German Car Forum

1. VW Passat 2.0 TDI Sportline 516/650 points



2. Mercedes C 220 CDI Classic 492/650 points

Source: AM&S

Well that result was to be expected. The C-Class is a little old bearded man now!

M

Passat is a good car and has a price advantage over Audi/BMw/MB

I didn't really expect it and I'm rather pleased with the results. However, when I tried the Passat 2.0FSI, I felt that interior noise was rather loud. It also didn't feel really confident on the road, although marks must be given to its interior finish & exterior as well. Overall I would have expected the C-Class to win, barring any price concerns.

This may prove on how f***ing good the new VW Passat really is! Ford Mondeo and Vauxhall Vectra watch out!

But then the Mercedes C-Class is already an aging design. I can't wait to see the W204.

Kudos to VW for making a fine car. I drove a new Passat with the 2.0 Turbo FSI engine and I really liked. Much more fun to drive than the previous model.

The Achilles heel of the new Passat is the quality of the plastics and interior materials in general. Worse than the previous model IMO.

Apart from that it's an excellent car.

As far the interior quality is concern. I dion't notice any change. Both old model and new one are very well crafted. The Passat has the best interior in its class IMO. Followed closely by the Vectra, Mondeo and Renault Laguna.

The most signifcant change I noticed, is the steering feel. The old model was way too overlight. It wasn't an appaling car to drive though. Just not very well suited for agressive driving. The new one feels much sportier.

Can anyone tell me why its taken MB so long to make replacemants for theyre lineup. They let all theyre cars age too much.

well it came it 2000 i guess... and now its 06.. 6 years is normal for all MB cars besides the SL.. they come along every 10th

I agree that the Passat's weakest point is the interior. Exterior styling is subjective (it looks good from some angles, not so good from others, IMHO), but the interior isn't.

Sure, the Passat is based on the Golf platform, but did they need to make it obvious from the inside, as well? The steering wheel is exactly the same. Of all the things that are literally "in your face", surely they could have made it different? The radios are the same. The instrumentation looks pretty similar. At least the dash is different, though of the pretty much the same style. The plastics also don't feel so high quality as I might have hoped.

It's a brilliant value car, and ignoring the price, a good one by its own merit, but I'm just not sure what it beat the C-class on. Congratulations, anyhow.

I have the feeling that the plastics of the Passat are inferior to the ones of the Golf. Not only that but they look almost identical to the ones Polo uses!

You all know that i love VW but this time cost reduction has gone too far in the materials. Perhaps the other cars in the segment don't have better ones but this is VW we are talking about.

The Passat has a bigger engine (170 hp), faster to 100km/h and faster from 80-120km/h in highest gear, the brake distance is shorter and drink less fuel and 3000 euro cheaper than the Benz. The Passat also has better steering-feeling.

Its a good package that the Benz cant match so I understand why the Passat won this comparison.

I have driven the new Passat (2.0 FSI) and seriously it's a great car to drive. It posses a threat even for A4. So apart from the interior issues the rest of the car is really great.

Thanks for the info, JM. I couldn't make heads or tails of that German link, not to mention it's only a summary (I think). I'm surprised they said it has better steering feel than the MB. Reviews here say the Passat is pretty good, but not quite as much steering feel as they'd like. I guess MB must be worse than I thought, then, even facelifted.

Yeah, you do get a lot for your money. I hope VW's 170PS TDI engine will soon make it to Australia. I'd be keen to get that in a Passat. The 2.0TFSI is also a good choice, though coupled with a conventional 6-speed auto and not the DSG. Smoother, but less efficient.

As for plastics, I still think they're a bit better than the Golf's. The seat upholstery was also nicer, though we don't get fabric options. There's the standard fabric, and then there's the optional leather. It's passable, for the money.