Finally a Car That Wont Die! New Passat

VW introduces new Passat Performance concept car at the DeToilet auto show, with 250hp out of a 1.8 turbo.

http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2013/jan/16/a-lot-of-flash-vw-introduces-passat-performance/

I don't get it, they say it will be one of the most expensive Passat models yet you'll be down on power VS the VR6. Since neither offer a standard it wont have that going for it, so what will it be? Sportier suspension, body kit, but less power?

I'll post this here not to hijack any of the other VW threads but does anyone have experience with the newest beetle or Tiguan?

The VW dealer I got my Passat at is offering huge deals on them and I'm thinking about telling my mother to get one. I just don't know much about either model so any info would be a huge help.

I did see that they have some "retro" versions of the newest Beetle out. A 50's, 60's, and 70's version. They also have a "Fender" edition that is pretty cool. Might be worth a look-see.

we have a set-up whose son works for vw. he highly recommends against the beetle.

my wife's (previous generation) beetle has been generally trouble free, excepting the ignition, which often locks and won't turn without excessive force. the dealership says this is a "feature."

i told her to twist until the key breaks, then call them and have them come pick up their feature.

The last generation Beetle was a POS, I was hoping the redesign fixed some of the issues. And by POS I don't mean how it drives or reliability, just that they took a Golf and milked every bit of practicality out of it. The reason it looks interesting is that the base beetle is decently equipped (heated seats among other features) and they have left overs for cheaper than a base golf.

Any specifics he brought up against the Beetle? Not to turn this into a bash-fest, I'm just really curious as I have been looking at them myself.

she's not mentioned anything more specific than the electrical system. says her son jokes about them being called bug-on-a-hook, since that's how they arrive back at the dealer.

our set-up just upgraded her jetta to a passat, and she's had nothing but good luck with them.

the new new beetle is super-hawt though. my wife's lease is up this year and i imagine she'll get one.

I like the size of the Tiguan. I don't know why they don't move more of them.

Likely the price and need for premium gas for the turbo motor. One of the reviews I watched said it's basically a step inbetween the regular and luxury small SUV market in features and price.

One of my wife's cousins has a Tiguan and said he really enjoys it. For what it's worth he's really into cars. His other vehicle is an M3.

Nice, and it looks like VW is really trying to move them, a local dealer has the base model for 19k.

I travel a lot for work and ended up with one a few weeks ago, very stable car at speed.

I think the current VW lineup is quite nice. From the way they drive to the quality of materials used.

I'm about 2 weeks and 2,000 miles in so time for a quick review:

I love the car, it has a great ride, enough power to get around, and the thing is amazingly stable and sure footed for a big ass mid sized sedan when pushed into a corner. It might be nearly the size of a Dodge Charger but it has less body roll than my old Civic coupe.

For long distance it's great, I did a 10 hour drive and it was no sweat. You just sit back and relax in this thing.

Stereo is good but I could see myself installing component speakers in the future. It uses 6 3/4's and has separate tweeters so if I do want to invest in that there's more than enough to work with.

Power is good but think of it like a Wee Strom.....if you hit the gas in a corner it'll have enough to give you a smile.....if you try to just launch from a stop you'll move but it's not a rush at all. If I do keep this car after the warranty expires it'll be getting an ECU tune which looks to give a 15hp 20 ft-lb boost in the mid range to the wheels :eek1 and it might get an intake sooner since that wont void the warranty. They also have a intake manifold which brings it to roughly 200/200 at the wheels which would be nice for a daily driver ~3,100lb car.

The goal for any modifications is to keep the car as stock looking and sounding as possible and to just give it a little bump in a few areas.

As for trims the base S model is a nice car and has all the features I "need" and cost was a major factor for me. But if you can spend a little more the SE is priced 3,000 dollars higher but the heated seats would be nice, and you get a few more toys like the touch screen radio, alloys, more options with the multi function display in the gauge cluster, and I think it might have heater vents for the rear seats too.

Pretty spot on observations, the motor is absolutely underwhelming for anything outside of cruising speeds, which it does very well.

has it died yet?

It actually went to the shop today.....got an E-mail about a free courtesy check. They took it for 15 min topped it off and washed it.

The 5 speed is key, I wouldn't want the car (or any) with an auto.

Well, I just bought a 2013 Passat TDI with the DSG. This is my first VW and certainly my first diesel.