2012 Passat tdi. Any reason not to get one?

rgramjet · March 04, 2012, 03:18:28 PM

My wife has been looking at the Hyundai Sonata and the Kia Optima. We went to a vw dealer yesterday and really liked the tdi passat. Anyone have any insight?

ducatiz · March 04, 2012, 03:28:32 PM

some reported issues with fuel pumps exploding and engines grenading as a result but that's very few. tdiforum has the dope. the new CR engine is supposed to be very good and can handle B20 in anecdotal testing. VW says no more than B10 but that's likely overconservative.

rgramjet · March 04, 2012, 03:32:08 PM

Cool, I'll check out tdiforum. I loved roasting the tires at 1/2 throttle during the test drive. Not what I expected! What's the purpose of urea injection?

swampduc · March 04, 2012, 03:36:23 PM

Quote from: rgramjet on March 04, 2012, 03:32:08 PM
Cool, I'll check out tdiforum. I loved roasting the tires at 1/2 throttle during the test drive. Not what I expected! What's the purpose of urea injection?

Reduces particulate in the exhaust. When the fluid runs out, the car goes into a reduced speed mode. At least it says it does in my f250's manual. So you refill fluid at regular services. Adds about $50 to the cost of a service on my truck.

lethe · March 04, 2012, 03:39:56 PM

93k on my 2011 Golf TDI and so far so good.
My engine is slightly different in that mine has a particulate filter rather than doing the urea thing.
Been rock solid so far.

ducatiz · March 04, 2012, 03:41:16 PM

Quote from: rgramjet on March 04, 2012, 03:32:08 PM
Cool, I'll check out tdiforum. I loved roasting the tires at 1/2 throttle during the test drive. Not what I expected! What's the purpose of urea injection?

it eliminates oxides of nitrogen and almost all CO. the downside is the tank has to be refilled every 5k to 10k miles. upsides is it is cheap and will only get cheaper.

sugarcrook · March 04, 2012, 03:51:10 PM

Consumer Reports tested the SE5 version and didn't recommend it. Complained about lackluster interior and poor cornering grip. The recommended cars in the family sedan category are: Camry, Altima, Accord, Sonata, Legacy, Optima, Fusion and Mazda6.

ducatiz · March 04, 2012, 03:54:04 PM

Quote from: sugarcrook on March 04, 2012, 03:51:10 PM
Consumer Reports tested the SE5 version and didn't recommend it. Complained about lackluster interior and poor cornering grip. The recommended cars in the family sedan category are: Camry, Altima, Accord, Sonata, Legacy, Optima, Fusion and Mazda6.

..and of course the diesel performance for those cars is what?

VW interiors are VW. Cornering can be improved by adding the Biltstein B12 kit, and you still get the joy of having about 3x the torque of everything else in the class.

rgramjet · March 04, 2012, 03:56:05 PM

Isn't it 2012, motor trend, Car of the Year?

sugarcrook · March 04, 2012, 04:15:04 PM

I believe it was the MT's COTY. Simply relaying the info as I just picked up the Consumer Reports car issue. It doesn't look like they reviewed many, if any, diesels.

The GTI was on my list before I picked the A3. The GTI lost out largely because of the interior, something I believe VW has been getting stingy with.

rgramjet · March 04, 2012, 04:35:35 PM

The Sonata and Optima are loaded with bells and whistles. The turbo versions acceleration was surprisingly nice, albeit with a premium fueled requirement. Paddle shifters, really?

The vws interior is straightforward, understated and nice.

Howie · March 04, 2012, 04:38:36 PM

Some of the VWs are coming out of the factory with Kumho tires that are, well, not to good in the handling department. From my experience, sometimes Consumer's Reports ideas of good handling leave a lot to be desired.

Not the diesel, but:
http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests/sedans/1112_2012_hyundai_sonata_gls_2012_toyota_camry_le_and_2012_volkswagen_passat_se_family_court/2nd_and_1st_place.html

herm · March 04, 2012, 04:47:33 PM

if VW makes the interior nice, whose going to buy the Audi's?

Le Pirate · March 04, 2012, 05:12:00 PM

we've looked at them a couple times. My wife keeps talking about a slightly bigger car, and the Passat would fit the bill. As much as I like VWs, it's a pretty bland car...but it seems like they're bland-ing down all their cars now days. The car does drive nice. Not a sports car, but it's nice...with a lower case n.

rgramjet · March 04, 2012, 05:46:24 PM

Ill take the "papas sin sal" in exchange for 40+ Hwy mpg!

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2012 Passat tdi. Any reason not to get one?