A true motrway mile cruncher
Nothing.
This is a stunning car which is built to a very high standard.
The comfort level of this car is much higher than the audi A4.
The road holding is spectacular.
The V5 engine is economical, but powerful.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 8th April, 2004
The best large estate car on the road?
Flat battery. The main dealer astonishingly did not seem to know what the correct replacement battery should be. The one they initially tried to install would not fit in the battery bay.
There's a multi disc CD player nicely tucked away behind a panel in the boot, but it can sometimes be reluctant to play some discs for no apparent reason, although it seems worse in the winter - a moisture/condensation problem I suspect.
Otherwise no problems, and everything still works as new!
I was amazed at how quick this car is, given that it is a large, presumably quite heavy car and only has a 1.8 litre engine. I expected it to be a little sluggish - not a bit of it! The turbo helps of course.
This car makes an excellent motorway cruiser, with a roomy if a little dull cabin, comfortable and well equipped with an excellent air con system.
It will still power away long after you have broken the speed limit, and the all-round disc brakes will stop you in a hurry if you need to.
The car does tend to wallow a little on twisty roads, and the suspension could be a little firmer given that the car is after all a "sports" model, but it goes where you point it and doesn't flinch.
It feels safe and solid too, the large doors with their high sills offering a hefty "clunk" rather than the usual tinny rattle when closed.
The load space on this estate car is enormous even before folding the split rear seats down; the roller blind style load cover and twin load area 12v power sockets are nice touches.
Under the luggage area You get a "proper" alloy spare wheel too, not one of those thin use-once "get me home" jobs.
This car spent the first three years of it's life as a rep's car, but absolutely everything still works and works like new. I've had this car for nearly a year now and I love it to bits - not the cheapest to run, but the best car I have ever owned, and by some considerable distance.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 2nd March, 2004
Excellent design let down by poor build quality
Air Mass sensor fault at 56000 miles.
Passenger door lock failed at 58000 miles causing door to jam shut.
The Passat has superb performance and reasonable economy. Acceleration is brisk and the car cruises well on motorways.
The ride quality is very good although I would prefer slightly firmer damping (my car does not have sports suspension despite being a sport model)
The perceived build quality is quite high, the doors feel heavy and make a solid clunk and the interior is well finished although rather gloomy in black.
The car has been let down by problems you would not expect from a "quality" German car. The air mass sensor is clearly a design fault as 3 of my friends with late 90's VWs have had identical problems with their cars.
The door lock fault is apparently quite common according to a friend who works at a dealer. First the door was difficult to close and required several slams and then one day it decided to not open at all.
These faults and dealer's attitudes has left me seriously disillusioned with the marque to which I have been loyal to for 12 years.
It appears that VW have become a victim of their own success and risk losing many of their loyal customers.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 14th January, 2004
8th Jan 2011, 16:51
Love the VR5 Passat. Have had my 1999 VR5 for 5 years; has been totally reliable, only needed a few suspension links and a battery. Fantastic build quality, still feels tight, which I think is brilliant for a car that's nearly 12 years old and 110k behind it. V5 engine sounds great, and is silky smooth. Luxury motoring for not much money.. Best car I've had. Love it.