Turning my car in Friday, buying a gas Passat - a couple questions

csh1160

Active member
Joined
Aug 8, 2013
Location
Georgia
TDI
2014 Passat TDI 6M
I'm selling back my 2014 TDI SE Manual on Friday and will likely replace it with a used gas automatic. In researching models 2015-2017 it seems what was on the SE models back then was added as standard on S models, which is nice. My questions are:

R Line - Has anyone looked at these? It seems it's just an appearance package but it does look damn good (wheels in particular)

Wolfsburg - I believe these had a larger engine, and they only made a small % of these, however I see these quite a bit as a used model, way more as a percentage of the number produced. Did these have some kind of problem that everyone who bought them dumped them?

2016 Models - One the dealers in the area still have several new 2016 gas models they are trying to dump. They are knocking $6000 off and you can get a new S model for $16,500, which is often the same price as used SE models

Thanks for any comments/opinions. Also this car will likely be my soon to be 16 year old's car in a year so I'd like to keep the cost as low as possible.
 

jrm

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 24, 2013
Location
Oregon
TDI
2013 Passat SE with nav (totaled)
16 was the year they added the advanced safety features- id pick up the older 16 for that deal :cool:
 

N4TECguy

Veteran Member
Joined
May 22, 2013
Location
Ridgecrest, CA
TDI
NMS Passat TDI 6MT
I came from a 13 TDI SE 6MT and ultimately bought a 17 R-Line. Many who went back to a gas Passat seem to get either into a R-Line or SE w/ Tech. Nothing else on the market felt as roomy for the price and reliability trade-off. I looked high and low too... Used cars, new cars, SUVs, 20k-50k, on and on this process dragged. Basically the R-Line is a replica of the TDI in terms of feature set, obviously the drivetrain is different. I lost the rear vents but gained Climatronic. Lost some stainless steel trim around the cupholders but gained Android Auto functionality. Minor things.

If I recall correctly the Wolfsburg was just a trim between the S and SE, basically a value package with more features, but roughly the same price. Engine choice was limited to the same 4cyl as the other passats of that model year (the trim goes back far enough to be available when the 2.5 was the standard engine)
http://www.autoblog.com/2013/04/23/volkswagen-passat-gets-wolfsburg-edition-priced-from-23-495/

If you're looking to buy a 2016, knock more off the price and do more research. I would personally stick with the R-Line or higher as the S model gets put into fleet and rental duty quite a bit, which is fine except it will drag down your resale value. I bought my 17 R-Line Thanksgiving weekend $6868 off MSRP which made it $18,362 - that included mats, trunk liner, first aid kit, wheel locks, and a couple other accessories on the window sticker I didn't want. Saw a 16 S on Vortex sold for 15,700 in August, brand new with lifetime warranty (dealer provided)

Another note, the new generation of turbo VW engines seems to be experiencing an elevated rate of rear main seal failure. It's much much worse on the 2.0T in GLI and GTI but I still see some 1.8T with the issue. If you can negotiate a warranty or buy a CPO low mileage 16 with the warranty attached already, that might be ideal - this repair gets into the thousand dollar range out of warranty, and I've seen cars have the issue as low as 4k miles so it can happen anytime
 
Last edited:

csh1160

Active member
Joined
Aug 8, 2013
Location
Georgia
TDI
2014 Passat TDI 6M
Great comments! Thanks, I'm seeing some 2017 R Line at 21,300 so getting below 20 shouldn't be that hard.

Good point about the S class and rental fleets - I didn't think about that.
 

compu_85

Gadget Guy
Joined
Sep 29, 2003
Location
La Conner, WA
TDI
... None :S
If you can I'd try to get a car with the lighting package or driver assistance.

For the facelift VW managed to make the non-led tail lights even dimmer than they already were :rolleyes:

-J
 

Fav40

Veteran Member
Joined
Nov 3, 2013
Location
Orange County NY
TDI
2014 Passat TDI SEL (BB 2/17/17) 2017 Passat V6 SEL Premium
I too have a 14' TDI SEL and I'm at 58k. Turning in my car on 2/17/17 and getting the 17' V6 SEL premium. I didn't want a turbo motor, wanted DSG and wanted to stay in the Passat.

Sent from my SM-G935V using Tapatalk
 

dbias

Veteran Member
Joined
Jan 24, 2015
Location
Huntington WV
TDI
2015 Passat SE w sunroof buyback 3/18/17
I too have a 14' TDI SEL and I'm at 58k. Turning in my car on 2/17/17 and getting the 17' V6 SEL premium. I didn't want a turbo motor, wanted DSG and wanted to stay in the Passat.

Sent from my SM-G935V using Tapatalk
THat is exactly what Ive tried talking the wife into... wish one was local so she could test drive. She test drove an A4 and likes the power but as much as she drives its really a waste of a $50k car.
 

Rico567

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Jun 13, 2003
Location
Central IL
TDI
2013 Passat TDI SEL Premium (Turned in 7/7/18)
I too have a 14' TDI SEL and I'm at 58k. Turning in my car on 2/17/17 and getting the 17' V6 SEL premium. I didn't want a turbo motor, wanted DSG and wanted to stay in the Passat.
<snip>
This is a possibility for us- we really like the Passat and the DSG...but I would have to get past the fuel efficiency. Is that VR6 just a "recommended" premium fuel engine or is it required?
 

Fav40

Veteran Member
Joined
Nov 3, 2013
Location
Orange County NY
TDI
2014 Passat TDI SEL (BB 2/17/17) 2017 Passat V6 SEL Premium
My dealer said there was none for 400 miles to test drive(VR6). I found one in NJ. It was 16' and red. I scheduled the trip down in about a week. I liked it, drove smoother than mine, but wanted that reef blue. Also pricing seemed to favor the year newer car. They gave a better deal if I ordered the 17' in Blue. Like $500 difference. Weird.

Then my dealer called and said they got a pre-owned 16' Black V6 in with 7k miles. So I went in to look and test drive. This one I floored once it was warm....a few times even. I felt better doing that vs the new one with 28 miles(motor broke in). Felt weird driving the same car with more motor, more rpm range, paddle shifters etc. I know MPG's will be down, but I'm no longer in need of a TDI for work. Once again the price wasn't great for a soon year old car and 7k miles.

Without saying anything about the other dealer, my dealer offered the same price as the one in NJ. It was ordered. I guess most V6 versions have to be ordered, especially if you want a certain set up, color.
 

csh1160

Active member
Joined
Aug 8, 2013
Location
Georgia
TDI
2014 Passat TDI 6M
Well I've spent the last few days researching and decided on a 2017 R. The 'new' 2016 S that are left on lots have been (as noted above) used as loners in most cases.

On an odd note I called a dealer and tried to haggle over the phone, they noted this January has been the worst in recent memory (average sales of 80 cars by now and they've had 39 so far). In my mind they should want to wheel and deal and move some inventory- the saleswoman said otherwise. We'll see.

They have 5 2017 R lines on the lot and another dealer nearby has 11.
 

Fav40

Veteran Member
Joined
Nov 3, 2013
Location
Orange County NY
TDI
2014 Passat TDI SEL (BB 2/17/17) 2017 Passat V6 SEL Premium
This is a possibility for us- we really like the Passat and the DSG...but I would have to get past the fuel efficiency. Is that VR6 just a "recommended" premium fuel engine or is it required?
I've read that it can take 87 or 89, but it'll pull timing back too. (Power and efficiency) Depending how many times you fill up, it's not a huge difference per year.

TDI vs VR6 (on 87 or 93) is going to be a bigger difference, tho ;)
 

redbarron55

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 10, 2010
Location
Navarre, FL.
TDI
2012 Touareg TDI Executive
I spent a lot of time looking for Passat 1.8 TSI with a cornsilk instead of black ( I live in the South you know).
I finally found a 2015 off lease (One owner) with 19,000 miles white with the tan interior.
I happened to have a RNS-510 to go in (after a big hassle with the Telematic option).
To get the cornsilk interior I had to move up to the SE.
I think we got a good car and we seem to get ~40 MPG on the highway.
Factoring in the fuel cost this is about the same cost per mile as out old JSW TDIs
With the lower maintenance cost ( I hope) it should be cheaper than the TDI.
The car drives and runs pretty good and we are happy with it.
 
Last edited:

N4TECguy

Veteran Member
Joined
May 22, 2013
Location
Ridgecrest, CA
TDI
NMS Passat TDI 6MT
Very jealous of all the 40mpg reports I see on the 1.8T. I'm not even close to that, maybe 32-34 range, probably due to a few factors:

CA highways are higher speed than East coast (75-80 cruise control normally) and hillier - roughly one 4000+ ft mountain pass roughly every 200 miles I drive from home (Passat is my road tripper)

Car is not yet broken in (700 miles)

R-Line has bigger heavier 19" wheels. Smaller wheels will get better MPG. Other manufacturers actually report different EPA fuel economy figures for models with the same engine but bigger wheels. See: Toyota Camry Hybrid LE vs. XLE (16" vs 17" wheels), and Honda Accord LX/EX vs Sport (16/17 vs 18/19 inch wheels depending on year)
 

redbarron55

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 10, 2010
Location
Navarre, FL.
TDI
2012 Touareg TDI Executive
My wife get lower mileage, because she can't drive smoothly and plan ahead.
As to bigger tires/wheels they all are pretty much the same rolling diameter so it shouldn't make that much difference unless they are wider and have more rolling resistance.
 

csh1160

Active member
Joined
Aug 8, 2013
Location
Georgia
TDI
2014 Passat TDI 6M
I ended up buying a 2017 Moonrock Gray with black interior R Line. It sure doesn't have the same fun factor that my manual diesel had, but I was able to leave the lot for less than what VW gave me including tax tag and title. I will say the new touch screen is a huge upgrade and the Apple Car Play is a nice feature too. Good bye TDI :(
 
Top