2012 Volkswagen Passat Pros and Cons at TrueDelta: Owner Pros and Cons by goingquantum

Fuel economy

Great gas mileage...I commute about 45 miles a day for work (all highway) and I average about 33 mpg. Plus, the car does not require premium fuel, which is an added bonus.

Front seat room

Tons of room while driving. I am 6'4" and have plenty of leg and headroom.

Exterior styling

Nice looking car for the price. Not exactly flashy, but has nice body lines that give it a refined look and feel. Metallic paint looks nice as long as it is taken care of.

Handling

Steering is responsive and not too loose. I prefer it over the "lightweight" feeling that many of the newer power-assisted and steer-by-wire systems.

Cargo capacity

Tons of trunk space. Much bigger than expected for a car of this size.

Powertrain performance

The engine is nothing special really. The car is quite heavy and 170hp leaves you wanting a bit more. However, the gas mileage is a pretty fair tradeoff. Additionally, sport mode makes the drive a bit more enjoyable.

Tires

The stock Hankooks that came on the car are great in the warm weather (both dry and wet), however they are AWFUL in the snow. Had a few close calls during the winter because of complete loss of control at low speeds. Initially I thought that the tires were worn, but upon inspection they all had plenty of tread left.

Audio & nav systems

No nav on this car...but the bluetooth audio system and speakers are not great. The speakers seem to often miss the higher pitch sounds in songs and the overall quality is just OK. The bluetooth connectivity is intermittent and the on-screen display from a connected bluetooth device (current song playing etc) doesn't work unless the device is connected right when the car starts.

Interior styling

Interior looks average. The seats are pretty comfortable and the leather is good quality but overall it is pretty plain inside. The Audi-esque red lights across the dash are nice to look at when it's dark out.

Safety & braking

The brakes are so-so. Hard to tell if the pads are worn down from use (I bought the car CPO with 29k miles) but they have held up decently.

Overall, this is a nice looking, affordable, fuel efficient car that makes commuting to work comfortable and enjoyable.