2001 Volkswagen Passat Reviews

Volkswagen Passat is a medium-large car aimed at those looking for a solid machine that should stand the test of time. Stylish it's not, but that's the way VW does its shapes, intending them to be timeless. There's an exception in the Passat range, see the upcoming notes on the model tagged the "CC". Passat shares

Passat is a medium-large German car that appeals to those who refuse to pay big dollars for a similar car from one of the more prestigious marques from the same country. Audi won’t thank us for saying so, but there are quite a few out of sight components that are shared by Passat and upmarket Audi vehicles.The Passat in all its formats offers better than average comfort thanks to well-shaped seats and suspension which is able to soak up just about anything thrown at it. Handling is good, with virtually neutral road behaviour at normal speeds, gradually changing to safe understeer if the big car is pushed hard.In the earlier days almost all Passat imports were four-door sedans but with the introduction of the 1998 model, five-door wagons were offered. Wagons have been a popular choice ever since as their squared off rear end makes for a practical load area.An interesting style called Passat CC was introduced in February 2009. Virtually a four-door coupe in the manner of the Mercedes-Benz CLS, the sleek CC is just right for those who seldom use the back seat but want the convenience of rear doors. The back seat is reasonably comfortable and is certainly much better than that of the typical two-door coupe.Volkswagen went all cute with the marketing of the latest CC when it arrived in June 2012, dropping the Passat from its name and calling it simply the CC. Don’t forget to check out both names if you’re doing a search for the pretty coupe on used-car sites.Engine options show a fascinating variation, with four-, five-, six- and eight-cylinder layouts. The V5 and V6 use an interesting design with a narrow-angle V which enables it to run one cylinder head covering both cylinder banks.Though smaller engines aren’t always accepted by Australian buyers, even the four-cylinder Passats have enough performance for many buyers. Many of the later petrol – and all diesel – Volkswagen engines use a turbocharger to generate significantly extra torque.Volkswagen started a strong push on turbo-diesel engines in Australia in 2006 and these days the company often sells more diesel cars than petrol ones in Australia.A four-speed automatic was used in the pre-1998 model, followed by a five-speed unit with tiptronic. The forward ratios were increased to six with a DSG installation from 2006, and to seven forward ratios from early 2010.All-wheel drive isn't all that common in Australian Passats but gives better traction coming out of corners and on slippery surfaces and is worth considering if you are doing a lot of driving on unmade surfaces, or even on the snow and ice for which it was originally designed.For the revhead, Volkswagen imported the Passat R36 from June 2008. R36 has a 220 kilowatt engine, all-wheel drive and is sold in both sedan and wagon bodies.Volkswagen Group Australia has put a lot of work in recent years in getting its supply of spare parts up to international best practice. Prices are similar to those of other European imports in its class. Similarly, the dealer group has grown markedly in recent years and VW is represented in most population centres of significant size.Passat is a relatively complex machine in the modern manner, but a competent home mechanic should be able to do a fair bit of work on it. Always have a workshop manual on standby, and please leave safety items to professionals.Insurance is generally not expensive but make inquiries from a number of companies as there can be quite a difference in premiums.WHAT TO LOOK FORLook over the condition of the interior in case the Passat has had a hard life. It’s not common in a car like this, but can happen and rectification can be expensive.The engine should start within a second of the key being turned and should settle into a steady idle within seconds. If there is a flat spot in acceleration there could be fuel-injection problems.Check the insides of the front wheels for signs of severe brake dust build up, indicating hard driving. This is more likely on one of the sporting models, but Passats do seem to attract people who like to pedal along hard.Look over the body for signs of crash repairs, especially paint that doesn’t match and panels that don't fit exactly. Check the complete body, including hard to reach areas under the bonnet, in the boot and under the car.CAR BUYING TIPBefore settling on any car it makes sense to check on availability of spare parts and servicing in your home and work neighbourhoods. 

When you’re known for building cars that everyone can afford and little else it can be hard to shed that working class image when it inevitably fades and needs renewing. So entrenched was the Beetle in folklore that it was very difficult for Volkswagen to replace it when it clearly needed to do so in the 1970s. It has taken a long time, but the company has emerged from the shadow of the Beetle and now has a range of well-built cars that appeal to a broad range of buyers.The Passat was a key model in the range as the company morphed into a modern carmaker with models to suit all needs and desires. It was the model that promoted it into the same league as the grand German makes like BMW and Mercedes-Benz. The Passat was the prestige car created to compete with the likes of the BMW 3-Series and ’Benz C-Class.MODEL WATCHSolid and sound are words that spring to mind when Volkswagen is mentioned in conversation. Rarely do words like exciting, thrilling and sexy crop up. The company has been building soundly engineered, solidly built and reliable cars since its very beginning in the ashes of World War 2. The Beetle was all of that, and while it had a quirky sort of charm, it could never be described as exciting.To some extent those same fundamentals are still there in today’s VWs, they are the pillars on which VWs are still built today. They apply to the Polo as much as they do to the Golf, and the Passat, Toureg of other models further up the food chain.While they are admirable qualities in any car they can be somewhat constricting if they are first and foremost in the minds of buyers. If VW suffers anything it’s perhaps it’s a lack of pizzazz. The Passat is a very competent car. It’s beautifully engineered, impeccably built, drives wonderfully well, but it doesn’t turn heads.Drive a BMW 3-Series and people notice, same with a ’Benz C-Class, but no one notices you when you drive a Passat. Perhaps passé might have been a better choice of name. The Passat wasn’t the fastest car in the class, it wasn’t the fleetest of foot getting from point to point, but it was competent. A well-rounded car that did everything well without excelling in anything in particular.Weighing in at over 1500 kg the Passat was no lightweight, a fact that came through loud and clear when you depressed the right pedal. It was best described as enthusiastic and willing, never thrilling. The front-wheel drive Passat steered well, gripped reassuringly and faithfully responded to requests to change direction. Its attitude was generally one of calm understeer.The Passat’s looks were reserved; there was none of the BMW bravado from the Wolfsburg company. Still, it looked pleasantly attractive, even if no one took much notice of it when you pulled into your driveway.There were three double overhead camshaft engines offered to begin with: a 92 kW/173 Nm 1.8-litre, a 110 kW/210 Nm turbocharged 1.8-litre and a 142 kW/280 Nm 2.8-litre V6. The gearbox choices were a five-speed manual or a four-speed auto. All Passats were well equipped, as you would expect a premier prestige model to be.The base 1.8-litre sedan came standard with power windows and mirrors, an immobiliser, central locking, auto air, cloth trim, eight-speaker sound with CD, and wood grain highlights. Move on up the line to the turbo and you got alloys, a trip computer, leather steering wheel and sports trim. Then there was the V6, a more luxury-focused model that had larger alloys, a six-stacker CD and more fake wood.IN THE SHOPGood build quality means little goes wrong on a regular basis; the problems that the Passat suffers are usually one-offs rather than persistent flaws that afflict a lot of cars. Check for a service record to make sure the engine oil has been changed regularly. The fours have a cam timing belt, which needs changing around 100,000 km, but the V6 has a chain that doesn’t require servicing.IN A CRASHWhile the Passat chassis wasn’t particularly sporting it was very competent and well capable to responding to an emergency situation. It had the added safety of ABS brakes standard across the range. The driver and front seat passenger had front airbags, and the V6 had side airbags as well. It was given five stars in the last used car safety survey.AT THE PUMPThe 1.8-litre will do 9-10.0 L/100 km around town, and 7-8 L/100 km on the open road. The V6 is thirstier and will get 9.5-11.5 L/100 km around town, and 8-8.5 L/100 km on the highway.LOOK FOR• Pleasant styling• Competent on road• Modest performance• Solid build quality• No badge snobberyTHE BOTTOM LINE• A solid and reliable car that does everything well, but don’t expect to impress the neighbors.RATING• 77/100