The first VW that I ever drove was my dad’s VW Golf GTI. It had a bit of a cult following. My dad had a friend that just bought one and was raving to him about it, saying how he loved it more than all his other luxury cars. Naturally my dad followed suit and bought one and he too grew to love it. He loved that it was five doors, that it was fast but not too flashy and small enough to squeeze into the smallest parking lots.
With many European made cars of course, the one major concern is reliability and maintenance costs. My Dad has had the Golf GTI for some 8 years now and it’s proved to be one of the most reliable cars in the family.
My Dad loves his VW Golf GTI so much he now has two VW Golf GTIs. When I asked him why he wanted TWO of the same car when the second one was just a facelift, he answered that he loved the car and just wanted the newest of whatever model they had.
So when VW approached me to do a review on their VW Passat (which is the Audi A4 equivalent), I accepted the offer really positively. After all, I do have a very positive vibe about the brand.
I’m not going to do a review on the specs of the car and all that. I think there is enough literature on that available online as it is. You can click here for one. I’ve driven the Passat for a few weeks now and I’m going to tell you what I think of the car in a very layman point of view.
- It’s a perfect sized car.
It’s not too small such that the back seats are cramped which makes it tough to put a baby chair (which is a key point for young families) and yet it’s not too big so it’s very easy to park.
I also like that it has a lot of boot space to keep your strollers and luggage bags if any.
- It handles speed bumps or rough roads like skiing down a slope.
I was driving on our lovely Malaysian roads when I suddenly see the 8th Wonder in the World. A speed bump with NO marking whatsoever. Only in Malaysia.
I slammed the brakes but it was too late, I was approaching the bump at rocket speed. I hung on to my steering wheel for dear life and braced myself only to find that the car just went over it like I just rolled over a swiss roll.
What???
I later did some research online and learned that the VW Passat had a really good suspension. I was impressed. Very impressed at the way it handled that bump.
- It drives like a luxury sedan
The VW Passat handles well around corners and accelerates fast enough to keep you excited.
Being honest about it there is one thing that I’m not a huge fan of though and that is the shape and look of the car. It’s a conservative design so it’s cool if you’re a mid-aged exec and a family man.
They say that sometimes the car you drive says a bit about you. Here’s what I think the Passat says about you:
“You appreciate good cars and you’re not fussed about having an expensive logo on its bonnet. Instead you value functionality and great value for the hard earned money you have”.
By the end of the few weeks of having this car as part of my family, I have accidentally converted two people into potential customers for the Passat. My father and my father-in-law. My father-in-law has seriously been making enquiries about the car now. My father is still in the midst of convincing my mother why he should buy one and why he doesn’t have “too many cars”.
Anyway if you want to arrange for a test drive, go on to the VW website here.
Timothy Tiah – Co-Founder of Colony, Kuala Lumpur Co-Working Space