http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do...ticleId=106641

Better torque band than the G35 and same horsepower rating. However, with 4Motion, it weighs around 3800lbs. It’s got a wonderful beefed up version of the engine Volkswagen used in their R32 Golf. Except this one’s 3.6L vs. 3.2L used in the R32. And according to the review, it has an aggressive exhaust note to boot. The interior appears top notch and the car looks classy overall. I like the sport package too – lowered 15mm, revised struts/springs, 18” wheels,etc. With sport package, wheel package, and bi-xenon headlamps, invoice is $33,392. A similarly equipped G35 invoice price is $31,500, so they are close. The fuel economy w/AWD is rated at 18/27 MPG which is better than the G35X. Rear leg room is 37+ inches which is a plus if you have a family to cart around.

Without driving one, it’s hard to comment, but I doubt it will handle as well as the G35. The Passat is clearly the more practical choice, but not too shabby. If you are looking for another AWD alternative and don’t want to mess with high horsepower FWD options, this is worth checking out.

 

Fit & finish looks pretty classy
Much more upscale than my old '98 passat

 

The VR6 is one of my all-time favorite engines, especially the 24V version as this one is. It's an ingenious engine from many perspectives, all intake ports on one side, all exhaust on the other. 2 cams total to control all 4 'rows' of valves; variable intake runner length, variable intake and exhaust timing, and yes, a fantastic note from the exhaust.

The VW interior has traditionally been WAY more impressive to me than the Nissan / Infiniti interior and honestly my 2001 V6 Passat was a much more luxurious car inside than the G. My 2003 6MT VR6 GTI mixed the luxury interior with a very sporty, fun feel in a small package. However the GTI was a lemon and now, as is the case with lemons, I have a bitter taste in my mouth for VW. This is the first model year for the new passat and the new 3.6L VR6 and based on both those facts I'd avoid it. VW is still trying to recover from some fairly major quality issues over the past 2-3 years.

...And I'm not sure how I feel about the new looks, but I'm sure they'd grow on me. Fortunately I have a year left on my lease and I'm glad that the newer VR6 has been released.

...Unfortunately there are no plans for a manual transmission for this car / engine combo.

 

I saw the commercial for this car last night - looks a lot like the G from far away (similar trim and styling). Has good power, 4Motion, and VW *says* they have worked out the bugs they had in the last gen Passat/Jetta/GTI. I will wait and see, though.

My car before the coupe, as some of you know, was a 2002 Jetta 1.8T that I had to use the lemon law on. I was given a 2003 GTI VR6 in exchange for the original, and had to lemon that one as well. Before those two cars I had a string of 4 VWs, and was a big VW fan - but I am beyond sour after the hassle I had with the cars and them. It will definitely be interesting to see if they can bounce back on the quality front.

 

heh picus you sound like me. The GTI was my 4th VW in as many years - We still have one of them, my wife's Jetta.

the thought of VW ignition coils still makes me shudder. I had ignition coil problems (who didn't) tranny problems, engine mount problems, window reg problems, stereo problems, trim pieces falling off, brake issues, all sorts of stuff. Was a painful year.

 

I think our cars were twins seperated at birth. Then again, I don't know many people that didn't have those problems with their 2000-2004 jetta/gti/passats. When I finally lemon'd the first car I parked it on the VW lot and refused to move it (Childish, I know), but I had just come back from Tahoe in January, and both my front windows fell into the door at 7,000 feet in a snow storm. It made for a fun drive home.

 

I've heard the same problems from other VW owners. My dad loves his Beetle, but did not recommend a VW as a daily driver. It's a shame too. I like Vdubs but I don't totally trust them.

 

i dun really buy the look of it..
maybe a beat too mature?

just my opinion tho..

 

wo VW with so many problems. My first car was a 93 VW Fox, kept for five yrs with no problems and then traded. Purely basic 1.8 93HP engine and power nothing not even steering, I loved the heck out that car. Guess things changed over the years for quality huh.

 

My '98 Passat was the same.
No problems at all... maybe just luck of the draw

 

I think this is going to be a very nice car. I test drove the smaller engine version briefly. But I wanted the 3.6, because that is the only model that is going to be available with all the upscale options. The 3.6, apparently, is on a moving production schedule, and actually moved 6 weeks in two days when I was shopping. So I ditched the idea. But the features on this car are pretty amazing for the price. Steerable HID's, push button emergency brake, etc.

As far as VW reliability, I'm guessing they have improved. But who knows....

 

Not bad, but it did say that a fully optioned 3.6 gets up to $40k. That's still not bad since a fully loaded G35 can get to the high $30's. I don't care for the looks, though. It looks okay but not very aggressive. I could easily mistake it for a Camry or Accord. The interior does look nice. I would still prefer the G35 but it's good to have other options and real competition.

 

Nope - I had a 98 Passat too, loved that car - not a single problem for the 4 years I owned it. It was the generation that started in 2000 that was the problem gen for VW. My friend actually still has a 96 Jetta that has something like 265k on it and it runs great. The late 90's VW's were rock solid, which is why it was so sad to see their quality take a giant dump in the early 2000's.

 

VW Corrado VR6

bring it back

bring it back, i say!

 

I've always like VW interiors but have yet to see one since the Corrado that the exterior got me excited about.