2000 VW Passat V6 2.8
When I was
looking for a car last year, it was a choice between BMW323i, Audi A4 1.8T,
Volvo S40T and VW Golf V5. My heart went to the Golf after test driving each of
them. The BMW was dropped for its high price. It was not value for money. The
Volvo was decided against for its lack of driver appeal. The Audi was rejected
for its dated appearance. So an order
was placed for a Golf 2.3V5. There was no stock and I had to wait - 4 months!
Then one of
these good days, I visited the showroom again and all were changed. I saw this
Passat in the showroom. It looked good, and big. I asked to see the engine bay.
In front of me was a beautifully crafted piece of engineering with a purpose.
It was put to test and I changed my mind. For a mere US$4000 more than the Golf
V5, I bought this Silver colour Passat V6.
Acquired in Oct
2000, this VW is my 7th. Before this, and since 1980, I had a Beetle 1302, a
Mark I Golf GL, a Mark 2 Golf GTI, a G60 Corrado, a
Passat 2.0 GL, a Mark III Golf GL. The main reason that 7 out of 9 cars I owned
is VW has to do with the reliability of the brand and more importantly their
value for money. This Passat car has won more awards than I care to mention,
the latest being one form Australia.
It is also the best family sedan in the
This Passat is
the most 'luxury' car I have ever owned. It has 6 airbags, Climate control,
Rain-sensor wipers, Cruise control, Leather seats, Walnut wood insets, Remote
Alarm, Tiptronic automatic gearbox, Sunroof, 6 Disc
CD sound system, Metallic paint, Xeon headlight, ABS, ASR, etc
etc etc and Power windows,
mirrors, seats .... Indeed, I sometimes wonder how much energy it uses to drive
all these motors and sensors.
The best thing
about this car is the engine. A 30 valve 2.8 V6 that you also find in a more
expensive Audi A6. The engine is very powerful and extremely smooth. The ride
is very good too and the interior very quiet. This gives me an excuse to listen
to my favourite CD. The sound system is excellent and
it is auto-adjusted as the speed of the car goes up.
Is there anything
I don't like about it? Yes. It is a bit big for my taste and for our kind of
driving conditions. But since the kids
need some legroom at the back (when they say legroom, they mean playroom), I
have little choice.
By the way, just
for information, the other non VW cars I owned was a BMW2002 and a Citroen
2CV6. The Citroen being my favourite. Beyond that, I have
bikes.
For more
information, visit Here
For a history of
all the cars I have had, visit Here