it. In saying that the car has been very realiable in the 18months I have owned it. One of the items that went wrong with the car was the rear boot actuator failed which caused the boot to stay open (its a known manufacturing fault with Passats manufactured in 2002 and 2003. 30 euro part from the main dealer and fitted myself it has worked fine ever since. Second thing that has gone wrong is that one of the parking sensors has started to fail in the last week. Part expected to cost in the region of 80 euro just for one sensor.

What's most practical about your car?

Parking sensor are very useful as the car is quiet big. lots of space in the rear if carrying passengers.

Favourite gadget, option or accessory?

Heated leather seats are a god send in the winter months as well as the climate control, heated mirrors and traction control (on slush covered roads). Trip computer handy for calculating MPG although its not 100% accurate.