NMS vs GSW - internal space/volume ?

r11

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2012 Passat TDI SE 6MT (BB'd), 2015 Passat TDI SE 6MT
Love my '12, tons of space. Limo-like rear seating, folding seats, cavernous trunk. I got a trailer hitch + roof rack. Heaven.

How does GSW compare to it, in your opinion ? I am not a big/tall guy so I am OK with loss of 1-2" in width, less knee space in the rear, as long as I get compensated w the giant volume with rear seats folded flat ...
 

VeeDubTDI

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The GSW definitely doesn't have the limo-like rear seating. I guess it depends on which one you prefer more - back seat passenger space or rear cargo space. There is definitely a trade-off.
 

Lucsar

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Couldn't agree more with VeeDub; I love the look of the GSW as well as the Alltrak, but both back seats in these vehicles don't compare to the Passat. I have a 2015 HighlineSEL Passat... 2 young children both in car seats, don't regret my choice one bit. Trunk is enormous as well, just wish there was a Def fluid gauge and exterior fill location.
 

kulak

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Passat NMS
I'm 6'5" and can have my seat almost all the way back with a rear facing child seat behind me. Very few cars can do that full-size included.

GSW seat behind me becomes almost useless even for small child.
 

Rico567

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For me, there is no valid comparison -in terms of trade-offs or otherwise- between the space in an NMS Passat and that of a GSW. That's not an "apples v. oranges" thing, more like "marmosets v. lawn mowers."
 

oilhammer

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outside St Louis, MO
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There are just too many to list....
I think the NMS' trunk, while certainly large, loses a significant chunk of its usefulness due to the poorly design trunk hinge arms that extend down into the trunk on each side when you close the lid, thus negating some of that trunk's space.


Also, it is hard to argue with the usefulness of a station wagon. I find this easily one of the most useful body types ever, and it is sad that fewer and fewer of them are even available here. :(

An NMS wagon (NMW?) would really be the bee's knees. I also was liking what looked to be Ford Fusion wagons (they may be called Modeos in Europe) being used by the local law enforcement in one of the latest terrorist attack footages being shown on the news. That is a nice looking car.
 

Rico567

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<snip>

An NMS wagon (NMW?) would really be the bee's knees.<snip>
We would be the first in line for an NMW. Our second car is our '04 SAAB 9-5 wagon, getting elderly but still seeing daily use. I just did the 190K OC, and it's still going strong. When the Passat goes to the buyback, the only likely wagon candidate out there may be the Volvo v90.....but at a price tag that is likely not going to be acceptable to us.
 

VernK

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I agree on the trunk hinge arms. I've crushed several innocent packages by forgetting that those arms will intrude.

Yours
Vern
 

Rico567

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I agree on the trunk hinge arms. I've crushed several innocent packages by forgetting that those arms will intrude.

Yours
Vern
Took me a while to learn to check: "Now why won't that $%%#$## trunk lid go down?"
 

kjclow

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2010 JSW TDI silver and black. 2017 Ram Ecodiesel dark red with brown and beige interior.
We would be the first in line for an NMW. Our second car is our '04 SAAB 9-5 wagon, getting elderly but still seeing daily use. I just did the 190K OC, and it's still going strong. When the Passat goes to the buyback, the only likely wagon candidate out there may be the Volvo v90.....but at a price tag that is likely not going to be acceptable to us.
You've also got the V60 which looks to be similar size to the JSW/GSW.
 

VeeDubTDI

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I'm 6'5" and can have my seat almost all the way back with a rear facing child seat behind me. Very few cars can do that full-size included.
GSW seat behind me becomes almost useless even for small child.
Same here. I'm 6'4" and usually run with the driver's seat either all the way back or very close to it. Being able to fit a full-sized adult behind me in any car is impressive. Short of an A8L or a Phaeton, no sedan compares to the NMS Passat in terms of road trip comfort for four adults.

I think the NMS' trunk, while certainly large, loses a significant chunk of its usefulness due to the poorly design trunk hinge arms that extend down into the trunk on each side when you close the lid, thus negating some of that trunk's space.

Also, it is hard to argue with the usefulness of a station wagon. I find this easily one of the most useful body types ever, and it is sad that fewer and fewer of them are even available here. :(

An NMS wagon (NMW?) would really be the bee's knees. I also was liking what looked to be Ford Fusion wagons (they may be called Modeos in Europe) being used by the local law enforcement in one of the latest terrorist attack footages being shown on the news. That is a nice looking car.
While the trunk hinges are annoying, I don't think I've ever had them prevent me from fitting something in the car. With most standard travel items (bags, random boxes, etc.), I can usually configure the items such that they don't interfere with the hinges. Granted, it would be awesome if they weren't an issue at all...

NMW would be badass.
 

oilhammer

Certified Volkswagen Nut & Vendor
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outside St Louis, MO
TDI
There are just too many to list....
I only found out about the trunk hinges when I rented one, and Stewie's fold up wheelchair (sort of a giant stroller) would not fit in the trunk. It fits (barely) in the B5's trunk though. If it were not for the hinges, it would have fit fine. Because it did "fit" in the volume, you just could not close the lid.

Which was frustrating because the B5's trunk is obviously "smaller", especially its opening (that is actually smaller than the A2's trunk! :eek: ).

Not a deal breaker though for an otherwise well appointed value targeted car. Shame no more diesels, though, as the NMS TDI stood alone in that category, especially considering they could be graced with a 3rd pedal.
 

IndigoBlueWagon

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GSW is definitely smaller inside, front and rear, than the NMS. I'm short so sitting "behind myself" is always easy, even in a MKIV Jetta. I did it in the GSW the other day and there's much more room than in a MKIV, but if you put the front seat all the way back I don't think you'd get a reversed child seat behind you. Cargo area is good, and the seats fold nearly flat.

I'm all over having a wagon over a sedan. much more useful. I keep thinking I don't need a wagon, and then there's some bulky item I need to carry.
 

oilhammer

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outside St Louis, MO
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There are just too many to list....
Regarding rear leg room, the A5-6-7 seem to have a front seat that offers a much greater range to the rear of the car than the A4 (and prior) for that matter did. So taller people can get more comfortable in them. I can sit in the A4s with the seat all the way back and reach the pedals... but the A5+ I cannot, I just do not have long enough legs.

The NMS like the old B4 seems to have plenty of room in front AND back. The B5 and B6 are somewhere in between.

But to the OP's original question, I think in most cases the smaller platform car in wagon trim would offer much more real world usefulness than a bigger sedan.
 
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tdiatlast

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^^^this...and the GSW is a much more enjoyable driving experience. My 09 JSW (slightly smaller than the GSW) was MUCH more fun to drive than the NMS Passat. Cargo? Don't forget all the vertical space in a wagon ABOVE where the trunk lid is in the NMS.
 

kjclow

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The only issue I have with the JSW/GSW vs a sedan is that it's not as easy to hide things in the trunk. Especially if you take out the shade and never put it back. For me, it's not the overall capacity of the wagen as much as it is the hatch. It's a lot easier to load and unload bulky items through the hatch and the flat floor loading.
 

IndigoBlueWagon

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The GSW has a place to stow the cargo shade under the floor. So now you can have it in the car if you need it to hide cargo somewhere. I've always wondered how many removed shades are in people's garages long after the car's gone.
 

Locoelectrician

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^^^this...and the GSW is a much more enjoyable driving experience. My 09 JSW (slightly smaller than the GSW) was MUCH more fun to drive than the NMS Passat. Cargo? Don't forget all the vertical space in a wagon ABOVE where the trunk lid is in the NMS.
In my opinion, this is subjective. I went to the dealer wanting a GSW and having forgot much of the driving experience from my 13 Passat, I fell in love with the GSW. Before signing, I drove another Passat and never looked back. LOVE the GSW, and in fact, we pick the girlfriends up (black SEL) in the morning, but the Passat in my opinion is quieter, less bumpy, and more luxurious. They are both awesome cars, and each have their place in the world, but I recommend anyone thinking about purchase or lease to take an extended test drive in both. GSW wins hands down for tech and cargo volume, but I feel the Passat is far superior for a long road trip. My opinions of course. It wasn't a blowout on decision either, as I ended at 60/40 Passat/GSW. If the GSW had a larger fuel tank it would have been closer.
 

tdiatlast

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"...more fun to drive..." is subjective? Not sure I agree. Carving corners in my 2009 JSW was always infinitely more FUN than in the floaty, softer NMS Passat.

NMS Passat, for sure, is quieter, less bumpy, but hardly as much fun.
 

tomo366

TDI Lifer, Member #68
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Kensington, Maryland USA
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I been on long road trips in VWDUBS Passat several times in the back seat and it is a great ride!
Will miss that car! However the Toureg is great also
 
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Locoelectrician

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"...more fun to drive..." is subjective? Not sure I agree. Carving corners in my 2009 JSW was always infinitely more FUN than in the floaty, softer NMS Passat.

NMS Passat, for sure, is quieter, less bumpy, but hardly as much fun.
I guess it all depends on your definition of "fun".
 

kjclow

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I been on long road trips in VWDUBS Passat several times in the back seat and it is a great ride!
^^agree^^

I'd much rather sit in the back of the Passat for a few hour of more trip than my JSW. Of course the last time I was in the back of my JSW for an extended period was a month after heart surgery. No car was going to be comfortable.
 

GTSLOW

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Sold back 2015 Passat SE owner here. I can honestly say the first thing I did when checking out my GSW was adjusted the front seat to my liking and then sat in the back seat. While the space was nothing like my Passat. I definitely think some friends would be just fine back there. What I really love is how much space you have when the rear seat folds down!

Oh and on a side note to the new GSW owners. Did you guys/gals know there's a 110V outlet in the back (yeah I love my new GSW).
 

kjclow

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The 110v outlet was in the back of the center console. Much easier to use. My wife's i-phone will only haol about a 8 hour charge so she keeps coming home with a dead phone and complaining. When she took over the JSW as her DD, I took a regular plug and cord out to the car and plugged it in. Now the only issue is will she remember to use it?
 

Rico567

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"...more fun to drive..." is subjective? Not sure I agree. Carving corners in my 2009 JSW was always infinitely more FUN than in the floaty, softer NMS Passat.

NMS Passat, for sure, is quieter, less bumpy, but hardly as much fun.

Well, you know what they say about opinions— and what's subjective to everyone else tends to be objective to the person holding those opinions.
And, yes, it's subjective. There's little doubt that the smaller car has better handling characteristics (I've drive our NMS Passat and several late-model Jettas). But we bought the Passat TDI for its greater space in all areas (front seat area as large as our SAAB 9-5, a real back seat, and a cavernous trunk) and its superior ride. The great fuel efficiency is just a bonus. The smaller vehicle (Jetta, JSW, GSW, etc.) simply won't do that for us, so the tradeoffs are more than acceptable. Q.E.D.
 

tdiatlast

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Well, you know what they say about opinions— and what's subjective to everyone else tends to be objective to the person holding those opinions.
And, yes, it's subjective. There's little doubt that the smaller car has better handling characteristics (I've drive our NMS Passat and several late-model Jettas). But we bought the Passat TDI for its greater space in all areas (front seat area as large as our SAAB 9-5, a real back seat, and a cavernous trunk) and its superior ride. The great fuel efficiency is just a bonus. The smaller vehicle (Jetta, JSW, GSW, etc.) simply won't do that for us, so the tradeoffs are more than acceptable. Q.E.D.
Doesn't this translate into, "...more fun to drive..."???:D That was my point.
 
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