“Jason, cars are like wedding dresses; the bigger the better.”
Those were the words of Mrs. Jason, my wonderful bride of sixteen years and whose wedding dress rivaled that of Princess Diana. She is quite fond of enormous vehicles. It should be noted her love isn’t from lack of familiarity; she drove a ’77 Jeep Wagoneer in high school and she took her driver’s exam in her grandmother’s 1975 Pontiac Bonneville.
Several factors lead up to her making this highly memorable statement.
If you have read any of my four rental car diaries, you know we have been seeking something different and I have been quite critical, perhaps overly so, of the cars driven and of their manufacturers. This ongoing evaluation of cars was intentional and our not having made an automotive purchase had been primarily my decision. Despite getting our house sold over a year ago (a feat that took only twenty-one months to accomplish), our relocation isn’t officially finalized as we still haven’t found a house worthy of purchase and we are holding out for what we want–a theme that will play out again later. My intention was to hold off on a car until a home purchase was complete.
Most people have experienced times when events don’t transpire as planned and other times when you have to grab the bull by the horns–or whatever else is handy. Divine guidance certainly makes some decisions a whole lot easier.
Several weeks ago I received a call at work. There had been a bad crash involving three tractor-trailers and a compact car. To add to the situation, one of the trucks had caught fire and its load continued its smoldering burn regardless of how much water and foam was applied.
It was ugly with a single fatality and there were some sights I won’t describe. Upon arriving, I saw the compact that had been caught between two of the tractor trailers and pushed into the median. It was greatly deformed from rolling over multiple times yet both occupants walked away with only minor cuts and bruises. The multitude of airbags had cushioned them only upon the initial impact but the overall structure of the vehicle was able to protect them for the rest of that hellish ride.
It took a few days, but I realized that having my wife and daughter in a twenty-one year old Buick Century, itself a survivor of a minor crash, was no longer acceptable to me. They had also been using our 2000 Ford E-150 conversion van; such vans are not renowned for their stellar safety record. After what I had witnessed, I needed to reprioritize.
My wife and I spent an entire Sunday afternoon looking at the websites of every manufacturer to determine what we jointly liked from a visual standpoint. It’s pretty quick to rule out a lot of vehicles these days given the generally overwrought, suppository-on-wheels offerings. Maybe I am being overly critical again, but if the proposition is long-term and costs me money, it will be critiqued.
As you can tell, there was little that impressed us.
After several hours of cussing and discussing, we had our list narrowed down to five different alternatives. Our common criteria was for something that had high safety ratings and was traditional looking. Keep in mind we are both unaccustomed to seeing a twin to any of our vehicles in the K-Mart parking lot.
So let’s examine what we agreed upon. This process had as much of a subjective component for us as it does for anyone else; the results may or may not surprise you.
Ford Fusion: A few days after our research session I took our daughter to a home-school event in the little town of Fulton, where Winston Churchill gave his Iron Curtain speech in 1946. Needing to kill time, I drove across town to the Ford dealer.
Small town car dealers are so refreshing. At the Ford dealer I talked to Brad, a regular low-key kind of guy. While there I test drove this 2015 Fusion SE with the 1.5 liter engine. My first question for Brad upon our drive was how frequently customers complained of the very aggressive console Ford had blessed it with. He winced and reluctantly admitted it was a frequent criticism of the Fusion from prospective customers. It’s good to learn I am not alone.
It was nice, although the asking price for the SE trim was in a neighborhood I didn’t care to occupy. Knowing this, Brad showed me this 2013 Fusion SE with the 1.6 liter engine and only 16,000 miles. It had been purchased new there and they had documentation for all its service.
Going back to the dealer a short while later, Mrs. Jason and I drove this 2013. We liked it but we both thought there was something about it that just didn’t feel quite right. We told Brad we needed to think about it.
Later, Mrs. Jason stated the rear glass reminded her of the 1973 Mustang fastback her brother used to own.
Ford Escape: While at the Ford dealer in Fulton, we also test drove a very blue base model 2014 Ford Escape. It just wasn’t us. Buying a car is like dating; there is a lot of subjectivity involved.
Dodge Grand Caravan: I have driven a few of the current generation model and it is extremely comfortable with ample power from its 3.6 liter V6. However, we already own one van and we decided buying a minivan wasn’t exactly changing our position in the world.
Volkswagen Jetta: We test drove a TDI with a manual transmission back in February. Ever since, I have daydreamed about these; it must be a middle-aged thing as my automotive fantasies over the years have evolved from 5.0 Mustangs to diesel-powered Volkswagen’s. The Jetta is very nice, and Mrs. Jason liked it, but then the wedding dress rule kicked in.
So what is now sitting in the garage?
A 2014 Volkswagen Passat.
This almost didn’t happen. While I had driven a five-speed Passat with a 1.8 liter back in June, I didn’t think it was quite worth what VW was printing on their window sticker so I scratched the experience up to wishful thinking. But the end of the model year was nigh and VW was wanting to purge the remaining 2014 models and was putting their money where their mouth is with respectable rebates.
After parting company with Brad, we went to visit the VW dealer.
We initially looked at a 1.8 liter Passat with the Wolfsburg package. The Wolfsburg is a base model Passat with heated vinyl leatherette seats and a few other trinkets. Our initial concern about the vinyl leatherette was founded; the interior reeked of vinyl leatherette and it was giving us a mild headache. Making it even more challenging was the driver’s seat; I was fiddling with the power adjustments the entire time I was driving and could not get comfortable. Mrs. Jason found the head rests to be in attack mode given their forward lunge. So we inquired about cloth seats.
This dealer had about a dozen base model Passat’s in stock, the only models with cloth seats. The manually adjusted cloth seats fit us like a glove and the headrests, while seemingly identical, were not as aggressive on the back of our heads. There was only one small problem: the interior of every single one was asphalt black, a color that is as invigorating as the interior of a mausoleum.
Rejecting black, we headed out the door. Suddenly the sales manager became involved and offered a Wolfsburg at base model prices. While I don’t remember the verbiage of my rejection, I did referred to the seats as being “not worth a shit,” thus killing the hopes of the salesman and sales manager. Further offers of free window tinting and other assorted goodies were also rejected. When asked why, I provided an irrefutable thought; if one were to get a tattoo of their sweet thing’s name on their arm, it would be a constant and conspicuous irritant to the owner if the name were misspelled. A black interior would be a similar, constant irritant to us.
Upon being told no other interior colors were available anywhere in the state, we left.
Getting home, I undertook an exhaustive and intense ninety second search on the VW website to find a base-model Passat with a gray interior sitting on the lot in St. Louis. The next closest one was in Chicago.
The next morning, I called the dealer in St. Louis. The salesman with whom I dealt was the epitome of every negative stereotype created about car salesmen. Then Mrs. Jason stepped up to the plate.
My wife is a delightful combination of Margaret Thatcher and Sitting Bull; she does not compromise in her convictions and, when provoked, will exhibit profound resistance, making life thoroughly miserable for others. On a side note, I was fortunate enough to see Margaret Thatcher give a speech at the University of Missouri-Rolla in 1996. When taking questions, she verbally annihilated a person who was trying to provoke her; Mrs. Jason also shares this talent.
Mrs. Jason called the first VW dealer. Talking to the sales manager directly, she politely informed him of my rapid findings and asked him what he was going to do to rectify his gross error.
Ten minutes later, the sales manager had a dealer transfer secured. The price he quoted was remarkably less than that of the used, 2013 Fusion. After a bit more discussion, we told him to get it and that we would pick it up the next business day.
While it seems like I’m eating a bit of crow, I’m really not. I have stated in the past how I am not a fan of four-cylinder engines, but that position is thawing. Perhaps it is because adding a turbocharger to a four-cylinder engine is like putting gravy on mashed potatoes–it transforms something truly wretched into something enjoyable. It also helps when said engine makes its peak torque at a barely off idle 1,500 rpm. Somebody at Volkswagen is a miracle worker. Renting a Chevrolet Cruze started the thought process about engines; I’m a torque addict, so any engine that can provide so much easy and accessible grunt is not to be ignored.
Mrs. Jason and I do get a bit stubborn about what we like and it has always paid off. She is truly loving the Passat, having taken it on a two hundred plus mile trip thirty-six hours after purchase. I’m enjoying a car that is comfortable, has terrific power, and achieved 32.2 miles per gallon on its very first tank of fuel.
VW isn’t perfect; they cannot decide between U.S. and U.K. spellings for color. Perhaps this is one of the quirks that has so enamored the VW faithful. Either way, they have a real winner in the Passat, purchased at a time when I was open to (almost) anything. Will I become a VW fanboy? Time will tell.
This is our first new car since being married and we each purchased our first new cars in 1996 while single. For some reason I think this Passat will be around for a very long time. Das Auto macht Spaß zu fahren.
I think I have been afraid to buy a VW since they discontinued the (old) beetle. It will be interesting to hear how you fare with yours.
Margaret Thatcher,the corner shop owners daughter and a good pal of Ronald Reagan,both with Alzheimers.Sitting Bull at least retained some dignity and compassion.Halfway through Ronnie’s first term as President he told a story about being a baseball announcer,before he became a very ordinary actor.He spoke of calling the game and in those days the commentators could not see the game and would receive the slip under the window detailing the state of play,so a simple play was in a great sports radio voice an elaboration of the play he could not see,it was delivered on a piece of paper in the dots and dashes of Morse code.He then said that he didn’t know if what he said was what really happened on the field,but that “the truth got there and in other words,it [the truth] can be attractively packaged”.My great great grandmother was from Holstein,Germany and her surname was the same as your name,it was changed to Shafer and/or Shaver.
Margaret Thatcher declared war on working class people.One day Dad came home from work,he never went back a skilled man(engineer) on the scrapheap at 53.
Someone who works for me has a Passat like this, except in brown. Recht gemütlich ist es.
Is it a manual transmission? I read through the window sticker but didn’t see anything offhand.
If I were to buy a new car today I’d give serious consideration to your choice. Although my FIL is a Ford Sales Associate I don’t like the Fusion interior. Too many buttons. VW interior is refreshingly un-complex.
Just yesterday I told him “I tried to build an MKZ on the Lincoln website, but you can’t get manual transmission or “too many buttons delete” options so I need to order another $100 of 2001 Focus parts.
It’s an automatic. Given the amount of trouble to acquire a gray interior, a gray interior with a manual may have been tough. However, the dealer did have a blue one with a manual that I was intrigued with, but the black was a deal breaker.
Yes, the interior of the VW is delightfully uncomplex. Besides, I’m a real simpleton, so uncomplex works better for me anyway!
Oddly, I did see a 2014 Fusion with a manual transmission at the Ford dealer here. It was 97 degrees the day I walked over there (it’s close to where I work) and walking all around their lot did not attract the attention of anyone. So I scratched them from my list and that’s why I went 25 miles north to Fulton.
One of my childhood buddies is now a general manager at a local and only one Ford dealerships. I have to say oddly too…the lad can sell only cars with manual transmissions. That’s the difference between the driving cultures of the opposite sides of the Atlantic Ocean. New cars with automatics are higher priced as it is always enlisted as a costly “extra” feature. It’s Europe.
Apparently Ford just scratched the manual option on the Fusion.
Not enough demand. Can’t say I blame them, I want one, but I want it three years after they’ve built it.
And that’s the problem. Manufactures aren’t interested in building cars for the cheap bastards, er, thrifty types who insist on only buying used and letting “someone else take the depreciation.”
Sometimes I think computers need an app that only allows someone to post demands on what the car industry should build if they’ve bought a new car in the previous twelve months.
My sister is a health professional and a classical homoeopath and her many studies reveal that modern car plastics are quite toxic and they outgas,emit noxious substances for a considerable period after purchase.For many months she would open doors and windows of her new cars for hours after she had finished her daily works.
I guess that smoking a few good cigars, cigarettes or a pipe should eliminate the “toxic odors” contemporary plastic car interiors spew forth.
When the new reg. plate will be attached on the Jag, for sure I’ll smoke a fine cigar inside… 🙂 Anyway the car is old…
There are are very few manufacturers around the globe who supplies every car maker with o.e.m. car interiors. Probably if you dig into you’ll be able to find somewhere the Material Safety Data Sheets and Technical Info Sheets… I don’t really think so that anybody could afford that luxury (especially nowadays) to put inside a passenger compartments anything “toxic”. Very rigorous eco-regulations are implemented into the manufacturing policy of the european automotive industry. Which results that every new car generation is more and more eco-friendly. Germany is one of the leading initiators of ecological law enforcements among E.U. countries…if you like or dislike…they are the ethalons to follow. PVC had been toxic while this material was used before the development of newer/cleaner plastics… For example Germans are one of the largest developers and manufacturers of petrochemical products and vast range of those components ending built in their cars…
Many years ago,perhaps early 1980s,I read that the interior door trims of Mercedes Benz cars were made from industrial hemp.In the 1960s Benz cars used pig skin for seats instead of cow leather.Asbestos is still used in some automobiles.The safety of aluminium is still a contentious issue in some quarters.Fluoride is a by product,along with Jarosite,of the process of refining Zinc.A senior media friend told me that they didn’t know what to do with Fluoride as a waste product,so they decided to give everyone some by putting it in the drinking/washing water.The other by product was Jarosite,which in Tasmania,a barge like ship would dump the highly toxic jarosite in the deep ocean commercial fishing grounds south of Hobart on a daily basis.I often wonder about cars built in the vicinity of World War 11 atomic bomb sites in Japan,radiation has a very long life.In Iran,Iraq and Afghanistan depleted uranium warheads were used to allow greater penetration of metal objects and the half life of those minute radioactive particles is causing many deleterious health effects for the innocent and guilty citizens of those countries.In the past car radiators were made of metal and were easy to repair,now many are made of plastic compounds and they become brittle necessitating replacement,usually at great expense.This is called the “product life cycle” and is a way auto companies can ensure that they can sell more costly spare parts.
Nicht schlecht! And you have to forgive VW, English is not their first language… Your color is “Grau”.
Your dealer experiences described both (very poor) examples of typical salesmanship in the automotive sector – Ford guy probably should have been a little bit more aggressive, i.e. what can we do to get you to not be as concerned about the Fusion’s console, and VW guy’s willingness to gamble on losing a sale due to his laziness in searching for your preferred color combo. Their job is to SELL YOU A CAR. Amazing how they manage to get in the way of themselves when presented with qualified buyers ready to get out their checkbook.
Anyway, enjoy the Passat, most German cars are fantastic long-distance cruisers and I’m glad you decided to give turbo-four power a chance!
What’s done with the latest direct-injection technology is truly amazing. I rented a new Sonata while in Maine, and with the six-speed auto, it pulled like the 3.0 I remember being wowed by in my parents’ ’97 Maxima. It was a shame the rest of the Sonata was so unattractive, because the powertrain genuinely impressed. I can only imagine the Passat is even smoother, quieter and torquier.
Congrats on your new purchase, you made a truly good choice.
Direct injection is The Way with turbocharging. Because the fuel is still liquid (albeit a fine mist) when it enters the combustion chamber, vaporization pulls heat out of the intake air, much like water injection, so you can run high compression ratios even with a fair amount of boost.
I understand how DI works. It also helps with high compression ratios in general (as you know); the Sonata I rented was the n/a 2.4. Considering that the 1.8t of the early ’00s blew me away, I can’t imagine how great it is with DI.
If the 1.8t captured the attention of this V8 homeboy, it obviously has a lot going for it. My initial concern was the heavier Passat might overwhelm the engine…wrong!
Haha, you now need to re-read every CC ever done on any car with a smaller turbocharged engine as your whole frame of reference has changed!
Gray on the outside but Grey on the inside….ha.
Also, Moonrock Grey? That made me chuckle.
I agree that Volkswagen interior design is good, simple, easy to use (especially on Golf) and soothing in comparison to Ford’s.
Yet I would have taken the Fusion. There are a lot of Fusions out there and a dealer trade for a satisfactory one – new or used ’13 or ’14 – could have been done. The turbo four in the Fusion is quite satisfying and the interior space is surprising.
I’d take the Ford because of the fact that Ford dealers are everywhere – including the mountain west where I live. Dealers serving the (reputedly) less than reliable Volkswagen brand may be common in the midwest but in the mountain west they are rare. If one drives on I-80 from Lincoln to Salt Lake or from Albuquerque to Phoenix, there are no VW dealers along the way to help you should the mechanical need occur. I don’t trust the reliability of VW and am concerned about the lack of western dealers.
I’ve driven I-80 between Lincoln and Salt Lake; there isn’t much of anything through there.
Given the degree of rural through much of the west, where residents are more likely to be doing something agriculturally based than elsewhere, that there isn’t enough draw to make it worthwhile for VW and other manufacturers that don’t produce light trucks. Case in point is that I can only find 7 Honda dealers in the entire state of Wyoming whereas there are twice as many Ford dealers.
Fort Collins has an excellent VW/Audi/Porsche dealer, 40 miles south of I-80 just south of Cheyenne. Greeley has another, same general vicinity. And if you took I-70 there are even more (even in the mountains).
To add to it, in a pinch, most any Audi dealer tech could figure out an issue with a Passat as well.
You reminded me…
I was once dating a gal whose father was the biggest Chevrolet fan ever. I asked him why he bought Chevrolet’s and not Ford (we’re talking trucks). He said he bought Chevrolet’s as he was close to the dealer if it needed work; I told him if he bought a Ford, it wouldn’t need to be worked on. He was speechless.
Plus, I once spent the night in Ft. Collins due to no hotel rooms in Cheyenne. It was a nice town.
VW make the Amarok 4WD pickup truck quite popular though fairly exensive, does the US not get them
Nothing like that here.
Congrats on your new purchase! Hope you and your wife enjoy it for many years to come!
Congratulations on the new wheels! Glad to be joined by another owner of a gray base model vehicle with steel wheels. 🙂
It seems that there are two kinds of VW owners – those (like me) who buy one and those (like my sister and Ed Stembridge) who make their automotive home there. I hope your experience is a good one. Sometimes when you find a car that feels and drives just right, you happily step into a strange automotive landscape. I did this with my Kia Sedona, and have been quite happy over the last 3 years.
Mrs. Jason sounds like a keeper! Reminds me of when Mrs. JPC and I were test driving minivans. She drove the lwb Grand Caravan and then asked if we could look at the extended version. She was 100% on board when I showed her the Club Wagon. Not all girls like to buy cars on a price per pound basis. 🙂
Until now we have been price per pound people, also. That insipid van (which I still have) has likely been our best deal in that department.
When I started this story, I was sure that the hated E-150 would be a trade-in, especially if you were looking at the Grand Caravan. But I guess not.
Hmmmm – a turbo Passat and two Ford trucks. This could probably be turned into a very interesting internet personality test result. 🙂
That’s a good point about personality tests; I’m curious what it could tell me.
Idea…if you still have your son’s Mercury, how about a 5.4 liter transplant? The transmission is cherry and I even know of a great donor vehicle.
Congrats on the purchase. Enjoy it in good health.
That’s some good fuel economy, btw.
Did you ever consider the Mazda 6?
To me that’s the most attractive of the mid-size bunch. I consistently mistake it for a Lexus from the back if it’s dark or at a quick glance. And Mazdas are known for their sporting driving.
I like the Passat. Very classic shape. Intrigued by the diesel specially.
While the Fusion is attractive outside, it took a while to grow on me. IMO its attractive because of the Aston grill, which they copied lol.
But I never liked the interior of the Fusion. I love buttons but Fords aren’t really attractive inside, save for the Mustang.
The Explorer is also nice but the lack of any gauges other than the speedo is a real turn off.
The Fusion would be a real sleeper if it offered a V6.
Nice car. If VW had still been selling the Passat wagon in the US, one might quite likely have ended up in our driveway instead of the TSX wagon. I have always loved VW’s interior design, materials and simplicity. And the turbo four is sweet. Enjoy!
This engine is one of the few I’ve experienced that is as smooth at 6500 rpm as it is at idle.
My engine does not idle with great smoothness, at least not compared to the northstar V8s, but off idle all the way to 6000 or so it is quite smooth.
Congrats on your new purchase. I’m about a month into my first VW experience – 2014 Jetta SE w/ the 1.8L Turbo and an auto trans. Really enjoying it thus far … I have a 65 mile/day commute. Mine’s black/black. I, too, prefer the VW interior design. We had narrowed our choices down to a Focus, Jetta and a Passat. Ultimately, I preferred the Jetta. (Another factor in the decision was the fact that the Ford dealer never returned our phone call).
Nice choice. I wounder if your car is German built? Vin will start with W if German, 1 if US, 3 if Mexico. Before I even scrolled down, I had a feeling it would be a Jetta or Passat. If I was in the market for a new car, I would have chose the same except for stick shift. Enjoy your new ride, too bad you (and your wife) had to do the dealers job for him so he could sell you a car. Sounds like you finally did get a great deal. Years ago, dealerships would sometimes swap interiors if a customer wanted a different material or color. I got screwed ordering interior trim by VIN # a time or two only to discover a swap had been made when the car was sold. I always asked or looked at the interior before ordering after that.
North American Passats are built at the VW plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
The NA Passat is a different car than what most of the rest of the world gets; it’s larger, and different interior, etc. The European Passat was deemed to be too small to properly compete with the other cars in the class: Camry, Accord, Altima, etc; many of which are also US-specific cars.
We like them big here!
Nice choice. When Dad was in the market for a new car, I sent him to the VW dealer to take a look at one of these. He came home in the a new turbo Beetle instead!
Funny thing about subjective choices… You find a black interior intolerable, and were willing to take an automatic and grey exterior to avoid it. I prefer lighter interiors, but would live with black if I had to to get a manual transmission and a car painted a color.
If I were in the market for a new car, the Passat fails the first cut: it’s not offered in a color (and no, the ” ‘blue’ so dark it may as well be black” and ” ‘red’ that’s going to look grey in virtually any light” do not qualify in my book as “colors”).
I agree with you on colors, where there is silver, two tones of gray, black, brown, and dark blue. However, I see the interior more than I do the exterior. The automatic was more of Mrs. Jason’s preference and she has driven it six times more than I have.
In the customer survey from VW, I blasted them on the lack of colors saying a can buy a new refrigerator in a wider variety of available colors.
I recently bought an A4 Avant, because it was close enough to what I needed and the price was right.
It’s silver. I now need to take notes when I park, or I’ll never find it again… I’ve idly toyed with the idea of replacing all the bolt on panels with salvage yard sourced replacements, each an actual color. A sort of home-brew Audi Harlequin. The previous owner would be appalled, but at least I’d be able to find it in a parking lot.
Funny thing indeed. To me, gray car interiors always looked “cheap” no matter the actual quality, and I always perceived black interior as the most unobtrusive.
I wanted the red interior and the driver assistance package and AWD. So, while I would have liked black diamond, I got white, like the previous car, and a turbo 4. I was not sure if the turbo 4 was better than the V6, as the 6 runs on 87 octane, while the turbo will run on 87, but likes 91, and I have been feeding it pure 91 (not ethanol) mostly. Dealer had to seach far and wide to find it. I probably should have waited till I could order a 2014.
Now I am waiting for the 8L90 transmissions to get AWD.
A lot better than the restyled previous generation Passat which is still sold where I live.
The Fusuion seems to be a massively updated version of my current daily driver, the 2009 Ford Mondeo IV – we are yet to see the restyle in our dealerships just as well. I like those triangular windows in front door glass, much like in 1980s VWs – they are effective in preventing drafts, and I recently developed a habit to drive with windows down, AC off in hot weather. New frontal styling is questionable to me, have to look at it in person. My Mondeo is a nice car, but tends to develop small glitches over time which are sometimes ridiculously costly to fix, so buying another Ford product is in question as of now.
The Escape is the car which is called the Kuga elsewhere, right ? Didn’t like it on subjective level, too.
It seams that in course of several years I’ll be facing essentially the same choice. So, thanks for sharing your considerations. I’ve read you previous writings and find many common point in our judgments about cars.
Yes, the Escape is called the Kuga elsewhere. At work I was assigned a previous generation ’08 Escape; it was a horrible vehicle and the seat killed my otherwise healthy back.
Thank you for the kind words.
I do find it thought provoking that a car no longer deemed safe enough for the family was sold to an 18 year old. Then again 18 year olds do not drive as much as older people nor as long distances plus the 18 year old who bought the Buick sounds like a good driver. Also, in the past 25 years there has only been one family car that I know of (93 Buick Century Sedan) that was sold to someone needing “new” wheels. Every other family car was sold when borderline dead or completely dead.
Nice find on the VW and I sure hope it works out. While I do not care for sedans (that might change) I do like the looks of the current Passat. The fact you can buy Vinyl in a passenger car in 2014 is amazing and is a good idea, wonder how long it would have taken to out gas? One of my first sighting of this generation of Passat was seeing one towing a small trailer loaded with some hay bails and since then I have seen some others with trailer hitches and/or roof racks.
Kia/Hyundai are terrible when it comes to nauseating interiors. My folks 05 Sedona was terrible and after they bought it in August they left all the doors open as much as possible; even in the winter. I think the stench was gone by 2006 or 2007 (we did not drive it much) and until a few years ago you could still catch a nasty whiff if the car was closed up on a hot day. At the Portland Auto Show this February I sat in a Hyundai Santa Fe and quickly bailed. Damn thing smelled like spray paint and made me nauseous while evoking smell memories.
Nice car, drive it in good health. I’m very curious about the latest crop of direct injected turbocharged powertrains. I enjoyed driving a 2014 Escape 2.0 ecoboost during my last car purchase quest that ended up with a CRV in my garage. It sounds like driving style influences fuel economy more than with a traditional port injected non turbo – I hope you will let us know in a few thousand miles.
This looks like a great car to knock out 600 or 800 miles a day in. I like my CRV, but it’s not the best vehicle for my twice a year trip from SC to MI and back.
I am anxious to see how many miles I can go with it; I drove it off the lot and back to the house – about 35 miles – and every other time has been a 5 mile hop. Mrs. Jason has taken it out a bunch and we’ve already put about 1200 miles on it since September 1.
Herzlichen Glückwunsch, Herr Schäf(f)er !
The new (current ?) Fusion / Mondeo has yet to be introduced here. Too late, I’m afraid.
Because, just like the E-segment, the D-segment has basically become BMW, Mercedes and VAG territory.
Then you have the Peugeot 508 (the best looking sedan in this class IMHO), the Citroën DS5, the Volvo S60, the Opel Insignia and the Renault Laguna.
That’s all. Japanese and Korean automakers might as well stop offering D-segment cars in Europe, they sell just a handful of them.
Vielen Dank!
Congrats on the new car. I can understand your fear and reasoning for replacing the Century due to the horrible accident you witnessed. But the Century is a tough car. In 2002 my mother was driving my folks 1996 Buick Century back home from work(she works at a school) and was going towards Clarksville MD(32 past Clarksville going towards Glenelg and coming from the Glenelg area goes from a highway to a simple road) a drunk driver in a big Chevy pickup flew across the road and broadsided my mother. My mother emerged from the wreak shaken with bruises on her arm but other then that was fine. The Century was totally destroyed. In fact unless you looked closely, you would have never known that the mangled metal had been a car. In fact one of those shiny metal Buick hubcaps wound up in a tree 500 feet away. The airbag never went off since it was a side crash. The car took the brunt of the accident and allowed my mother to survive. It was a tough car. Had that been something small like a Colt or a Corolla, than the story would have been different.
Anyway good luck on your new car. I am sure it will be a good car for the family.
Was it a passenger side T-bone or driver side? That makes a lot of difference unless your mama was really lucky.
I wish I had a pic of a friend’s daughter’s Honda Fit after it was crushed by a Ram at 50MPH. It looked like the Ram had decided to eat the fit, starting with the passenger side door. How she came out of it with a bruised shoulder (The Ram’s grill hit her) and a scalded leg (coolant from the Ram hit her leg) is amazing to me. The Fit had to be cut apart to get her out, and to get it off the front of the Ram, which had an amazingly small amount of damage, and was back on the road in about 10 days. The wreck accomplished one thing, she seems to have stopped texting and talking on the phone while driving..
I hate black (not the people) I have sometimes noted five or six parked black cars lined up in a row. People have lost their appreciation or perception of colors. When I got a new carrier for my cat, I went to extraordinary lengths to not get black. By the way, my cat is not black either.
Nice Passat! I’m sure you will enjoy it. I think that’s the same gray color as my Jetta… actually, in basic S trim with steel wheels and an identical paint job, the whole car looks like a super-sized version of mine. The styling similarity is really uncanny – I still confuse the fronts ends between the Jetta and Passat from a distance, occasionally.
I don’t love black interiors but with the Jetta S, you don’t get a choice. Heck, you barely get a choice with the exterior color. The plus is that it does hide spills and blemishes a lot better than gray or beige, which I unfortunately have already dealt with.
I really do like the new Fusion, it’s a nice looking car that drives well. But it is way too “tech”-y inside for my archaic tastes. Even with the base model version, you can’t seem to avoid annoying buttons and screens. This is probably what I love about Volkswagens the most; ultra simple to look at, be in, and drive, yet they don’t feel “cheap”. Even the versions with Nav are simple and clean, not that I’d ever buy one.
Amen to that on the Fusion being too techy. If you want a Ford with a USB to play your iPod/iPhone/Flashdrive etc, you have ot get a Ford with Sync. I tell you I have no temper and I hate to yell but during the time I had that Fiesta with Sync, I wanted to punch that radio at least once every week. You ask Sync to play Whitesnake and you get the Beatles and even if you have a mouth full of marbles there is no way you can mistake a command to play Whitesnake with a command to play the Beatles. These companies don’t seem to realize that all most folks want is the ability to listen to MP3 players and have Bluetooth phone calls. They don’t need a system to tell you the weather in Bismark or something or to remotely scratch your rear end.
I miss the Fiesta BUT my stress went down after dumping it.
“These companies don’t seem to realize that all most folks want is the ability to listen to MP3 players and have Bluetooth phone calls”
What he said!
Hopefully, this car will work out better for you than my friend’s wife’s Passat and Audi A4’s did. The Passant, which got the nickname “Pissant” by the time it was traded for the A4. As bad as the Pissant was, the A4 was worse. At least the “Piss” didn’t require a tow for most of it’s unending electrical issues, as it would run. It might have no dash lights, no head or tail lights, but it drove. The A4 would have none of that, it almost always had to be towed. By the time the lease was up on it, the word VW was part of a curse in their house. It still puzzles me how it never was Lemoned, but it wasn’t. A very bad car, leased from the worst dealer in town.
The Jeep Grand Cherokee that replaced it (My friend got tired of always using his truck to take the dogs) has been great. It was recalled for something, but it was taken care of when it went in for a normal service.
170 hp/ 184 lb-ft of tq?!?! Someone chime in, but can that possibly be correct? My understanding is that the GTI with the 1.8T had over 200 hp. Maybe (like the PT Cruiser) there is a high pressure and a low pressure turbo? Overall a turbo 4 seems like a very odd choice for what I consider to be a very basic car. Don’t get me wrong, in smaller cars–especially fwd ones–I prefer the manners and upgradeability of boosted 4 or 5 cyls. But Im an enthusiast. Turbo lag followed by the explosive blast of power, the nasty shriek of a ‘snail’ as it spools up, and the ‘gotta drive it like you stole it’ nature all very much appeal to me. The fuel and oil requirements are just the price of entry. Pound of flesh, if you will. A v6 seems (in my mind, anyway) to suit the nature of the car.
Either way, glad you and the Mrs like it. Hope it serves you for many years. I honestly believe the ‘perception’ of lowered VW reliability is just that. Ive only driven a few but they definitely exude a feel of solidness and the general air of ‘this is a real car’ that nothing Japanese or Korean can hope to equal.
Turbos have come a long way over the years. On this car, turbo lag is almost nonexistent and it takes regular 87 octane fuel.
VW transitioned over to this 1.8t in the Passat during the 2014 model year, replacing a 2.5 liter five-cylinder. HP is the same, torque a bit more with the 1.8t, and fuel economy increased.
Ah so its a lot like what Chrysler had on the PT Cruiser: a low pressure (8 lb or so of boost), 180 hp variant that could run on regular gas was available on the touring edition cars, 4spd automatic only. Definitely a ‘cruiser’ vs the HO 2.4 turbo I had on my GT. No running of regular on that, it was good for around 12 lb stock…if you monkeyed with it, Ive seen 16 lb on the stock turbo.
Youre right, Jason…turbos have indeed come a long way. Thing is, it seems like they were a bit more prevalent a few years back. I see a helluva of a lot of cars that most definitely should be running boosted 4 or 5 bangers and aren’t. In the case of the Passat, its just not the type of car that’s on my radar. Im still sore that the Scirocco isn’t slated for North America. Now THATS the VW Id like to snag…
Daily drivers / family cars come with low pressure turbos. Not to increase (top end) power but to increase torque at low rpm.
It’s pretty common these days that diesels come with two turbos, like Audi’s and Opel’s Bi-Turbo diesels. BMW’s 3.0 liter straight six diesel in the M550d even has three turbos. That makes it a Tri-Turbo.
My 2 L turbo 4 is rated at 260 ft-lb of torque over the range 1700-5500 RPMs with 272 hp@5500 on 91 octane fuel. While 91 is recommended for this engine, it will not self destruct on 87 octane, but will only produce 240 lb-ft of torque and about 250 hp. I am running it on pure 91 as much as possible and you can find the overall average MPGs at fuel economy dot gov for the awd ats (there is only one).
Congrats on the purchase! I’d be curious to test-drive the turbo Passat. I had a rental 2.5 five for a few hours – had to return it because the trunk wouldn’t open – and I loved the way it felt on the road, and loved the sound of the five. I find the Passat to be one of the more attractive mid-sizers because it has nice, clean, almost timeless lines whereas some rivals (Malibu, Altima) have far too many creases and feature lines. I really wasn’t wowed by the interior though. Ours was a base model and it had several blanking buttons on the dash, which felt really cheap (and it wasn’t something I had seen for years). I also found the interior to be just a bit dated-looking, but ergonomically quite sound.
The mid-size segment right now is interesting.
• There’s the Malibu, which I loved in the previous generation but now am really ambivalent about. Rear seat room is really tight, the styling is a bit odd, but I do love the interior.
• The 200 is another smaller car, but with a gorgeous interior and available Pentastar V6 I’d happily put it on my shortlist.
• The Fusion is a little plainer inside, but it has an interesting range of engines, sharp styling and solid dynamics.
• The Altima has a smooth ride, plenty of space and a well-made interior, but it doesn’t thrill me.
• The Camry I actually like the look of, exterior-wise, at least in SE form. The interior though is pretty lousy and for the 2015 redesign, that’s the one thing it looks like they didn’t change, but now they’ve completely softened the exterior. I’ve never been a Toyota man either.
• The new Sonata and Legacy look like they could be twins. This is an improvement for the Legacy (the previous generation was ugly) but I liked the previous Sonata and my mother’s feels like a really well-made, high-quality, solid car.
• I love the look of the new Mazda6 but the interior is really underwhelming and there’s no engine upgrade.
• The new Accord really impressed me when I had one as a rental. I love the interior and I love the Sport trim, and didn’t get sick of it despite my neighbourhood becoming absolutely full of them really quickly.
• The Optima looks sharp, has an available turbo and the best interior in the class.
If I’d been in your shoes, I would have test drove the whole segment – even if only for funzies – but I think my podium finishers would have been Fusion, Optima and Accord. The Passat wouldn’t have been too far behind in my books.
We looked at all of these to one degree or another. The creases and feature lines you mention is what caused many of them to fall off the list.
If I was in the market for a D-segment (midsize) sedan it would almost certainly be a Peugeot 508, I already mentioned it above. With a 2.0 liter hdi (=diesel) engine, of course.
We have some Reverse CC Effect going on here. My sister reports to me that after an almost uninterrupted 30 years of VW ownership, she is preparing to jump ship to a Subaru Outback. And she is complaining about how hard it is to find one with a dark interior.
This is most unusual, especially not finding a dark interior. Isn’t there some kind of law requiring 2/3 of one’s production to be in dark colors?
Assuming that she is looking for an end of the year bargain, and assuming that people like dark interiors, then most of the dark interiors have probably been sold, leaving behind the light undesirable colors.
Nope, 2015 model. I chalk it up to maybe different design aesthetic between the euro VW and the asian Subie.
Our 1.8T VW is almost 14 years old now and is my wife’s daily driver, so it’s a rare occasion when I drive it any distance. But the best thing about it is the balance of powerband characteristics, gearing, and clutch and shifter action. It’s a whole ‘nother world compared to Japanese manual trans cars I’ve owned, even recently (Subaru, Corolla, Civic). So if you’re interested in a VW do yourself a favor and buy a stick.
Jason it always starts the same way with a VW. You get in, marvel at the simple design and high-quality quality materials, the way the doors close and how fun to drive it is. Then you start negotiating and find the car to be such a great deal you can’t pass it up. Surely, you think, the ending on THIS VW will be different from what I’ve heard, never mind that the beginning part hasn’t changed.
Happened with my best friend’s ’99 Golf 3-door stick. The car was an oddball low trim model that was built in Germany not Mexico like the 5-doors. It was well made, quiet and drove great. It started out well enough but there was a squeak behind the driver that soon surfaced which could never be found/fixed. The oil consumption was very high. The airbag and other warning lights would come on intermittently.
The ’99 was from the perceived quality era at VW (soft touch surfaces etc.) and he thought that fact plus made in Germany would make his experience different from the rest. Please keep us posted, would love to know if VW got it right this time, they are always nice and good values at the beginning.
as a former VW Turbo owner, I can tell you a couple things…Yes, they feel great. mileage like a minicar if you stay off it…but if you use the throttle a lot, 15 MPG. also, I would advise selling it once out of warranty… VW parts and service pricing is staggering. it’s always surprised me that VW prices its cars low but the maintenance prices are like a Porsche or Ferrari. and VW insists on doing everything in it’s own weird way. for example, the oil filter is a cartridge inside a non-replaceable plastic cover that you have to remove a plastic shield to get at. why? they do provide a good feeling car at a reasonable price new…I don’t think you want to drive it forever like a Century though….
My neighbor across the street had a VW which he was quite happy with (actually his wife’s car), so they traded for a new one recently. But I do know the old one was dripping oil on their garage floor as I saw that when I stopped in to look at the new one. The old one was 13 years old.
I will agree with Matt that if you let the turbo run it will suck down a lot of fuel. I am not sure what mine will do at 3000 RPM’s in sixth though (102 MPH).
One of the things that really bugs me about VW is this almost inescapable choice of either leatherette (vinyl) or leather on their newest offerings…it started out I think in the Jetta, but now the Golf and Passat have the same deal…cloth only offered on one (stripper) model, the rest are vinyl or leather.
I’ve owned nothing but VWs for 33 years, and started out with vinyl seats in my Scirocco…they were OK (pretty typical for the time) but I really prefer cloth seats..I live in the sunbelt and don’t want to have to put seatcovers on to shield my legs from hot seat..guess I have to stick with lower end trim just to get cloth.
OK, someday I’ll have to replace my 14 year old Golf…guess it is too much to ask to get a 4 door hatchback with standard transmission and cloth interior (which is what I have now)…want 4 doors with standard, got to go with a GTI (or maybe a TDI) or else forgo the hatch and get a Jetta. Guess I just have odd taste in cars…it’s too bad when you don’t fit the “norm” in terms of what they offer anymore.
I know cloth doesn’t wear as well as vinyl, but I’m willing to put up with that to avoid scorching my skin. Maybe I just need to move back to a cooler climate?