Proud new owner of a Silver 2012 Passat TDI SE.

Just got it last week. For the most part, nothing but good things to report thus far. 600 miles into my first tank, averaging 45 MPG with the DSG. Pickup around town is decent and there's a fair amount of power for merging and passing, a lot more than I expected.

The SE trim offers the best bang for your buck IMHO, but the SEL trim really pluses up the interiors and feature sets considerably if you're willing to go to the lower-to-mid 30's for the drive out price. I wanted to keep it under $30k so SE with DSG/Sunroof was the trim I settled on.

Only criticisms I can make so far, some of the interior storage bins are a bit on the chintzy side, solid single piece of plastic in a couple of instances. Also the in the rain, the trunk cover channels rain water into the trunk compartment when open. Also IMO, foglights should be standard on the SE trim, but that's just me.

This is my first TDI so I'm going through all of the relevant threads to get up to speed on breaking in the TDI and other sundry details. Thus far this forum is a great resource for me.

Just wanted to quickly introduce myself.

Cheers,

Congrats, and welcome!

You may find it is easy to add fog lamps in yourself, if you prefer.

Good luck, the silver SE is the exact car I plan on getting.I saw one this weekend it looked so nice.

Exact same as what I did. I went with Platinum Grey however. It was the only TDI on the lot at the time in a sea of 2.5 SE models. It happened that I didn't really care for all the fancy schmancy stuff the SEL offers as well. The way I bought mine equipped was fine with me. I myself couldn't care less about the fog lights, but I do like the 18 inch SEL wheels however. Gotta get me a set of those...

SEL 18" wheels

skinnyb said:

Exact same as what I did. I went with Platinum Grey however. It was the only TDI on the lot at the time in a sea of 2.5 SE models. It happened that I didn't really care for all the fancy schmancy stuff the SEL offers as well. The way I bought mine equipped was fine with me. I myself couldn't care less about the fog lights, but I do like the 18 inch SEL wheels however. Gotta get me a set of those...

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I just ordered the SE TDI with 18" wheels. How does it handle with the larger wheel and have you suffered fuel wise?

We will never know how 17s differ from 18s fuel wise unless tested in same conditions on same road on same day. Any takers?

John said:

We will never know how 17s differ from 18s fuel wise unless tested in same conditions on same road on same day. Any takers?

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If anyone in the Houston area has 18's and want to do a swap for a month or two, I am game.

John said:

We will never know how 17s differ from 18s fuel wise unless tested in same conditions on same road on same day. Any takers?

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It would probably be 1-3 MPG, same as other TDIs. The fuel economy difference won't be nearly as noticeable as the shorter tire life and higher replacement costs the larger wheels will sack you with.

This is great. Glacier Blue for me and I got the manual trans so no sunroof. I agree and I feel like I got a lot of bang for my buck. It has all the features I need and like...fogs would be nice but are not necessary.

oilhammer said:

It would probably be 1-3 MPG, same as other TDIs. The fuel economy difference won't be nearly as noticeable as the shorter tire life and higher replacement costs the larger wheels will sack you with.

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OHHH oHHH sign me up, sounds like fun!!!!!

Cool selection. I am looking to buy one myself. Just saw a silver SEL today - it looked sharp. A dealer near me is offering an extended warranty that covers the drivetrain for unlimited mileage as long as the preventive maintenance is done at the dealership or approved alternative and documented as such. Anyone else hear of this? I have to read the fine print. Dealerships tend to overcharge, but it would be nice to not ever have to worry about the big stuff.

Congrats. I chose an SE too. I did not think we could add aftermarket fogs?? also I want mud flaps...but not available yet

rgervasi said:

Cool selection. I am looking to buy one myself. Just saw a silver SEL today - it looked sharp. A dealer near me is offering an extended warranty that covers the drivetrain for unlimited mileage as long as the preventive maintenance is done at the dealership or approved alternative and documented as such. Anyone else hear of this? I have to read the fine print. Dealerships tend to overcharge, but it would be nice to not ever have to worry about the big stuff.

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SCAM. Wait until just before your VW warranty is about to come up (2-3 years). Then go to VW site and ask for a quote. You save lots of $$$.

Silver SE

I got the SE in silver dark blue was my first choice but I couldn't find one and wanted to get the TDI before gas hit $4.000 a gallon. (traded in a FJ Cruiser 16 mpg)

Mine came with the 18 inch wheels so I thought that was standard on all DSG TDI'.s.. I like the looks but would prefer the 17 for practical reasons.

Mine has the fog lights and monster mats but that was all that I can remember listed on the sticker price as far as options that and DSG and sun roof. Anyway just a tad under 30k.

Love the car and am getting great mileage.

no-blue-screen said:

This is great. Glacier Blue for me and I got the manual trans so no sunroof. I agree and I feel like I got a lot of bang for my buck. It has all the features I need and like...fogs would be nice but are not necessary.

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Your observations match my experience on my SE TDI also, after 10 days of ownership.

Stimulacra said:

If anyone in the Houston area has 18's and want to do a swap for a month or two, I am game.

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I am definitely swapping the Hanook for Yokohamas once I get the chance.

I am still deciding on the 17" versus 18". I have the 18's and need to see what MPG ends up being.

This car with the 18's definitely hugs the turns perfectly. Even better than the 2005's in my opinion. Anyone else moving from the 05 Passat to this notice this difference? I had the 17" on the 05's and definitely suffered the MPG hit with those tires.

oilhammer said:

It would probably be 1-3 MPG, same as other TDIs. The fuel economy difference won't be nearly as noticeable as the shorter tire life and higher replacement costs the larger wheels will sack you with.

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Big wheels....Big waste

tdi90hp said:

Big wheels....Big waste

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I agree completely.
Peter

2012 Passat TDI SE

I purchased my 12 TDI SE after owning a 09 Jetta TDI. I did this because the Jetta was just too difficult to get into after my knee surgery. I bought the SE vs the SEL because I thought you got too little bang for the buck when you went to the SEL. I also own a 04 Nissan Titan and it has 18" tires. I find the 18" tires (1) limit your selection, (2) seem to be much more expensive, and (3) just don't seem worth it overall.

I now have 26K on my Passat. I average mid 30s in town, low - mid 40s combo, and low - mid 50s on a trip. All of these are with AC running and doing about 75 with cruise on the highway. The factory Continental tires are OK but only acceptable on smooth roads. Anything else...the road noise and whine is unacceptable. I am thinking that when I wear these out, I will be going to Yokohama YK-580 tires and stepping up from 215/55R17 to 225/55r17 which require no change to anything. Anyone with experience?

Overall, great call. I agree VW could have done a bit more with the storage cubbies in the car but I cannot complain since they did drop the price like 6K from the last Passat. I guess the only complaint is the fact I can't start my car and lock it with the remote. And I have no access to the lock since it is hidden under a piece of plastic. I talked to the dealer and he said VW did that to keep people from locking their keys in the car. Stupid statement for brain dead people....but so is life.

Best Regards,
DrZ