Trim level differences

oilhammer

Certified Volkswagen Nut & Vendor
Joined
Dec 11, 2001
Location
outside St Louis, MO
TDI
There are just too many to list....
Hmmmm.... well, I can tell you what I'd tell them (there would be no fighting, that's for sure). Also, your sig says you are in Texas. Seriously. Heated seats? Steering wheel? "Come on, man!" :p
 

IndigoBlueWagon

TDIClub Enthusiast, Principal IDParts, Vendor , w/
Joined
Aug 16, 2004
Location
South of Boston
TDI
'97 Passat, '99.5 Golf, '02 Jetta Wagon, '15 GSW
When comparing my Jetta to the Passats I've been looking at, I actually preferred the full leather seat of the 13 Jetta to the suede like center of the 14 Passats.
I don't think any MKVI Jetta TDIs had leather seats. All were leatherette.
 

IndigoBlueWagon

TDIClub Enthusiast, Principal IDParts, Vendor , w/
Joined
Aug 16, 2004
Location
South of Boston
TDI
'97 Passat, '99.5 Golf, '02 Jetta Wagon, '15 GSW
My teenage kids had to sit in the back of a MKIV Jetta with cloth seats and crank windows. Lack of legroom notwithstanding, I don't recall any complaints. We used to take that car snowboarding with a Thule box on the roof, and I told them that the car's FE and cost allowed me to afford lift tickets. No complaints.
 

oilhammer

Certified Volkswagen Nut & Vendor
Joined
Dec 11, 2001
Location
outside St Louis, MO
TDI
There are just too many to list....
We had to sit in the '75 Bus that had minimal heat (and we actually have winter in Missouri) and had to share blankets. If there was any complaining about that, my dad would wordlessly take the blanket away from both arguing parties, and we'd continue the ride cold. There were few complaints out of the SIX of us. Oh, and it had no A/C at all. But we always got to wherever we were going. It never broke down. It too had no warranty, LOL.
 

pedroYUL

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 8, 2011
Location
MI, USA
TDI
2015 Passat CVCA; 2015 GSW CRUA; 2012 wagon CJAA; 2004 wagon BEW
I don't think any MKVI Jetta TDIs had leather seats. All were leatherette.
Yes, and we are back to squarish one. Leatherette is not leather, I have both, they both have pros and cons. Some people really care about real leather.
 

oilhammer

Certified Volkswagen Nut & Vendor
Joined
Dec 11, 2001
Location
outside St Louis, MO
TDI
There are just too many to list....
One of my Passats has [real] leather, one has cloth. The cloth is INFINITELY more comfortable. Won't burn your butt cheeks in summer, won't shrivel your nutsack in winter. It also makes the interior of the car much quieter. I really do not understand people's obsession with leather seats, either. They do nothing for me.
 

pedroYUL

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 8, 2011
Location
MI, USA
TDI
2015 Passat CVCA; 2015 GSW CRUA; 2012 wagon CJAA; 2004 wagon BEW
Rear heated seats, that's very few VW group cars...heated steering even less so.
 

oilhammer

Certified Volkswagen Nut & Vendor
Joined
Dec 11, 2001
Location
outside St Louis, MO
TDI
There are just too many to list....
The ill-fated Phaeton had a lot of that nonsense. It also had a base starting price somewhere around $80k, with some of the higher level ones exceeding $100k. And that was ~15 years ago.
 

pedroYUL

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 8, 2011
Location
MI, USA
TDI
2015 Passat CVCA; 2015 GSW CRUA; 2012 wagon CJAA; 2004 wagon BEW
OH the dude did say Diesel is a must...no Phaeton TDI as far as I know. But the 2004 V10 Touareg, that might had some of that nonsense as you say...lol.

If I didn't care about money, I would by a V10 TDI...a lift, a trans/engine jack, and some more gadgets just in case.
 

oilhammer

Certified Volkswagen Nut & Vendor
Joined
Dec 11, 2001
Location
outside St Louis, MO
TDI
There are just too many to list....
Oh I know, I was just stating that was at least one of the VW-branded cars that did have that sort of thing. Swinging dash vents, too... (like an '80s Mazda 626!).
 

riggers

Active member
Joined
Aug 27, 2013
Location
Texas
TDI
2013 Jetta TDI
I live in the Panhandle of Texas where it can get quite cold, especially with our wind.
 

riggers

Active member
Joined
Aug 27, 2013
Location
Texas
TDI
2013 Jetta TDI
Yes, and we are back to squarish one. Leatherette is not leather, I have both, they both have pros and cons. Some people really care about real leather.
Okay, I like the leatherette better then. It held up much better than any of the Passat seats I've test driven so far. The leatherette was so much easier to clean. Imagine that I live on a small homestead/farm and have lots of critters, plus mud, plus sweaty teenagers that play sports.

The thing is, I live out in the middle of nowhere. It's about 45 miles of one-lane highways no matter which direction I go. There is almost always oilfield traffic on these roads (oil tankers, rigs) and I need to be able to get up and around them quickly at 60+ mph. I don't like being in the oncoming traffic lane and I have ZERO PATIENCE for staying behind them. I average about 40k miles a year.

I suppose I'll have my Jeep back before winter (hopefully) and so the heated rear seats wouldn't matter much. In my head, I was thinking that on short local trips where my older kids are with the school (on the bus) that the little one and I could get better fuel efficiency without giving up too much power in a Passat. I don't have a garage so it isn't in my best interest to spend a lot on a pretty exterior.

Also, I'm a 40 year old widow but I'm not afraid to fix small stuff.

I found a Passat TDI SEL Premium today that was just traded in with 21k miles. It's $11k but was in an accident. I hate the beige leather. It might be cheap enough that I just let it be my teenager's daily driver to school and back though.
 

06bluebeetletdi

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 30, 2012
Location
Middlesex, NC
TDI
'14 Passat TDI SEL and '13 Beetle TDI
16+ passat sel premiums have full leather seats and heated rear seats, I don’t think any nms passats had heated steering wheels. They have gas engines
 

pedroYUL

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 8, 2011
Location
MI, USA
TDI
2015 Passat CVCA; 2015 GSW CRUA; 2012 wagon CJAA; 2004 wagon BEW
Sorry for calling you "dude" before...I now understand much better what you're after.

Yes, the NMS (new midsize sedan) Passat 2012-2015 are much bigger than any Jetta of any generation. Avoid 2012-2014 as the turbo, which is weak, has a huge backlog on it.

If you want zippy, I find my mk7 golf sportswagen to be much more nimble than the Passat, again I'm talking a 2015 model, not older.
 

riggers

Active member
Joined
Aug 27, 2013
Location
Texas
TDI
2013 Jetta TDI
Sorry for calling you "dude" before...I now understand much better what you're after.

Yes, the NMS (new midsize sedan) Passat 2012-2015 are much bigger than any Jetta of any generation. Avoid 2012-2014 as the turbo, which is weak, has a huge backlog on it.

If you want zippy, I find my mk7 golf sportswagen to be much more nimble than the Passat, again I'm talking a 2015 model, not older.
I'm not offended. I just wanted to explain myself better so maybe everyone would have a clearer picture of who I am and what I'm looking for. The only gas car I've driven in the last 10 years that I enjoyed was an Infiniti. I want to say QX50.
 

pedroYUL

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 8, 2011
Location
MI, USA
TDI
2015 Passat CVCA; 2015 GSW CRUA; 2012 wagon CJAA; 2004 wagon BEW
Well, single parent of 4 is quite laudable. Even if you took no offense, I still apologize, that is just not who I am, and I just assumed you were just a dude looking for a new ride.

I personally prefer a higher millage diesel why? If too lower miles, they tend to have been babied too much, and those are just a headache, clogged stuff, they breakdown the minute you put them thru their paces.

Also, higher millage is lower cost. Although, real high miles 120+ and 2nd part Dieselgate fix done too soon means the car is out of Dieselgate warranty, or will be real soon.

DEF is really nothing, yes you have to buy it, but I bet you also have to buy gas for your weedwacker, and other small engines. I understand, as I tried to avoid buying and storing gas just for the snowblower...

I will say it once more, try to stay with 2015 VW or 2015-2016 Audi.
 

riggers

Active member
Joined
Aug 27, 2013
Location
Texas
TDI
2013 Jetta TDI
It seems 15-16 is harder to find than even 13-14. I'm almost reverting back to the new Tahoe Duramax if I could find the danged thing. Only thing close to where I am right now is that Touareg with super low miles. I have a mechanic friend that swears you shouldn't buy vehicles that sat too long with super low miles as well. So, where does that leave me?

How long is the dieselgate warranty?

You see how difficult it is for me to make a decision. I hate change and I feel like I need to research every detail of a vehicle before buying. I prefer to buy them new or close to new so that I can just drive it and maintain it to my liking for years to come. No worries about breaking down or not knowing the history of a vehicle.
 

pedroYUL

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 8, 2011
Location
MI, USA
TDI
2015 Passat CVCA; 2015 GSW CRUA; 2012 wagon CJAA; 2004 wagon BEW
The Approved Emissions Modification Extended Warranty period for 2009-2014 model year vehicles will be the greater of:

(a) 4 years or 48,000 miles, whichever comes first, from date and mileage of implementing the Emissions Modification, except for vehicles offered for resale, in which case from the date and mileage of the first resale transaction after the modification to the first person who in good faith purchases the vehicle for purposes other than resale, or

(b) 10 years or 120,000 actual miles from the initial date of purchase (whichever comes first).

For 2015 model year vehicles, the warranty period will be the greater of:

(a) 11 years or 162,000 miles, whichever occurs first, from the vehicle’s original in-service date; OR

(b) 5 years or 60,000 miles, whichever occurs first, from the date and mileage of Phase 1 of the emissions modification. At the time of the subsequent Phase 2 modification, the extended warranty will be honored for 5 years or 60,000 miles, whichever occurs first, from the date and mileage of the completion of Phase 2.

The general site is https://www.vwdiesellookup.com/
 

riggers

Active member
Joined
Aug 27, 2013
Location
Texas
TDI
2013 Jetta TDI
So, 2015 Passat, what were the trim level packages? I found a SEL with 54k miles. It doesn't have the two tone seats so I'm guessing some things changed between 14 and 15.
 

pedroYUL

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 8, 2011
Location
MI, USA
TDI
2015 Passat CVCA; 2015 GSW CRUA; 2012 wagon CJAA; 2004 wagon BEW
That's a good price for that kind of mileage Q5
 

riggers

Active member
Joined
Aug 27, 2013
Location
Texas
TDI
2013 Jetta TDI
Okay, so I ended up buying a 15 Passat SEL and I guess I got used to more features in my 15 Jeep Grand Cherokee because I feel like I took 10 steps back. And I actually think it has less get-up-and-go than the Jeep. I'm thinking I might trade for a newer BMW 328d. Will these have more features?
 

riggers

Active member
Joined
Aug 27, 2013
Location
Texas
TDI
2013 Jetta TDI
I want to say that part of my dislike of this vehicle came from the fact that we took a (typical for us) 9 hr drive in it this weekend. I got sleepy and stopped to rent a hotel. Hotels were completely booked. I called over 40 of them! Turns out there was a national rodeo happening right where I got sleepy. Anyway. Sleeping in this car was super uncomfortable. I was thinking in the BMW wagon we could lay down the seats and the kids could get more comfortable. That's what we've done in the Jeep when the need has arisen. I noticed the seats lay down in the BMW. They're short kids (literally 5 foot nothing) so the leg room isn't a huge deal when driving. And I'm short so my seat is pretty close to the steering wheel.

Also, I didn't realize it but I got very used to being able to rewind my Sirius XM radio and I HATE that I can't do it in this vehicle. I guess I'll have to check radios in every vehicle now. And the suede inserts are already a problem in this vehicle. (of course). It doesn't have as much power in the last gears as I'd like. As a matter of fact I feel like there's a lag between the pedal and response from the engine. Anyway, at least I have a vehicle to drive until I either get my jeep back or find the perfect car.
 

eugene89us

Veteran Member
Joined
Mar 17, 2014
Location
Southern USA
TDI
2014 Volkswagen Passat TDI SEL Premium
@riggers Let me give you my 2 cents. I have both 2014 VW Passat TDI SEL and a 2018 BMW 328d. So, the way the cars handle are very similar. The engines are quite similar in specs overall, the Passat engine vibrates a little less than BMW's N47 (think: BMW didn't cheat emissions. LOL. So their engines are not as "refined"). Now, the vibration inside cabin is very similar, but I would say BMW does better job overall in cabin comfort. With BMW, there is very little road noise, the diesel vibrations and engine sound are much less, I think a better insulated cabin. BMW also gets slightly better mileage (44-45 mpg vs 42mpg on Passat). But we are counting pennies here. Passat has a lot more road noise and sounds "airy" from the A and B pillars.

As far as interior comforts, BMW BAR NONE! The infotainment is responsive, quick, works well with Android (with some coding to enable OFFICE features to read and dictate SMS and emails) but comes with Apple CarPlay, which is awesome if you have an iPhone (I don't care for these! Android fan here). The seats are more comfortable, I can go hours in BMW without booty hurting - Passat makes my booty hurt in about 2 hours. BMW trim I have has deep bucket seats, which is nice when I got psycho making sharp turns. The ZF transmission in BMW is buttery smooth. DSG is good, but more "sporty" feel - hence rougher up and down shifts. Quicker and sportier, but rougher than BMW's ZF.

Drawbacks of BMW - SMALL, very small. I regret not buying a 2018 540d with a 6 cyl diesel. But then I would only get 30-35 mpg and I rack up good miles each year! Look for 2018 540d if you're looking for a midsize diesel, more luxurious and more refined too. Remember 328d is a compact vehicle. The rear room in Passat can accommodate a giant, I cannot put a child seat in 328d without moving passenger seat slightly forward or placing child seat in the middle (i.e. unapproved location). I cannot fit it behind my seat, I am only 5'9 and some change.

No matter the decision, here is what I recommend. If you like rear space in Passat, you will find 328d much smaller. Front space - about the same, really not significant. Technology - cannot stand RNS510 (slow and buggy) in Passat. My 328d has large screen, responsive, head up display, blind spot monitoring. Passat is bare bones, although at SEL trim level. I hated driving Passat after the "fix" --- fuel economy dropped, the engine seemed laggier, overall not comfortable, acceleration terrible. Whether you get BMW or stay with Passat, spend $500-1000 and get a KermaTDI tune. It will basically return your car to a pre-fix level (nice and refined!) with a better handling and responsiveness. With Passat's engine AND DSG tunes, the acceleration even in 6th DSG gear will be awesome! Absolurely awesome! I am not saying I got the tune on car I have, I just have an experience driving with Kerma and without Kerma, and the difference is SIGNIFICANT. Passat is in the family (but not my primary car anymore, it got replaced with 328d). Passat cost me $33K brand new (minus TDI settlement, around $7k). 328d ran me $42,000 brand new. Happy with both cars. But a tune on Passat is an absolute MUST. Tune on 328d is STRONGLY recommended. Kerma is the way to go, I have done a lot of research on all of those, and Kerman keeps everything bone stock, car remains emissions compliant!

Now a disclaimer: I like cars brand new, since I maintain them myself and don't want to get someone else's project, so my diesel future is in question once my diesels need replacement. Praying for current administration to bring gas prices back to $5/gal and hopefully diesels will make a return given their efficiency. Then I will gladly finance a new BMW 5 series diesel. Goodness, I wish we could have a 4 cylinder 5 series, that would be my dream - comfort of larger cabin with economy of a 4 cylinder. Until then, hoping my good care of my 328d will give me many years and many miles of great performance and reliability, so far 60k on 2018 328d and 110K on 2014 Passat. Knocking on wood, mostly minor fixes. I maintain both myself, follow recommendations to the last drop.

Best of luck in your decision
 
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riggers

Active member
Joined
Aug 27, 2013
Location
Texas
TDI
2013 Jetta TDI
@eugene89us

Took 4 kids to the beach this weekend. 3.5 hours each way. Kids NOT a fan of small car travel. If we were in the Jeep we probably would have laid down the seats and opened the back and slept on a beach somewhere. Instead we drove 3.5 hours back because not only could we not sleep in the car comfortably, there was not enough room to pack camping gear in the Passat. The back seat isn't WIDE enough and that hump in the middle forces the center child to put their legs on either side and that DOES cause arguments. After I get the Jeep back the back seat won't matter at all. We would mostly use the car as a vehicle for ME and my youngest since the older ones are usually on the bus or with the school transport. I talked to jeep and they got my engine in much earlier than expected. Now it's some other part they're waiting on, ETA is a week.

The lag in the Passat is driving me NUTS. Houston traffic moves quickly and it's scary to move lanes when the engine takes a quarter second to respond to hitting the pedal. I will definitely look into the Kerma tune. Your entire post almost sold me on the BMW. I feel like it solves almost all the issues with the Passat except the back seat space. No car is going to solve that though.

Test drove a diesel Tahoe on the way out. LOVED it. I would have bought it on the spot if it weren't a weird blue color and overpriced. (they were charging a $20k premium on top of the normal price). I can order one with a $1k down payment but it'll be up to 3 months for delivery because of production/chip issues. I just need to decide which color I want and options. I'm probably going to look at that today. My friends all think I should get four wheel drive but I'm trying to think of how often I need four wheel drive... is it worth the cost and extra maintenance/breakdown risk? Also it lowers fuel economy. Do I need 3 vehicles...? Since it would only be used for long/big trips should I go for the Suburban?

I'm still hunting around but the only BMW that is diesel within driving distance of me is this one: 2017 BMW 3 Series 328d xDrive Wagon AWD - $29,498 - CarGurus (sorry if I already linked it). I'm planning on going to test drive it later this week. I will take a $4k hit from the quick purchase/sell of the Passat if I switch vehicles but this one looks really well priced compared to others so maybe it won't be too bad??? I did realize Jaguar made a couple of diesel options as well. But nothing since 2019 but at least they'd be newer than this Passat.

I too, dislike used cars. I think that's part of the reason I've struggled with this decision. This breakdown/premature car purchase put me in a position where I couldn't get exactly what I wanted. What I want is a 2021 diesel car. Preferably a full sized one.
 
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Zambee500

Veteran Member
Joined
Jun 29, 2008
Location
Atlanta, GA
TDI
2005 Passat TDI GLS, 2014 NMS Passat TDI SEL Premium
BMW also has the X5 SUV with diesel powered engine, and some with optional 3rd row seat (although it looks small and very cramped).

Rover also sells diesel powered SUVs in the US market.
 

eugene89us

Veteran Member
Joined
Mar 17, 2014
Location
Southern USA
TDI
2014 Volkswagen Passat TDI SEL Premium
@riggers When the South was hit with snow and ice, I wished I had x-Drive. I got stuck a few times with RWD car and all season tires. The economy will be reduced, of course, but if you go a little off the paved paths, it will give you a peace of mind. The Wagon form factor will give you significant increase in trunk space, which is the reason many road warriors choose it. There are some issues with transfer case, but BMW solved it (allegedly) with a giubo replacement - newer year models come with rubber giubo (instead of metal) that reduce vibration transmission from drivetrain to transfer case.

@Zambee500 - the third diesel vehicle in our family is a 2017 x5 35d. It runs of a 6 cylinder N57 diesel. It is spacious, well-made SUV (or SAV as BMW calls it). We don't have 3rd row seating, but the back row is spacious. There is still a hump since it is an x-drive as well. I think that will be by default on all RWD-equipped vehicles. If you do a lot of long distance driving, the x5 35d will easily bring you 35-38 mpg. My wife used to drive a lot of HWY, which gave her that average economy. With more city driving these days, she averages around 29 mpg. But still decent for a large SUV.

Good luck in you car search!
 

riggers

Active member
Joined
Aug 27, 2013
Location
Texas
TDI
2013 Jetta TDI
@eugene89us Thanks for the info! I really am pretty much sold on the later model BMW. Can I live with the 2017 model or is there something that I can't live without in a 2018?
 

kjclow

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Apr 26, 2003
Location
Charlotte, NC
TDI
2010 JSW TDI silver and black. 2017 Ram Ecodiesel dark red with brown and beige interior.
None of the heated rear seats that I've seen are all three positions. Just the two outer seats. So that middle seat will still be fought over or against.
 
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