OB vs. Passat Wagon

[alohaboy]

So has anyone that was in the market for a new OB checked out the VW Passat Wagon? I've seen the OB vs. Tiguan threads, but completely forgotten about the Passat wagon until I was looking at some online list of the "best" wagons. I compared it to the OB and it is pretty darn similar except that it doesn't have AWD (VW's 4Motion) and it has 10 cu.ft. less total cargo space.
So, anyone test driven one?

[Bikerjohn]

Test drove the Passat wagon. Has a serious problem with "boom". A "boom" is when the roof vibrates and causes a sound that is like a subwoofer to be constantly on in the car at the same tone. It drove me nuts. I really wanted to like the car, but that just did it in.

The Jetta SportWagon has no boom. I drove both the version with the panoramic sunroof and without. The one without had a slight boom, but the sunroof one had no boom.

[alohaboy]

Hmmm, I'll have to keep any ear out for that.
I had a '99 Golf which was a blast to drive, but I had problems with the window regulators and had to get them replaced 4 times. I've heard that VW's reliability is going up though.
I'm keeping my options open to the OB (although it keeps sliding the longer the shaker thing goes on), 4Runner, XTerra, Sorrento and Passat Wagon.

[bikemobile]

Outback vs passat. I might have to beat the dead reliability horse a bit more here.

You're a cop, and you carry a loaded weapon everyday for years unused on duty until that one day that it needs to shoot the first time on target and save your heinie.

Would you rather have a smith and wesson or a glock? (OB vs VW)

I'll take the S&W

Volkswagens are problematic. Im not saying they are all bad or that all subarus are perfect but the differences in reliability and long term quality are vastly different.

Do more research. I own a first year 2005 OB. But I usually dont by first year vehicles. Mine has been great. A friend of mine how has a passat (04 I think) has had so many electrical problems he wishes for a nice write off accident in his near future. It has only left him stranded twice but he has parked it overnight outside in a parking lot with the windows, sunroof open, doors unlocked many times due to electrical gremlins.

Just saying.

[Sario]

Originally Posted by bikemobile

Would you rather have a smith and wesson or a glock? (OB vs VW)

Just saying.

I know it's way off topic, but...
I've had more feed failures firing a smith and Wesson than I have ever had with a Glock. I've always thought that Glock had an excellent reputation for reliability, not that S&W doesn't though.

[suboru]

AK-47 is the one to get. Lol I'm no good in guns but if one compares AWD and RWD shouldn't it be like semi-automatic rifle or automatic rifle or like scoped or laser or like gun or knife and so on Anyway I think it's really hard to tell because the purpose of these two cars are too different. It'll depend on what a buyer wants. Looking at OP's second post I think he/she wants medium sized 4X4/AWD see all the cars considered are AWD/4x4 and high/higher ground clearence except one (passat) which excludes the necessity of comparing. just my little thought

on a second thought all those cars/suv's can be 4X2 too.. so I guess you could compare them (except Subaru has no 4X2 option)

[Knopey]

Originally Posted by alohaboy

So has anyone that was in the market for a new OB checked out the VW Passat Wagon?

Only very briefly - before we worked out what sort of car we wanted.

Once we decided what sort of car we wanted, then it was obvious that one suited our needs and one didn't

Sounds like you need to define your wants and needs, then look again. If you just want a tar car then the Passat is a very nice proposition. If you want a car to deal with gravel/snow/mud/bumps/curbs/potholes/paddocks/etc, then AWD and ground clearance makes more sense.

[rockhopjohn]

The Passat is better compared with Legacy Wagon (which they stopped production on in 2008), since they have similar ground clearances (although the Legacy is still a little higher). I don't have extensive experience with the two, but my brother owns a Passat Wagon thats about the same age as my Outback. Comparing the two, the Passat has not held up as well in a lot of respects. My bro has had a lot of issues with stuff on the interior breaking, and exterior body pieces being more prone to breaking/coming loose.

He has the 1.8l 4-cylinder Passat, and I would say that it is a lot "snappier", and more fun to drive than my car from a power perspective, and it gets considerably better mileage (31-32 MPG highway versus my 25 MPG). The Passat Wagon doesn't have any options engine wise (new Passats come with 2.0l turbo 4-cyl with 200 HP), and the Outback is a couple thousand dollars cheaper when comparably equipped.

So, as always, it comes down to your needs and interests. If you need the extra ground clearance, want to have the best traction for bad weather or off-road driving, or need a good torquey motor for towing/hauling stuff, get the Outback. If you don't particularly need those things, and you want something that has a little snappier handling/performance with mileage comparable to the 2.5l Outback, then the Passat is certainly an option. If you want it all (minus the fuel economy), buy a used Outback XT.

[Skyva]

Here is Oz I was looking for an awd wagon. We get the Legacy wagon 2.5gt auto, and I was comparing it to the R36 Passat wagon. The R36 is nice inside, with really great sports seats, but is a little more cosy. It also has much lower ground clearance, and I didn't like the dsg system, which was either slow to change in normal mode, or held on too long in sport. It ended up being a choice between the Legacy 2.5gt and the outback.
I ended up with the 3.6 outback, mainly as I need the ground clearance and my wife likes SUV's. The Passat is a wagon.
I might have broken the golden rule about not letting your wife influence the type of car you get, but she will end up with it after the lease is over, and my current car is a wrangler with 31" tires, so anything will seem sporty after that.

[jwsmiths]

Originally Posted by alohaboy

So has anyone that was in the market for a new OB checked out the VW Passat Wagon? I've seen the OB vs. Tiguan threads, but completely forgotten about the Passat wagon until I was looking at some online list of the "best" wagons. I compared it to the OB and it is pretty darn similar except that it doesn't have AWD (VW's 4Motion) and it has 10 cu.ft. less total cargo space.
So, anyone test driven one?

Yeah I test drove one very early on in my car buying process, was a nice ride. But lacked a lot of features I had on my "non-negotiable list" so I ruled it out early. No AWD, no dual climate. The Jetta SportWagen was also test driven that day and it too didn't have either of those features, plus the TDI only came with cloth interior and you couldn't get steering wheel mounted controls at the time I did my test drive.

My wife has had a Jetta and presently has an Audi A4 (my sister in law previously had a Passat and now has a Bug) and I have to say that I will never BUY a VW/Audi again - though if my wife were adamant I suppose I would LEASE one for her. They just break so often, usually in quirky ways in our experiences, and are quite expensive.