2014 Jetta or Passat?

I drove a '00 Jetta TDI for 250,00 miles, loved to ride and feel, hated the reliability for the first 100,000 miles. Could not say no to a chance at my buddies '06 Jetta TDI SE and drove that to 170,000 before it was totalled. Again, loved the feel and ride and the reliability was fantastic (very late build). But I rode the 13 Jetta and Passat and went with the Passat - I compromised on agility but gained so much in comfort and range (17 gallon tank).

Fuel economy numbers have been posted on fueleconomy.gov for the new 1.8T gas engine in the 2014 Jetta (but the 1.8T isn't listed for the 2014 Passat). 26/36 for the 5-speed manual and 25/36 for the automatic, so much better than the 2.5 for highway.

The 2014 Jetta TDI numbers are 30 and 42 for the manual and automatic, which is the same as 2013.

The fuel economy #s for the Passat and 1.8T are posted. The 5 speed manual is listed at 24/35 and the auto is listed at 24/34. Both are an improvement of 2 mpg in the city and 3 on the highway over the 2.5.

I'm really interested to see how this engine performs in the real world....

Where did you find them, silvermerkur? I didn't see them on the fueleconomy site this morning. I'm interested in it to replace the wife's 2000 Jetta. Since she's run her ALH dry twice and doesn't go too far I think a gas engine may be a better choice for her.

Chimney said:

I drove a '00 Jetta TDI for 250,00 miles, loved to ride and feel, hated the reliability for the first 100,000 miles. Could not say no to a chance at my buddies '06 Jetta TDI SE and drove that to 170,000 before it was totalled. Again, loved the feel and ride and the reliability was fantastic (very late build). But I rode the 13 Jetta and Passat and went with the Passat - I compromised on agility but gained so much in comfort and range (17 gallon tank).

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It's actually 18.5 gallons, with some members getting 19 gallons in. There, just improved your range!

TomB said:

Go with the Jetta. I got the Passat and it is not the same level of appointment as the 2005 Passat, so why pay the extra money? I can't justify the extra $$$.

All the gadgets are an overhead. The NAV maps cost you to update about $200 every year. The bluetooth phone with the handsfree mic sucks on my car. You cannot hear the person but you can hear every concrete panel divider "thunk" "thunking" over them.

As to MPG that is a sore subject. Look at my Fuely. There are those that blame my driving habits for the "lower" than them numbers, but it is what it is. That higher MPG is not a guarantee. The DSG is disappointing in several ways so stick with the M6.

The new Passat is a downgrade. The DEF (Urea) maintenance is extra with the Passat. Sure it is bigger. The dynamica "leather" seats are a joke. The plastic is cheaper in the Passat than in the past.

Oh and the NOISE. This Passat is so much more noisy than the 05's. Same for seat comfort and ride handling and comfort. Once you have known better this Passat disappoints.

Sure I may be the lone sheep here, but I am being honest with my experience with 4 other Volkswagens and the Passat disappointed me after a year.

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I see your list of dislikes, but what makes the Jetta the better car for the OP? Or are you suggesting that he buy an 05 Passat?)

Your mileage definately sucks, thats for sure.

DSL HED: They are posted. Not sure why you can't see them:
http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/Powe...2014&make=Volkswagen&model=Passat&srchtyp=ymm

Perhaps, this will help too:

Thanks! Didn't see them early this morning. Looks like they've finally released an official list of changes, so the last thing to wait for is official pricing.

Just drove a jetta for a week as a loaner.

Very very happy with my passat. I was ready to get it back.

Have a 2012 Jetta DSG premium and Just picked up a Passat 6M. Passat is the choice in a blowout.

Trading in my 2013 JSW TDi for 2014 Passat TDI SE in next few days.

Which is car will hold better value Passat or Jetta? Your predictions for long run, like around 100,000 miles and 5/6 years later after purchase.

1. If you prefer the Passat of old, then buy an Audi today.

2. If you liked the A5 jetta in it's various trim levels, then look at a Passat.

3. If you prefer the A4 Jetta, then maybe the new Jetta is the car for you. That is except for some de-contenting. This balanced by increased interior room and still very nice appointments.

Take a drive in both the Jetta and Passat of today. The one that fits your butt best is probably the car for you. Get over the fact that the NMS is not the Passat of yore. It isn't meant to be!

Trade in? At 100k miles there will be one thing that makes both the Jetta and the Passat outstanding... The TDI! Throw the book away because these three little letters make all the difference.

Give VW credit here. They've produced two fine cars. They have a goal in mind and for perhaps the first time they've attempted to understand what the US market wants. And no matter how much some might complain, both the Jetta and the Passat are still viewed as a step above the Japanese offerings by a great many consumers.

All I'm saying is that a direct comparison between old and new is somewhat unfair. Names are the same but the vehicles are different. VW is betting that more will like the new than the old. They're also betting that the old will be attracted to the Audi line.

So... It seems more a problem of name association for some here. Things change in life. Either we adapt or not.

we chose the passat over the jetta due to a huge difference in the feel and drive of the passat over the jetta. The jetta flat out came across cheaply built (interior material wise), and definantly doesnt ride as nice as the passat. However, im very curious how the 14/15 models will be overall (golf and jetta) vs passat since they are going to a new platform. I may get rid of my mk4 golf tdi if that gtd is as nice as its hyped up to be

phlfly said:

Which is car will hold better value Passat or Jetta? Your predictions for long run, like around 100,000 miles and 5/6 years later after purchase.

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I'd say that the car that will hold value in our American market is the larger (and more economical) PASSAT TDi.

That being said, I suspect that our Passats will hold less value than the Camrys and Accords.

I previously had an '06 Jetta TDI and went for a '14 Passat TDI SE. The fantastic fuel range and softer ride make it a great road-trip car. It doesn't handle quite as sharply as the old Jetta, but it's still great to drive. And what other mid-size sedan is available with a stick shift?

Passat hands down

We purchased a 2012 JSW which is a great car and decided to trade in a 2011 Honda Accord for a 2013 Passat. We really like the JSW but the Passat in our opinion is a superior vehicle. The Passat is really a sexy car in a Teutonic manner.

Realistically you probably will be happy with either. Good luck and Fahrvergnügen!!!!

L8r,.........irondogger

drcoopster said:

I previously had an '06 Jetta TDI and went for a '14 Passat TDI SE. The fantastic fuel range and softer ride make it a great road-trip car. It doesn't handle quite as sharply as the old Jetta, but it's still great to drive. And what other mid-size sedan is available with a stick shift?

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I agree wholeheartedly. Check out my fully link to see the comparison in economy from our tuned 06 Jetta 5m against the 13 Passat 6m.

To the OP, Passat all the way!

I test drove both and ended up with the Passat. I think the Jetta TDI is a great car, and the de-contenting and downgraded interior talk gets way overblown. Compare that car to anything in its class and price range, it still is fantastic.

That being said, I needed the extra cabin room and coming from a GTI, not having the fully functional MFD was a major annoyance. The back seat in the Passat really is ludicrous. I'm 5'11 and could recline my seat and take a nap with my daughter's monstrous rear-facing carseat behind me.

I think they're both great cars, but I preferred the ride, interior, and instrument cluster on the Passat.

inthered said:

Hi all. I am posting this in both the Jetta and Passat forum so I can get input from both sides of the field.
I currently have a 2005 TDI Jetta with 177,000 miles on it. I was looking into getting a new Jetta or Passat TDI 6 speed. I happened to ask the salesman when the 2014's would come out and he said late spring which is late May/June.
I had two questions:
Which model do you prefer Jetta/Passat and why such as the advantages/disadvantages between the two?
Will there be any upgrades or advantages to waiting for the 2014 model and will it come in late spring such as the salesman said? I feel he wasn't super informed and well versed in the platforms as perhaps other salespeople would be.
If you had any questions for me and my preference, I'd like something larger than my 2005 Jetta which I know that both vehicles are. I would lean toward the Passat as it is larger and the fuel economy, somehow, is better although only by 1mpg than the Jetta. Go figure.
Thanks.

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Wow when I started this thread I never imagined it would live on this long nor get over 22,000 views!

I think I made the original post in March and here we are 5 months later and I picked up a 2013 Passat in April and have already crossed the 10,000 mile mark where I seem to average 41-43 miles per gallon per tank. I'm very happy with my purchase and stepping up from my 2005.0 Jetta (the A4 I think it was called... before the remodel in the half year). A small decline in mileage from what I'm used to but a large increase in cabin space and overall car space along with 10 years of improvements in technology! I'm "only" 33 so technology is second nature to me and I always disliked not having the MFI in the old jetta although the placeholder was there for it.

See you around the forums.

I think it's a great thread and a decision/comparison that many Dubber TDI fans go through! I did.

STLTDI said:

I think it's a great thread and a decision/comparison that many Dubber TDI fans go through! I did.

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Did your recently buy a VW?

inthered said:

Did your recently buy a VW?

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Yes, last Monday. 2013 Passat TDI.

I'm picking up my new 2014 TDI SEL Premium in the morning. Can't wait! Will follow up with a review after a week or two.

Got the new vehicle last Friday, 2014 TDI SEL Blk/Blk. 270 miles of local driving and a 550 mile round trip from NJ to NH so far with a cumulative avg. of 40.2 mpg. 47 mpg on the return from NH , better than expected.

Just made the decision

inthered said:

Hi all. I am posting this in both the Jetta and Passat forum so I can get input from both sides of the field.
I currently have a 2005 TDI Jetta with 177,000 miles on it. I was looking into getting a new Jetta or Passat TDI 6 speed. I happened to ask the salesman when the 2014's would come out and he said late spring which is late May/June.
I had two questions:
Which model do you prefer Jetta/Passat and why such as the advantages/disadvantages between the two?
Will there be any upgrades or advantages to waiting for the 2014 model and will it come in late spring such as the salesman said? I feel he wasn't super informed and well versed in the platforms as perhaps other salespeople would be.
If you had any questions for me and my preference, I'd like something larger than my 2005 Jetta which I know that both vehicles are. I would lean toward the Passat as it is larger and the fuel economy, somehow, is better although only by 1mpg than the Jetta. Go figure.
Thanks.

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I think it depends on what you want. I test drove 2014 Passat and Jettas. I test drove a Passat TDI with DSG and 6MT. Hands down, the 6MT performed way better. To me, the Auto was sluggish. That said, the Passat has a noticeably larger road feel when turning... more of a cruiser. Also, the Passat seemed to get slightly better mpg than the Jetta on the same course. The Jetta seemed more athletic and offered good space. The Passat impressed me as really big inside, and the Jetta just right for my needs. I'm divorced and have 3 kids that I have about 1/3rd of the time, so I had to balance space vs. ease of use. The Jetta is super easy to park and to parallel park. I think in the end, I went with the Jetta 6MT with Premium because I could get the sunroof with the MT combo. Getting the sunroof on the Passat TDI took the price way up and required the DSG transmission. The DSG requires a $400 service every 40k miles and is expensive to replace if it breaks, so that's what steered me to the Jetta. I have about 1k miles on my Jetta now and get 35 to 40 in town and 45 to 50 on the highway. I also test drove the new 1.8T with the Jetta. What a fun engine!!! That said, I was hard pressed to find a 5MT for that with nicer upgrades. Lastly, in terms of trunk space, the Passat is only about half or one cubic foot larger if I recall. I brought stuff from home to test out the trunk space.

inthered said:

Wow when I started this thread I never imagined it would live on this long nor get over 22,000 views!



I think I made the original post in March and here we are 5 months later and I picked up a 2013 Passat in April and have already crossed the 10,000 mile mark where I seem to average 41-43 miles per gallon per tank. I'm very happy with my purchase and stepping up from my 2005.0 Jetta (the A4 I think it was called... before the remodel in the half year). A small decline in mileage from what I'm used to but a large increase in cabin space and overall car space along with 10 years of improvements in technology! I'm "only" 33 so technology is second nature to me and I always disliked not having the MFI in the old jetta although the placeholder was there for it.



See you around the forums.

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Lol. That's what happens when I don't read the original post date. Glad you like your Passat. I typed up a long write up in your other thread. I had the Passat n gave you my $.02.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Former Passat Owner

TomB said:

Go with the Jetta. I got the Passat and it is not the same level of appointment as the 2005 Passat, so why pay the extra money? I can't justify the extra $$$.

All the gadgets are an overhead. The NAV maps cost you to update about $200 every year. The bluetooth phone with the handsfree mic sucks on my car. You cannot hear the person but you can hear every concrete panel divider "thunk" "thunking" over them.

As to MPG that is a sore subject. Look at my Fuely. There are those that blame my driving habits for the "lower" than them numbers, but it is what it is. That higher MPG is not a guarantee. The DSG is disappointing in several ways so stick with the M6.

The new Passat is a downgrade. The DEF (Urea) maintenance is extra with the Passat. Sure it is bigger. The dynamica "leather" seats are a joke. The plastic is cheaper in the Passat than in the past.

Oh and the NOISE. This Passat is so much more noisy than the 05's. Same for seat comfort and ride handling and comfort. Once you have known better this Passat disappoints.

Sure I may be the lone sheep here, but I am being honest with my experience with 4 other Volkswagens and the Passat disappointed me after a year.

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I know this is a bit belated, but I just went through the decision process myself. I had a 2000 Passat 5MT GLS 6cyl with Premium. Nice car. Drove it for 7 years. This time around, I bought a 2014 Jetta TDI. It's bigger than the Passat was. Doesn't handle as good. I test drove a few 2012+ Passats this time around and was btwn the new Jetta and new Passat. The Passat is very roomy and nice. It was noisier (road noise) than the Jetta and didn't handle nearly as well. I tend to prefer a smaller than a larger car for ease of handling. My kids aren't that big, so I went the Jetta route to get a 6MT and sunroof. I actually kind of wanted the new 1.8t with 5MT and sunroof, but couldn't find any in the color I wanted.