12-14 CKRA VS 15 CVCA Differences

As most of you know my wife Totaled my 2013 CKRA that I kept in pristine condition (even waxed inside the doorjambs!)



So I picked up a really nice (but not as nice as my old 13 was) 2015 SEL:



here are some observations so far of the differences from the CKRA to the 2015 CVCA other than the obvious SEL differences:

1. The CKRA and the new CVCA (EA288 new engine) really don't drive any different, I cant tell the difference at all- other than the 2015 grabbing gears to fast and vibrating more when it chugs up hills at 1100 RPM so owners of the older engine, don't sweat anything! Other than- maybe oil filter access- its now upside down in front of the oil pan on the 2015
2. the 2015 rides MUCH softer and feels way more like a boat- I miss the crisp handling of the 2013
3. Headlight access on the 2015 is great, every bulb is totally accessible in seconds- all rubber plugs have almost a complete foot of space behind them! Something im sure every 12-14 owner wishes for
4. DSG service is NOT any easier, both the airbox and battery tray still need to be removed. Glad I did the DSG service on the 65k mile SEL I Just picked up as it had never been done- oil was really dark
Overall, very happy with the new 2015- but I sure do miss my perfectly maintained 2013 RIP my 2013

Pick up a rear sway bar, it helps that boat feeling (at least in the corners), any mk5 rear sway bar works, I've enjoyed H&R branded bars, ours has been on since about 1,000 miles and should get another 100-200K easy as that's how many I got off a used bar on my 2010. It would be wise to also stock up on end links as they are a weak link with the Mk5 IRS and the slightly extra mass of the NMS.

I'm surprised you didn't notice the drop in gearing, '15 DSG is about 3-400 RPMS less at 65 than a Gen 1. 75 mph now is perfect at 2,000 rpms.

Thanks 740GLE. My 2015 floats like a US Destroyer in the seas bouncing back down and so forth.


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740GLE said:

I'm surprised you didn't notice the drop in gearing, '15 DSG is about 3-400 RPMS less at 65 than a Gen 1. 75 mph now is perfect at 2,000 rpms.

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That explains why it grabs 5th up a tiny 5% hill that the 13 was able to hold 6th up
I thought it seemed different, but then thought to myself naaaa- this is the same unit vw has used for a decade. Glad they did spread the gears out some though as the 13 had 5th and 6th to close.
Some of the boat "feel" could be these SEL seats, feels like im sitting in a bucket

I for one did not buy a Passat SEL (Cdn Highline) to be a sports car. I wanted a comfortable highway car, which it is ! Maybe it's an age thing ?

But as 740GLE, I also added a H&R 24mm rear swaybar to give the car more stability in faster speed curves. On my former 2002 Jetta I also had the Evolution skidplate which I was told adds a bit more stability to the front end, also have that on the Passat.

jrm said:

That explains why it grabs 5th up a tiny 5% hill that the 13 was able to hold 6th up
I thought it seemed different, but then thought to myself naaaa- this is the same unit vw has used for a decade. Glad they did spread the gears out some though as the 13 had 5th and 6th to close.
Some of the boat "feel" could be these SEL seats, feels like im sitting in a bucket

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Our 15 does like to grab addtional gear when under load, I'm guessing half of it is due to the taller gearing the other is due to the emissions modification, higher rpms, less boost, lower egts.

calimustang said:

Thanks 740GLE. My 2015 floats like a US Destroyer in the seas bouncing back down and so forth.


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yeah a rear sway bar won't prevent the buick float (uncle buck mobile!), but at least it feels like it won't tip over when trying to turn and gives some feel for turn in.

I would STRONGLY suggest the Koni Special Active shocks and struts. They used to be called FSD.

I put these on my 2015 with a 24mm H&R rear sway bar and it REALLY made the Passat a much better ride.

The shocks completely eliminate the boat like ride while the rear sway keeps it flat, almost sporty, in the turns.

I recall them actually giving a set away on here years ago- solid company. I'll pick up a set once my taxes return. I also just discovered a odd rattle on my new 15, hope its something simple- do these 2015's still use the one way pulley on the alt?

Had a 2014 SEL, now have 2015 SEL. RPM's are about 400 less at same highway speed in the 2015 versus the 2014. Engine is different as is DSG gearing. The 2015 shifts very smooth while my 2014 didn't. My 2015 has the rain sensor wipers which the 2014 lacked. No difference in handling - both are factory stock suspension. Otherwise everything is about the same down to colors.

Nice to know. Thanks! I have 2015 Passat and 2014 JSW. Miss my old 2011 JSW TDI. 2014 is okok. 2011 is way better in highway driving such as at 65 mph she revs at 2200 rpm. Old one rev at 1800 rpm at 65 mph. Better MPG in the old one. But 2014 is more preppy on highways..... dont know what they did in the stage one fix.


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I'm pretty sure the suspension on all NMS TDIs (2012-15) are alike. If your 15 rides that much different, I'd suspect a worn or failed strut or shock.

251 said:

Had a 2014 SEL, now have 2015 SEL. RPM's are about 400 less at same highway speed in the 2015 versus the 2014. Engine is different as is DSG gearing. The 2015 shifts very smooth while my 2014 didn't. My 2015 has the rain sensor wipers which the 2014 lacked. No difference in handling - both are factory stock suspension. Otherwise everything is about the same down to colors.

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What is interesting is my 14 does shift smoothly once I did the DSG fluid change. At 80k it looked like the PO did not have the 40k maintenance done. Might have something to do with it.

IndigoBlueWagon said:

I'm pretty sure the suspension on all NMS TDIs (2012-15) are alike. If your 15 rides that much different, I'd suspect a worn or failed strut or shock.

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Correct, but there's like 1000 different spring combos they use. I gotta grab the color code from our '15 and see where they fall on the "stiffness scale"

calimustang said:

Nice to know. Thanks! I have 2015 Passat and 2014 JSW. Miss my old 2011 JSW TDI. 2014 is okok. 2011 is way better in highway driving such as at 65 mph she revs at 2200 rpm. Old one rev at 1800 rpm at 65 mph. Better MPG in the old one. But 2014 is more preppy on highways..... dont know what they did in the stage one fix.


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you're comparing two Gen 1 rides to a Gen 3.

Were they all DSG? Gen1 6MT gearing is on par with Gen3 DSG.

Gen 1 DSG was too short IMO unless you live in rolling hilly areas.

I'd much rather have our gen 3 where 2,000 rpms is true highway speeds of 75mph.

740GLE said:

you're comparing two Gen 1 rides to a Gen 3.



Were they all DSG? Gen1 6MT gearing is on par with Gen3 DSG.



Gen 1 DSG was too short IMO unless you live in rolling hilly areas.



I'd much rather have our gen 3 where 2,000 rpms is true highway speeds of 75mph.

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I know I am comparing them from gen 1 to gen 1 JSW’s and Gen3 Passats. Just that VW blows my mind on making 2014 JSW different from 2011 JSW, disappointing yes.

As for 2015 Passat, I am happy with the car overall. Yes they all are DSG. I have bad knees so no 6MT. I only have 5 speed which is weekend car that are 2 of 1989 Mustang 5.0’s.



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goodmonkey said:

What is interesting is my 14 does shift smoothly once I did the DSG fluid change. At 80k it looked like the PO did not have the 40k maintenance done. Might have something to do with it.

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I put about 60K on the not so smooth shifting 2014 I had and did do the 40K DSG service on schedule. Still shifted kind of rough afterwards too. Basically no difference in how the shifting felt before or after the 40K service. I turned it in to VW just short of 80K so no idea if another service would have helped but I doubt it. I much prefer the 2015's DSG shifting over the 2014 I had - especially when it came to downshifts which were pretty severe at times.

Due to the differences between 2014 and 2015 NMS Passat with DSG the '15 tends to downshift more going up a grade which makes sense with the lower rpm's/gearing in the 2015.

Experimenting with speeds on the 2015 I can avoid downshifts to a degree. For example this one steepish hill (55 mph speed limit) on my way home if taken at 59 mph it won't do a downshift but doing 58 and under will always downshift. Head or tail winds also play a factor too.

One other thing - my 2014 was never fixed, got about 48.5 mpg lifetime average while I owned it. The 2015 with both phase 1 and 2 fixes (bought it that way so can't comment on it pre-fix) is getting 47.6 mpg lifetime to date. Both cars had OEM Continental ProContact tires so that was equal.

goodmonkey said:

What is interesting is my 14 does shift smoothly once I did the DSG fluid change. At 80k it looked like the PO did not have the 40k maintenance done. Might have something to do with it.

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if your dsg filter had the black plastic cage it was original. Now that I have put 2000 miles on my new 15 and I do notice the wider gear spacing now, much improved for our faster speed limits these days- it also slips the clutch more when I take off from a stop. I still like my 2013 DSG better (mite be because it learned my style over its life) as my 13 was mind reading perfect, never missed a beat- was always in the correct gear for the situation while the 2015 loves to stay a gear to high when I roll on the throttle, I have to jab the throttle to get it to downshift otherwise it vibrates and will chug a lug from 1200RPM on up. Edit, Oh and no more aggressive downshifting to 4th gear @ 55mph when the brake lights are on! I love that, hated my 13 downshifting all the time with just the slight press of the brake. Maybe that's why I feel like the 15 is in a gear to high....because it is