2014 Passat SEL Premium Features Help!

I just purchased a 2014 VW Passat SEL Premium (USA).

There are a few features that I had on my 2011 Tiguan that I was told by the salesperson were on this car, and I'm not able to get clarification from the dealership as to whether they exist...

1-Rain Sensor. I'm told by the dealership they did away with the rain sensor wiper functionality for 2014. Did they?

2-Adjustable headlights-Loved them on the Tiguan, seems the Passat doesn't have them?

3-Auto Side mirrors-I had a button by my adjustable mirrors to bring the mirrors in when going through a car wash. This also seems to have disappeared from the Passat lineup?

It seems I paid a lot of money for a car with LESS features. While I love the remote start, I would NEVER have bought this car if I'd known Passat stripped so many features out of it's TOP OF THE LINE vehicle!

What the heck is going on?

Unfortunately, Features 1, 2, and 3 are not on our 2014 Passats.

The rain sensor existed on previous year cars as it was combined with the light sensor used for automatic headlams, but was disabled in programming. In late 2013 production VW replaced the combination rain/light sensor with a light only sensor so enabling of the rain sensing wipers is not possible without significant modifications.

The NMS Passat has been de-contented a lot. It's a pretty well known fact, that even the "top of the line" model really isn't compared to other vehicles. Not to sound like an ass, but next time maybe you should do a little homework before you drop $30K on a vehicle.

... and dealer salesmen are as trustworthy as politicians.

If it isn't in writing, it doesn't exist. If a dealer representation is important to you, get it in writing. Otherwise, it may just become a case of who said what and what they meant.

Just to be clear, the Passat is not VW/s top of the line model in the US. Maybe the CC for mid-sized sedans.

The rain sensor has never been enabled for 2012+ Passats for any that actually had them anyway.

The headlamps do adjust, but manually under the hood.

psd1 said:

Not to sound like an ass, but next time maybe you should do a little homework before you drop $30K on a vehicle.

Click to expand...

what he said

APT said:

The rain sensor has never been enabled for 2012+ Passats for any that actually had them anyway.

Click to expand...

Well, not by VW at least . . .

- Tim

psd1 said:

The NMS Passat has been de-contented a lot. It's a pretty well known fact, that even the "top of the line" model really isn't compared to other vehicles. Not to sound like an ass, but next time maybe you should do a little homework before you drop $30K on a vehicle.

Click to expand...

Yeah, definitely the response an ass would give. Thanks for being helpful to the guy.

.^^^...a little late to the parade here, and in other threads...

As you have found out, the newer versions of the Passat are lacking in a few features. I had features on my 2002 GLX that are now missing on my 2013 SE with Sun/Nav TDI. However, the price of the cars was practically the same even though it's 12 years later and the price of everything has gone up.

I had a very hard time trying to figure out what came on my car, as I bought in July of 2013 and got a 2013 model, but the website only showed the features on the 2014 which were NOT available (at the dealership) when I bought my car. For example, I was told there was no backup camera PERIOD. But yet, I found out later the 2013 SEL has it, and all versions in 2014 have it. Also, the dealership was out of the books for the 2013 Passat, so I couldn't even read one of those for reference.

Long story short, I did many, many hours or research and reading before I made my purchase. I'm not missing anything which ultimately surprised me. The only thing I found that I didn't know about was the locking gas door and the fact that the hood won't open when the doors are locked.

1. The rain sensing wiper function was never activated for the new Passat. The rain sensor was there because it included the light sensor needed for the car. The rain sensing function was always deactivated in the US. The RLS just happened to be what VW used at the time to get the light sensor function until a more viable solution was achieved.

2. As we all know, the Passat is the only car in VW's lineup without a bi-xenon option. Without that I wouldn't expect adjustable headlights on any car...

3. You're a VW owner, hand wash your damn car!

I think this is still a lot of car for the money. The interior of the SEL Premium is far better than an S-Line Audi A3 I've rode in. The safety features are high and it has, in my opinion, the higher tech best drive train in its class. The engine and trans are enormously expensive and VW would rather have that in the new Passat than a full size spare, electronic parking brake, bi-xenon lights, and full leather seats. Personally I applaud them for that and have no regret over buying my Passat. I think the price is quite a bargain for the safety, economy, and technology I'm getting.

What? No full size spare?