The Passat came out initially as this really homely car but now with the updated grille and fascia, LED headlights and nicer wheels on upper trims, it’s one of the better looking midsize/full-size sedans out there IMO.
Also straddles that fine line between aspirational and ostentatious quite well. Reminds me of a contractor I knew who did high 5, low 6 figure renovations. His brand new F150 was easily triple the value of his used 5 series but people would apparently think he was ripping them off if he showed up in his BMW while never batting an eye at the truck.
PS: There’s an extra $1,000 rebate this week or something like that.
I do REALLY like the new Passat designs, the GT especially. I just happened to see one on the floor when going to look at the Tiguan. They’ve finally made them look just cool enough, and you can finally get a Passat with tech AND a decent design instead of one or the other.
Passat has always had terrible residual but generally lease pretty good. Also that new VW warranty takes away a lot of anxiety because any VW WILL need to go in for at least one or two major things a year for TSBs/Recalls. I have extensive experience with VW as a brand and it’s generally not all that great when something inevitably breaks. Things like loaner cars, etc totally depend on the dealer.
Just one problem with the Passat by my calculation: Wouldn’t the Q50 be better in almost every way for around the same or just a little more monthly? Seems like a Passat GT is around $300/mo. The only thing I can think of that the Passat would have over a Q50 would be the infotainment and possibly warranty?
BMW has kind of spoiled me for FWD cars. That was another thing I didn’t care for in the X1. I’m at the point where I’m hesitant to buy anything that isn’t RWD or AWD. Which is silly for the kind of driving I do these days but as you say silly to have a BMW that is FWD.
The 3GT is now kind of in between model years. 2018 production is done and there is going to be 2019 run but so far no official word whether they will come to the US. I’d be very surprised if they didn’t but you never know. I only see six cars left in So. Cal. Perhaps not a surprise that most of them appear to be at dealers not known for the best prices. I don’t think you’ll score a killer deal on a new one. You’d need a demo/loaner for that. And you’d have to beat them up on prices to make it work. Kind of unicorn hunting at this point. You’d have to wait to see if one is just stuck somewhere and snap it up when the 2019’s arrive.
I’m not a fan of poorly thought out dual screen infotainment setups and by all accounts that’s exactly what’s inside a Q50.
The other thing is, for most cars but especially for German cars, your best bet for reliability is towards the end of the model run. That’s when most of the issues are likely to have been worked out. That’s one of the main reasons I would look at the 2018 Passat rather than the all-new 2019 Jetta
Definitely agree on that last point. They also seem to only make the cool versions in the last year or two of production. Remember the W8 Passat? I think that was last time they actually redesigned it!
I lived with the Q50 for a few days and I just left the screens off. Really the bottom one is mainly only used to adjust the settings anyway. There’s physical buttons for enough things that it doesn’t matter if they’re on or not, and the radio info will display in the instrument cluster. I’m actually starting to prefer cars with small or no info screens at all so they don’t feel outdated in like a year.
The Passat has a way better info setup no doubt, but I’m not sure the Passat would be able to touch how comfortable Q50s ride is, or how nice the interior is, or how much better the overall dealer experience would be. I should probably drive one I guess.
I have owned a Stelvio TI sport for 3 months now, no issues so far. Best looking SUV out there in my opinion and probably the best handling. Pretty fast as well (0-60 in 5.4 seconds). This is my first Alfa Romeo, I was concerned about the FCA reputation so I leased it for two years. Sticker was a tad over 52k and got it for $0 down and $0 drive offs and $499 month including tax at Costa Mesa Alfa Romeo. The base model stickers around 45k, that can easily be had for under $400/month. The base model has a good amount of features. Would highly recommend.
Every time I get to thinking of giving Alpha a chance I see something to change my mind. Today it was when I was driving and saw some smoke coming from the oncoming traffic. As I got closer I realized it was an Alpha Giulia, and then, right at the moment I was passing by, as if some sort of sign from the gods, FLAMES start shooting out from under the hood. I shit you not.
I did drive the Stelvio briefly and it really impressed. It drives almost like a sports car, it’s that good. Really unique and good looking vehicle as well. $499 is just too much for me to swallow though. I really wish I could rent one for a few days at a reasonable price, but there’s only a handful of Giulias on Turo, no Stelvios. I might just rent a Giulia to get a feel for the brand and build quality.
I can only imagine the Giulia forums being filled with topics like “Do you carry your fire extinguisher in the front or back” and “what’s your favorite loaner car?”
Ok so I’m renting a Jeep GC limited now and completely agree. These seats just aren’t comfortable. Don’t know what it is, but the base fabric seats feel way more comfortable or they changed the seats in '17.
Glad you agree finally I knew I wasn’t crazy that it was bad, especially for a car close to 50K. Perhaps the summit is better but no way I’m spending another 10K for it.
I knew I wasn’t crazy that it was bad, especially for a car close to 50K. Perhaps the summit is better but no way I’m spending another 10K for it.