2002 Volkswagen Passat Pros and Cons at TrueDelta: Owner Pros and Cons by MynextCar

Safety & braking

I made several aggressive stops during the test drive. The results were short stops, no fade or grabbing to either side.

Price or payments

This car was three years old. It was near the cutoff mileage where VW's CPO would not cover the car. And it was priced to sell at 3K less than similar cars on the lot. If it had not sold that week it would have been sent to auction.

Discounts & incentives

CPO warranty applied to this car for two years more years.

Handling

I made several aggressive maneuvers during the test drive. The car was shod average tires but it had predictable tracking and minimal body lean.

Front seat support & comfort

It was roomy for me (6 foot plus and 300lbs) and the seat adjusted to over a wide range. The seat and tiller adjusts so everyone in the family has a good position from which to control the car.

Dealer practices

During negotiations the dealer had to be constantly reminded of previous agreed figures. I took it as attempt to wear me down on the price. I overheard another salesman make the proclamations that the car was "worn-out" and was going to auction at the e

Cargo capacity

Small trunk and the rear seat does not fold completely flat. You have to use a jumper cable to remove the passenger seat.

Powertrain performance

Hesitation on take-off, it seems it is a transmission characteristic if you can believe CR. The Turbo is nice one it bites but it takes longer to spin up compared to other compact Turbo cars I have owned. There is also a lag when using Tiptronic.