Our Cars: Volkswagen Passat Sport – Weeks 8-11
Our Passat switches drivers, demographics, still charms
By Imthishan Giado
17th Jan – 17th Feb 2013 – Week 6-7 report here / final reports weeks 12-13 here
Wondering who the smiling man in the picture is? No, it’s not a shortened version of Shahzad and it’s not me either – it is in fact my Dad who has been the trusty custodian of the Passat for the past month while we’ve both been busy with other cars.
Dad doesn’t have the world’s longest commute – he does a short 15km stretch everyday from our house in Mirdif to his office in Bur Dubai with the occasional jaunt to Abu Dhabi thrown in – but he is a very interesting person to give this car to for other reasons.
First, he’s looking for a new car to replace our recently-departed Aurion so a big saloon should be right up his street. Second, he’s exactly the sort of customer that VW is trying to convert with the Passat. His last Volkswagen was a 1952 Beetle which wasn’t exactly a paragon of reliability and ever since then, he’s hated the brand with a passion, considering VWs expensive to buy run and poor when it comes time to sell.
So could the Passat win him over? Slowly but surely, it did and his notes are full of praise for the sort of Teutonic efficiency that left Shahzad cold. He singles the powertrain as particularly worthy of praise.
“The engine is so smooth and gearchanges are invisible – that’s exactly what I want,” he says. “Fuel economy is also excellent – much better than my Aurion.
“The interior is absolutely stunning! So comfortable and so many clever touches, like the great radio that’s easy to operate, or the indicator that gives three flashes for one touch. There’s so much legroom as well and an enormous boot – good for all those long trips!” he adds.
“On the road, you feel so safe because outward visibility is so good – and the slightly heavy steering actually gives me confidence. This is a car that hugs the road – bumps do not trouble it but on the highway it feels solidly planted and I feel totally comfortable travelling long distances in it. If only it had parking sensors or a camera – it’s such a big car that parking is a real pain sometimes. Otherwise, it’s totally changed my opinion of Volkswagens,” he concludes.
How much did my Dad like it? Well he’s now shopping for Touaregs and Tiguans, if that’s any indicator. I also got some time behind the wheel myself when I was occasionally able to prise the keys away from his fingers. Driving it back to back with the Honda Accord, I was surprised how much heavier the Passat’s steering is – a sports car this is not.
And I know that this is a VW thing, but fumbling behind the wheel to locate the tiny cruise control toggle while travelling at 120kph is never fun.
Mind you, I had plenty of other distractions. For instance, the fact that our navigation system is in Arabic. Yes, you can input destinations in English but that doesn’t help if you don’t know where you are!
The Fender-branded sound system has to rank up with the very best ICE systems I’ve ever heard with a thick full sound that saturates the cabin nicely and great quick response from the speakers. Reproduction from CDs isn’t the most accurate but this system works exceptionally well with the harsh tones of Bluetooth audio. Give it a try, you won’t believe your MP3s sound so good!
One final complaint. There’s no way to use the dual-zone climate control without enabling the automatic recirculate function as well – switch it to manual and the system switches off. Unfortunately, while the VW system is no doubt excellent as picking up pollution, it isn’t so good as picking up smells. Passing through some of our more ‘fragrant’ neighbourhoods, I’m often ten seconds too late to stab the button and well…you can guess the rest.
Next week, Shahzad gets his Passat back and normal service is resumed. If my father hasn’t bought a Phaeton by then, that is.
