I know there have been threads before, but this is a bit different from the usual price, mpg, etc differences. Just trying to see how a 2013 6M Passat SE would stack up against a 2dr MK6 6M Golf before checking out myself. This is arranged in order of importance to me...
1) Wind noise....I understand that the Passat has a good amount of road noise, particularly with the hancooks. I am not too concerned with road noise as it's pretty all encompassing and constant for given speed. Cars with pronounced and varying wind noise does tend to bother me a bit. Except from some buffeting noise from the side mirrors, the golf is very acceptable to me. I've driven other cars with a lot of noise coming from the windshield, B pillar on 4drs so it's very noticeable in your left ear vs right even with radio turned up etc, and this is the type of stuff that bugs me. How is wind noise in the Passat in relation to the Golf? Quieter? Louder? About the same? Any pronounced specific areas that aren't easily correctable?
2) Seating position for taller folks...This is a larger car so of course space in general is not a problem. Does the Passat still retain the relatively low seating position of a golf? Other newer 4 doors I feel like the seat doesn't go low enough and I'm sitting too high, even if there is still plenty of head room. More importantly, how much room is there up front before the front seat ends up more or less in the back seat area? Perhaps the biggest thing that bugs me about some of the smaller 4 door cars is that even at an average 6.0ft tall, I end up with the seat pushed back beyond the B pillar. While often the seats will go back much further still, I don't like feeling like I'm sitting halfway into the back seat with the B pillar slightly forward of my side. Nothing to compare to a 2dr MK6 here of course, but I imagine the Passat is big enough that this shouldn't be an issue correct?
3) Build quality...Everyone knows about the decontented north American models, but how does it compare operationally? Like besides more hard plastics and what not being used, hood prop vs struts, trunk hinges, etc...does it still at least have a solid general feel without a lot of squeaks, rattles, flex, etc that most cheaper cars tend to have? If it's about the same as the golf but with a bit more hard plastics and the lower end design touches like the trunk hinges and what not, that's fine with me.
3) last of all, and this is extremely minor and is just out of curiosity. I know the handling and ride is a lot softer and not as tight as a golf from what I read....but the brakes.....since this is a north American model, are the brakes heavily biased to the front with that nice nose dive with hard brake applications like most cars on the road here are? Or does the Passat retain the typical euro car type bias like the Golf?
1) Wind noise....I understand that the Passat has a good amount of road noise, particularly with the hancooks. I am not too concerned with road noise as it's pretty all encompassing and constant for given speed. Cars with pronounced and varying wind noise does tend to bother me a bit. Except from some buffeting noise from the side mirrors, the golf is very acceptable to me. I've driven other cars with a lot of noise coming from the windshield, B pillar on 4drs so it's very noticeable in your left ear vs right even with radio turned up etc, and this is the type of stuff that bugs me. How is wind noise in the Passat in relation to the Golf? Quieter? Louder? About the same? Any pronounced specific areas that aren't easily correctable?
2) Seating position for taller folks...This is a larger car so of course space in general is not a problem. Does the Passat still retain the relatively low seating position of a golf? Other newer 4 doors I feel like the seat doesn't go low enough and I'm sitting too high, even if there is still plenty of head room. More importantly, how much room is there up front before the front seat ends up more or less in the back seat area? Perhaps the biggest thing that bugs me about some of the smaller 4 door cars is that even at an average 6.0ft tall, I end up with the seat pushed back beyond the B pillar. While often the seats will go back much further still, I don't like feeling like I'm sitting halfway into the back seat with the B pillar slightly forward of my side. Nothing to compare to a 2dr MK6 here of course, but I imagine the Passat is big enough that this shouldn't be an issue correct?
3) Build quality...Everyone knows about the decontented north American models, but how does it compare operationally? Like besides more hard plastics and what not being used, hood prop vs struts, trunk hinges, etc...does it still at least have a solid general feel without a lot of squeaks, rattles, flex, etc that most cheaper cars tend to have? If it's about the same as the golf but with a bit more hard plastics and the lower end design touches like the trunk hinges and what not, that's fine with me.
3) last of all, and this is extremely minor and is just out of curiosity. I know the handling and ride is a lot softer and not as tight as a golf from what I read....but the brakes.....since this is a north American model, are the brakes heavily biased to the front with that nice nose dive with hard brake applications like most cars on the road here are? Or does the Passat retain the typical euro car type bias like the Golf?
