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A lot of their reputation was ruined by their reliability issues in the late 90's to early 00. Accords and Camrys haven't been known for bad reliability.
This very much so. We've some of many former VW owners from that era saying never again no matter what the price and incentives are.
I like to compare performance stats per Consumer Reports because they're consistent in their testing methods. Here's what I found on their site regarding the Passat and several primary competitors-
Out of 10 mid-size sedans rated for Owner Satisfaction, the Passat landed in 8th place. Actually, it’s a tie for 7th place with the same rating as a Ford Fusion. Only the Chevrolet Malibu and Nissan Altima rated lower. The Subaru Legacy, Mazda6 and Honda Accord round out the top three.
As far as ratings go, mid-size sedans range in their overall score from 51-84 (Chrysler 200 only scored a 51). The Passat manages a sold mid-pack score of 76.
The reasons you mentioned (long-term reliability and maintenance/repair costs later) are definitely factors. The Passat, like the excellent Mazda6, simply isn’t on the radar of most buyers. Most people think Accord, Camry or Fusion and not much beyond.
The 1.8T is a little on the weak side for this size/class of car. The Mazda6 and Accord both get 2-3mpg better fuel economy than the Passat 1.8T. Acceleration is also quicker 0-60 and passing from 45-65 by a full second in the Mazda6 and Accord. The Camry has almost identical performance to the Passat in terms of acceleration and fuel economy. The Passat 1.8T beats the Ford Fusion’s 1.5L EcoBoost in both acceleration and fuel economy by quite a bit.
Most Vw's seem to be lacking in the sales area. Hell a car guy myself, our jetta was actually the last thing to come to my mind when we were looking for car. I decided last minute lets go look at the Jettas. Best car we found.
It really has to do with advertising. I see ten times more toyota and Honda commercials than I do VW.Hell to think of it,I cant even thing of a jetta or passat commercial.
VW's new passat r line model has all the styling cue's right for a more sporty sedan but my only hesitancy in buying one would be the longevity of the motor and transmission. I owned a golf tdi for a while and it was trouble free but I'm still somewhat weary of vw's long term reliability.
German cars are not known for having the reliability of a Toyota or Honda! Plus repair costs for German cars are EXPENSIVE!
THIS!
Also keep in mind that for the best results in terms of car maintenance your best bet when owning a german car is to goto a german car specialist in your area....problem is alot of places dont have a specialist....DIY is damn near impossible on most of todays volkswagens outside of oil changes.....VW has a bad habit of overengineering their cars and giving it all sorts of bells and whistles yet things like long term reliability of the engine and drivetrain is nothing short of a money pit. Subaru and Mitsubishi isnt all that popular either but they have niche markets and their cars have solid reliability. something VW doesnt seem to have these days.
I notice the VW brand is most popular on the east coast and parts of the west coast and florida.....in the midwest youll see a few in the major cities but you mainly see golfs jettas and beetles. the midwest and throughout the south you mainly see american or japanese vehicles....plus ford as well as hyundai and kia have improved drastically, theyre more affordable and accessible and getting parts for a ford especially is easy. Auto parts stores and junkyards always have ford stuff. VW not so much.....In fact I wasnt even thinking of owning a VW until I moved to the DC area from Missouri and saw so many VW cars everywhere. Prior to moving I was thinking of mainly the ford focus nissan altima or a subaru as my new car purchase. I ended up with a 2010 Passat after seeing a CC at a carmax. I LOVED that car and still kinda do until the engine went out due to a timing chain tensioner failing (it was cheaper to get a loan to pay for the repair than get a new car....i had only a limited warranty that had long ran out)....and I found out firsthand simple things like brake jobs and changing tires were a bigger hassle than they needed to be. I kept thinking I wouldnt have had these probs with a ford focus (my previous car was a 07 focus. Kept up that car and saved money through a lot of DIY work).
plus the new passats are ugly.....the 2016 model is better looking than the 2012-2015 models but still...
I know that has not been an active thread in little while, but I picked a 2015 Passat last week. My wife drives a Sportwagan and it's a good little car. I think the 1.8 does just fine and I really like how the car drives. I was able to find one that had decent miles on it, recent and that had been a lease.
As for the look of it. I like it. I like the simple design inside and out and that it doesn't look like its peers. No, even without the scandal, VW won't be taking on the big guys, but I think their bigger problem is not the PR, but that they will need to make up revenue from diesel cars that they can't sell.
You have people who will without question simply go to Toyota or Honda. They won't consider American and European isn't on the radar. You have folks that will lean towards American automakers and some that consider Toyota, Honda, Chevy, Ford and maybe now Korean, possibly Subaru or Mazda.
VW is in an odd spot. It's the only European brand that competes in this segment and has been pricey in many cars.
The current Passat sold here was made for Americans. It will be interesting to see how it does long term. I like having this alternative as I like how VW cars drive.
Passats are marketed as premium sedans and competes with cars like Lexus IS, Mercedes C class, BMW 3 series, Infiniti but why would anyone pay $40k+ for a moderately loaded VW Passat when they can spring for an entry Audi or BMW?
VW short of competed with it's own sister brand Audi, however some know that Audis are really just VW underneath the skin.
So why would I buy an Audi A4 over a Passat 4motion sedan.
We had a 2009 Passat Wagon. My wife loved it. Peppy with the turbo. Got 40 MPG on the highway.
With a 3 year, 36.000 mile warranty. Then, one day at 36,100 miles, it died and was towed to the dealer. Turns out it as a $1300 fuel injector on one of the 4 cylinders, which the dealer fixed for free as a good will measure.
But with 3 injectors left to go bad, I said "no thanks" and we traded the thing in.
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