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Ubiquitous in Europe but a rare sighting in Australia, the Volkswagen Passat is the company’s renowned family sedan and wagon range, which is currently in its eighth generation.
That lineage has spawned numerous model lines and special versions of the Passat over the years, but in recent times a waning desire for large sedans and wagons has forced VW’s local team to pare back the range substantially.
This vehicle is also known as The Volkswagen Passat is also known as Volkswagen Dasher, Volkswagen Quantum, Volkswagen Santana, Volkswagen Corsar, Volkswagen Magotan (China), Volkswagen Carat in markets outside Australia..
From what I can gather, the 2017 Passat in its Australian-delivered configuration doesn’t include the ability to automatically fold its mirrors in when you lock the doors. Certainly, you can do this manually for when you tackle an automatic car-wash, but that becomes tedious if you want the mirrors folded every time you lock and leave the car.
But what’s interesting is that the car in other markets does, in fact, incorporate this feature, so it’s entirely possible, since your car already has the hardware) that the function is buried away deep, deep inside the set-up menus with a series of incomprehensible steps required to enable the function. Modern cars are subject to numerous hacks like this one, and a VW dealer might be able to point you in the right direction. It’s a handy feature and one that is valued highly by those who park on narrow streets each night. Actually, that’s why European versions of the Passat have the function in the first place, but it seems a bit mean that VW would drop it for our market.
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Hi Chloe, the wrench symbol is the service indicator light on this generation of Passat. I would take the car to your nearest licenced mechanical repairer and have them read the fault codes logged in the ECU, which is basically your car’s brain. Basically, when a part of your car stops working properly it sends an error message to the ECU, which has an error code it can display when the mechanic plugs their scan tool into the computer. This model Passat had an issue where the service light would come on, requiring the ECU’s software to be updated by the dealer. I’d take the car in and see what error codes come up as the first job.
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There is little chance of anything else being damaged as a result of the transmission failure. I understand your concern about the safety of the car given your experience when the transmission failed and left you in a precarious situation, but the chances of it happening again are pretty slim now it has been repaired.
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Base Passats can be had in a choice of five colours, including white, blue, black, silver, and grey. The top-spec Passat R-Line wagon is available in a unique shade of blue.
The Passat comes standard with alloy wheels from 17-inches up, LED headlights, a multimedia screen from 8.0-inches up with Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, a digital dash cluster, built-in navigation, and a reversing camera. Tri-zone climate control and keyless entry with push-start ignition are also standard, while higher-spec cars score leather seat trim, a panoramic sunroof, 19-inch alloys, a powered tailgate, 360-degree camera suite, interior ambient lighting, and a premium audio system.
The top-spec Passat R-Line will sprint from 0-100km/h in just 5.7 seconds.
The Passat's interior is relatively large, offering great adjustability for front passengers, and ample storage in the doors and centre console. The front seats are either manually adjustable on entry level cars, or power adjustable on higher grade cars, with heating and cooling as well as a message function on top-spec Premium trims.
The Passat has five seats which will suit even larger adults in decent comfort levels, clad in either cloth or 'Vienna' leather trim depending on the grade.