2013 Passat?

[ourlee]

when will the 2013 Passat be available? i'm buying a Passat this spring.
thanks, rick

[Turbonium20V]

Most likely August 2012.

[ourlee]

looks like a 12 for me

[Turbonium20V]

No changes for 2013 for sure, not even the addtion of the wagon. Expect a R line Passat in the future.

[Mbenz260e]

Surely there will be additional options I hope? Lighting changes? I would like backup camera or parking sensors as an option before buying mine. Ventilated seats would be a dream but not happening. Perhaps they will bring the beloved rear air vents back?

[Hoosierdub]

With respect to that last point, why to VW's spec sheets online refer to "back seat ventilation" if they don't have rear vents like the B6?

[Turbonium20V]

With respect to that last point, why to VW's spec sheets online refer to "back seat ventilation" if they don't have rear vents like the B6?

When you roll the back windows down, it provides back seat ventilation. I think there are a/c ducts under the front seats, when you set the a/c or heater to your feet it will blow air to the back seats too.

[tewkewl75]

there are vents below the front seats. you have to have the airflow selected down.

pretty useless unless you're blowing heat or want cold feet.

it's just a lot cheaper to do it this way. another cut corner

[tewkewl75]

Surely there will be additional options I hope? Lighting changes? I would like backup camera or parking sensors as an option before buying mine. Ventilated seats would be a dream but not happening. Perhaps they will bring the beloved rear air vents back?

The only change i would REALLY like to see is soft touch throughout. that soft touch is the single biggest thing they can do to up the perception of luxury. I believe they can do it for less than 500 more than the current car.

[Turbonium20V]

The only change i would REALLY like to see is soft touch throughout. that soft touch is the single biggest thing they can do to up the perception of luxury. I believe they can do it for less than 500 more than the current car.

The dash and part of the door panels are soft touch, plently of soft touch in this car to make the interior feel nice. I think my mk5 GTi had more soft touch though.

[Boosted2003!]

VW has already produced 3 2013 Passat's but they were sent to Europe. There are a few changes.

[Turbonium20V]

VW has already produced 3 2013 Passat's but they were sent to Europe. There are a few changes.

Really? What are those changes?

[Boosted2003!]

Really? What are those changes?

Can't say but they are minor. Nothing to keep someone from buying a 2012. LOL

[tewkewl75]

The dash and part of the door panels are soft touch, plently of soft touch in this car to make the interior feel nice. I think my mk5 GTi had more soft touch though.

well even the hard plastic parts had a rubberized coating in the prior version. thaat is what i'm talking about

[enc0re]

According to the Wall Street Journal:

Inadequate in the smaller Jetta and a cruel joke in the Passat, the 2.5L will be replaced with a small-displacement gas-turbo engine for model-year 2013, and not a second too soon.

[jkurtzs4]

[Turbonium20V]

well even the hard plastic parts had a rubberized coating in the prior version. thaat is what i'm talking about

Yes, that was the same thing that started to peel off in my 2002 GTi! The hard plastic door handles in my car have that soft texture feel to them. The door panels are hard textured plastic in some parts without that rubberized feel.

[Turbonium20V]

1.6L Turbo for sure. That's nice!

[Boosted2003!]

According to the Wall Street Journal:

Nope, not happening!

[rexxmann]

1.6L Turbo for sure. That's nice!

I heard it was gonna be a 1.8T

[rexxmann]

I'll be a little annoyed if they bring the 170hp TDI over next year since I've got a TDI on order. Would have been nice to have the 170hp TDI with significantly better power and identical fuel mileage.

[av_audi]

No changes for 2013 for sure, not even the addtion of the wagon. Expect a R line Passat in the future.

With the 2.5L 5?

[av_audi]

[Deleted duplicate post]

[Turbonium20V]

With the 2.5L 5?

[tewkewl75]

Yes, that was the same thing that started to peel off in my 2002 GTi! The hard plastic door handles in my car have that soft texture feel to them. The door panels are hard textured plastic in some parts without that rubberized feel.

Yes the MKIVs were quite "buggy" with regard to the soft touch peeling off. I have 2 MKVs and the soft touch has not peeled off in 6 years. Pretty good if you ask me. I would like to see that same stuff on the '13. Hopefully they will come to their senses and bring the stuff back. That alone and maybe an optional HID on the SEL would really do a lot to bring the passat back up to it's former glory.

[Hoosierdub]

I would add optional seats to allow for fore-aft tilting of the seat. That seems to be my primary issue with an otherwise wonderful car. When I raised the seat, it seems the back of the seat rises but the front doesn't, leaving me with a slightly pitched forward feeling. I'm not talking about the back of the seat, which of course does adjust. I'll test drive again though, maybe if I spend more time on the adjustment I' can get it nailed. Anyone else with that issue?

Otherwise, I would also add xenons. I'd be happy to pay for these upgrades. I'd also pay to upgrade a TDI 6MT to include a sunroof.

[Imola Yellow GTi]

xenon
blind spot
auto folding side mirrors
auto rear sunshade
4 Motion
rear vents
high res MFD
electronic parking brake (get rid of that handbrake)
more ambient lighting
more 3d navi - like garmin
rvc
parking sensor

[wutbürger]

xenon Optima SX
blind spot
auto folding side mirrors- Kia Optima
auto rear sunshade
4 Motion
rear vents- Kia Optima
high res MFD - Kia Optima if SX model
electronic parking brake (get rid of that handbrake) I prefer the manual method for purposes of rear break changing purposes
more ambient lighting
more 3d navi - like garmin
rvc
parking sensor

Additionally, the Optima (EX premium) has heated rear seats, heated/cooled fronts, keyless entry and start, pano sunroof, driver's seat memory, fog lights, rear-backup camera, etc. Oh, and all of that (on an EX premium that I drove) for $24,000. $26,000 if I want a 270ish hp turbo-charged motor that still nets higher MPG than the Passat.

Point? Not that I will buy the Optima (have done extended drives 3 times with one for a tester and just can't come to like the whole package), however, in the days and age when someone can get similar commodities on compact cars, VW is going to have to make even more value propositions. The Passat is 10x the car the Optima is in my subjective opinion having driven test cars of each on multiple occasions (and for extended periods), however it's hard to convince someone like my wife why we should pay more for the Passat with WAY fewer features, less warranty (albeit Kia's is about as good as VW, aka not much), less power, less MPG, and so on no matter how much better the Passat drives and feels to me.

If VW would simply add keyless entry and start, driver's seat memory (I'm 6'3, wife is 5'3, it's a pain), and fog lights for the 2013 2.5SE model, I'll be trading in my Golf TDI next year. I can handle the 2.5 (it's really not that bad), however more MPG would be welcomed with the 1.8T so long as it isn't at the expense of the reliability (for the most part) that the 2.5 has exhibited

[blSwagger]

The 2.5 is perfectly adequate in the Jetta.

[Turbonium20V]

I think the 2.5 in my previous rabbit was pretty decent and it was the 150 hp version.

[FAMRODS]

Additionally, the Optima (EX premium) has heated rear seats, heated/cooled fronts, keyless entry and start, pano sunroof, driver's seat memory, fog lights, rear-backup camera, etc. Oh, and all of that (on an EX premium that I drove) for $24,000. $26,000 if I want a 270ish hp turbo-charged motor that still nets higher MPG than the Passat.

Point? Not that I will buy the Optima (have done extended drives 3 times with one for a tester and just can't come to like the whole package), however, in the days and age when someone can get similar commodities on compact cars, VW is going to have to make even more value propositions. The Passat is 10x the car the Optima is in my subjective opinion having driven test cars of each on multiple occasions (and for extended periods), however it's hard to convince someone like my wife why we should pay more for the Passat with WAY fewer features, less warranty (albeit Kia's is about as good as VW, aka not much), less power, less MPG, and so on no matter how much better the Passat drives and feels to me.

If VW would simply add keyless entry and start, driver's seat memory (I'm 6'3, wife is 5'3, it's a pain), and fog lights for the 2013 2.5SE model, I'll be trading in my Golf TDI next year. I can handle the 2.5 (it's really not that bad), however more MPG would be welcomed with the 1.8T so long as it isn't at the expense of the reliability (for the most part) that the 2.5 has exhibited

Tell your wife about economy. Its a car build in US. BTW I dont know it KIA or Nissan build the cars in US.

[wutbürger]

Tell your wife about economy. Its a car build in US. BTW I dont know it KIA or Nissan build the cars in US.

2012 Optima is built in West Point, Georgia

Here's an interactive map of all U.S. car plants if you're into that sort of thing:

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2...-plants-4.html (a bit outdated from 2009, but hits on most of them)

[DonCorleone]

I heard that the changes for 2013 will be the replacement of the 2.5 with a 1.8T (no relation to the 90s 1.8T) good for 158hp/185lb-ft in the Euro version.
The new Altima debuts this Fall and I'm pretty sure that its 4 banger will make at least 200hp. The Sonata and Optima already make 200hp in their base configurations. For the Jetta the new 1.8T is fine but for the Passat they either bump it to 200hp or just bring back the 2.0T as the base engine.

[capclassicv2]

Maybe the 1.8T in 2014, but I really doubt they'll change it one year after the model debuted. What ever changes do happen, I think it's going to be really small stuff.

[wutbürger]

I heard that the changes for 2013 will be the replacement of the 2.5 with a 1.8T (no relation to the 90s 1.8T) good for 158hp/185lb-ft in the Euro version.
The new Altima debuts this Fall and I'm pretty sure that its 4 banger will make at least 200hp. The Sonata and Optima already make 200hp in their base configurations. For the Jetta the new 1.8T is fine but for the Passat they either bump it to 200hp or just bring back the 2.0T as the base engine.

I have faith in the Nissan 4 banger given my experience with their motors in the past, however first hand experience with the Sonata/Optima 2.4L tells me that 200hp on paper lends itself to no better performance in the real world over the 2.5 in the Passat.

Most sources point to roughly 8-8.5 seconds 0-60 with the Passat, 8.5-10 seconds for the Optima/Sonata even with the higher HP/torque ratings. Having driven both the Passat and Optima extensively over the past few months, I actually preferred the 5 cylinder (puts on flamesuit) power delivery and drivability over the 2.4 in the Optima- mostly attributable to gearing in my opinion, however I can't verify that. I actually achieved the exact same MPG with the Passat and Optima over a 2 day period with 200 miles of driving despite the Optima's higher rating.

Sadly, I'll have to agree that no matter how great the torque curve will be with the 1.8, I fear that drivabilitiy will be disappointing for the average U.S. mid-size shopper with only 150od hp, not to mention paper shoppers will be quick to dismiss it as well (although sales of the 5 cylinder haven't been horrible).