ABS
Veteran Member
So, I am almost to the one year mark on my 2014 Passat. I made the purchase October 28, 2013. Mileage as of 06:47 am today - 37,006.
Yeah maybe I should have waited three more weeks, but I thought I’d post my year one review while I am thinking about it. For reference, I drive about 86 Miles each way to work (~180 miles per day if I throw in a trip to the store or kids school event). The roads I travel are mixed surface, concrete, asphalt, and chip & seal. The route is comprised of 70 miles on four lane, rural expressway, and 16 miles are on two lane rural highway. I drive through a few smaller towns, and have two, yes only two, stoplights on my commute. Although I did ride share with a colleague for several weeks this past year, she has since moved closer to work and I anticipate my annual mileage to increase to 44,000/year.
Economy: My average fuel economy is 43.4mpg. The car has had 58 fuel ups. My last 10 fuel ups have averaged 46.6 mpg, which correlates to the variability in winter to summer blend diesel and the effects of temperature on fuel economy. This engine varies more dramatically from winter to summer than my 03 Jetta, at least, that’s my hypothesis, since my driving style and route is nearly identical. As we start to cool off in the Midwest, I anticipate a drop in economy to the low 40’s. It was 34 degrees here this morning, and my MFI indicated an average of 43.3 after my trip into work (but I give those readings a grain of salt until the tank fill when I let my Fuelly app do the work). In these 37,000 miles I have added 5.7 gallons of AdBlue. Therefore, my calculated consumption is 0.019oz/mile or about 2oz per 100 miles.
Speaking of temperatures, and again for the newbie or anyone considering a TDI, don’t worry about cold starts – check out this video I took last year during our brutally cold winter here in MN…. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bljarWxif2Y
Maintenance: I did experience an Adblue heating system failure last winter, but the dealer turned the car around in a day with no issues since. Outside of that single issue, maintenance has been routine and by the book. The Hankooks have done ok. I was concerned about them after 10K, as they had already worn to 6/32 of tread. They are now at 3/32 and will be replaced later this fall with a set of Conti’s. There has been enough chatter about those out here, so I won’t go into a tirade about the quality. They carried me this far, which was further than I expected… For anyone considering a Passat who may be reading this, I would negotiate better tires or ask the dealer to swap tires with a car that had Conti’s if I did it over again. Outside of those few things, maintenance has been run of the mill, not much to report.
Driving, seating, space etc: I love this car. I often compare this car to my BMW, which may be considered by some an unfair comparison. However, I would argue the gearbox is as elegant as the BMW, shifts are smooth and precise and moving between the two cars the feel is almost identical with very similar throws and clutch response. The Passats steering is composed, but the car will provide some negative feedback and understeer if pushed in corners. Then again, it wasn’t designed to take corners on a rail, so I don’t push it often (yes, better tires would help…) Overall, the ride is composed and comfortable in normal driving. Cabin noise is slightly higher than I would like, although my standards in the category are very high. I did follow several members’ recommendations to seal the back seat to trunk transition with camper tape and saw an improvement (specifically noticeable by the person on the other end of the line when I am on the phone hands free). The seats are firm and have the necessary adjustment range to make my 6’ frame feel at home behind the wheel. I drive in a very upright position and find the headroom to be exceptional. Furthermore, the rear seat room is also exceptional. I have on numerous occasions, carried three adults in the rear seat and each time received feedback on the ample amount of leg, hip and headroom. Speaking of room, I enjoy many fitness activities, but love to cycle. I often carried my bike in the backseat, by simply removing the front tire. Then I tried folding the rear seats down, and found I can fit two road bikes in the car without removing the wheels! Although I do tend to take the tire off as I don’t like the additional noise having the trunk open to the cabin, but when needed, this car has some serious cargo space.
Controls, Sound System, etc.: The controls are intuitive and function well. The auxiliary heater is fantastic in the dead of winter to take the chill off as the engine comes up to operating temperature. The radio is very good. Overall connectivity with my iPhone 5 has been excellent, with no issues. The disc changer takes more time than my BMW or Honda to change discs, but overall the few extra seconds isn’t a huge deal, as I stream most music from the phone anyway. I did find myself turning off the HD radio feature, as in the rural part of the country I live, the HD signal would come and go. I never activated the CarNet system, as I found it to be very overpriced for the benefit. I simply added the Passat to our existing triple A account.
Wish List: So, after a year, there are only four things I really wish were different with this car, first a vertically adjustable armrest (like the Jetta), second an available sunroof, third foglamps and finally, external Adblue refill.
Part of me wishes I had more to report, then again I think in this case, less is better. I look forward to the 2-year mark and see how she’s doing. If the first year is any indication, this one is in for the long haul.
All in all, I love the car. It’s a great combination of value, economy, and comfort neatly wrapped in an elegant body.
Cheers!
Aaron
Yeah maybe I should have waited three more weeks, but I thought I’d post my year one review while I am thinking about it. For reference, I drive about 86 Miles each way to work (~180 miles per day if I throw in a trip to the store or kids school event). The roads I travel are mixed surface, concrete, asphalt, and chip & seal. The route is comprised of 70 miles on four lane, rural expressway, and 16 miles are on two lane rural highway. I drive through a few smaller towns, and have two, yes only two, stoplights on my commute. Although I did ride share with a colleague for several weeks this past year, she has since moved closer to work and I anticipate my annual mileage to increase to 44,000/year.
Economy: My average fuel economy is 43.4mpg. The car has had 58 fuel ups. My last 10 fuel ups have averaged 46.6 mpg, which correlates to the variability in winter to summer blend diesel and the effects of temperature on fuel economy. This engine varies more dramatically from winter to summer than my 03 Jetta, at least, that’s my hypothesis, since my driving style and route is nearly identical. As we start to cool off in the Midwest, I anticipate a drop in economy to the low 40’s. It was 34 degrees here this morning, and my MFI indicated an average of 43.3 after my trip into work (but I give those readings a grain of salt until the tank fill when I let my Fuelly app do the work). In these 37,000 miles I have added 5.7 gallons of AdBlue. Therefore, my calculated consumption is 0.019oz/mile or about 2oz per 100 miles.
Speaking of temperatures, and again for the newbie or anyone considering a TDI, don’t worry about cold starts – check out this video I took last year during our brutally cold winter here in MN…. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bljarWxif2Y
Maintenance: I did experience an Adblue heating system failure last winter, but the dealer turned the car around in a day with no issues since. Outside of that single issue, maintenance has been routine and by the book. The Hankooks have done ok. I was concerned about them after 10K, as they had already worn to 6/32 of tread. They are now at 3/32 and will be replaced later this fall with a set of Conti’s. There has been enough chatter about those out here, so I won’t go into a tirade about the quality. They carried me this far, which was further than I expected… For anyone considering a Passat who may be reading this, I would negotiate better tires or ask the dealer to swap tires with a car that had Conti’s if I did it over again. Outside of those few things, maintenance has been run of the mill, not much to report.
Driving, seating, space etc: I love this car. I often compare this car to my BMW, which may be considered by some an unfair comparison. However, I would argue the gearbox is as elegant as the BMW, shifts are smooth and precise and moving between the two cars the feel is almost identical with very similar throws and clutch response. The Passats steering is composed, but the car will provide some negative feedback and understeer if pushed in corners. Then again, it wasn’t designed to take corners on a rail, so I don’t push it often (yes, better tires would help…) Overall, the ride is composed and comfortable in normal driving. Cabin noise is slightly higher than I would like, although my standards in the category are very high. I did follow several members’ recommendations to seal the back seat to trunk transition with camper tape and saw an improvement (specifically noticeable by the person on the other end of the line when I am on the phone hands free). The seats are firm and have the necessary adjustment range to make my 6’ frame feel at home behind the wheel. I drive in a very upright position and find the headroom to be exceptional. Furthermore, the rear seat room is also exceptional. I have on numerous occasions, carried three adults in the rear seat and each time received feedback on the ample amount of leg, hip and headroom. Speaking of room, I enjoy many fitness activities, but love to cycle. I often carried my bike in the backseat, by simply removing the front tire. Then I tried folding the rear seats down, and found I can fit two road bikes in the car without removing the wheels! Although I do tend to take the tire off as I don’t like the additional noise having the trunk open to the cabin, but when needed, this car has some serious cargo space.
Controls, Sound System, etc.: The controls are intuitive and function well. The auxiliary heater is fantastic in the dead of winter to take the chill off as the engine comes up to operating temperature. The radio is very good. Overall connectivity with my iPhone 5 has been excellent, with no issues. The disc changer takes more time than my BMW or Honda to change discs, but overall the few extra seconds isn’t a huge deal, as I stream most music from the phone anyway. I did find myself turning off the HD radio feature, as in the rural part of the country I live, the HD signal would come and go. I never activated the CarNet system, as I found it to be very overpriced for the benefit. I simply added the Passat to our existing triple A account.
Wish List: So, after a year, there are only four things I really wish were different with this car, first a vertically adjustable armrest (like the Jetta), second an available sunroof, third foglamps and finally, external Adblue refill.
Part of me wishes I had more to report, then again I think in this case, less is better. I look forward to the 2-year mark and see how she’s doing. If the first year is any indication, this one is in for the long haul.
All in all, I love the car. It’s a great combination of value, economy, and comfort neatly wrapped in an elegant body.
Cheers!
Aaron
