MY10.5 R36 wagon - impressions after a week of ownership

[kleung]

I picked up my brand new IG MY10.5 R36 wagon last Monday after a very long 5 month wait, and so far I've done about 300kms. I thought I'd share my first impressions of it.

So far, I'm enjoying it immensely. The biggest difference between the R36 and my old car (2004 Accord Euro Luxury), that is instantly noticeable as you pull away, is the power and torque available. I haven't yet fully explored the capabilities of the R36 since it's not yet run in, but already I love the way it pulls, how it sounds. It also has FAR more toys and tech than my old car.

The headlights in my R36 are also a bit yellower in hue than my Euro.

I think the Passat looks a little bit unconventional, but in a good way. It's not the best looking car on the road, but it has its own appeal, and certainly looks purposeful. It really is the ultimate sleeper. Apart from the front grille and the bigger rims, there's not a great deal that visually distinguishes the R36 from the rest of the Passat range, especially if you weren't familiar with the Passat family.

Cool stuff/What I like

• The engine - heaps of power and torque, and it makes a fantastic noise. Can't wait for the engine to be fully run in!
• The DSG gearbox - it's seamless and intuitive. It seems to be in the right gear pretty much all the time, and the shifts are silky smooth.
• The wide variety of settings that are driver configurable through the MFD.
• The MDI and the touchscreen stereo - I have a 4gb flash disk hooked up with a bunch of music on there.
• The seats - comfortable, yet immensely supportive and grippy
• Auto hold - handy for stop/start traffic, and hill starts, given that the DSG gearbox doesn't give as much 'creep' as a conventional slushbox, so you have to be more aware of rollback.
• The puddle lights in the wing mirrors - my garage is fairly dark, so it's handy to have some light available.
• The fixed cornering lights that kick in at under 10km/h, and then fade out. I haven't driven long enough to experience AFS in action yet.
• The variable instrument backlighting - the backlight (including the MFD) varies from nothing to high brightness depending on the prevailing ambient light. For example, on Sunday, I drove out of the sun into a dark underground carpark. I watched the backlight fade from full brightness to nothing over the space of 5-10 seconds.
• The guide lines on the RVC - I'm still finding it easier to use the mirrors, but I can certainly see it behing handy when you have to get into a tight spot.
• The fold-flat rear seats - it makes the cargo space that much more practical. You can even move the cargo partition and mount it right behind the front seats when you have the seats folded down.
• The blue instrument needles - very distinctive, and a constant reminder that you're driving something that's a little bit special.
• The hidden manual door lock and key
• The umbrella holder in the driver's door - what a great idea!
• The cartridge key - cool idea, but I'm kind of surprised that VW didn't go that little bit further and make it a proximity key instead. I know they have the KESSY system overseas - why not make it standard?

What I don't like

• The fuel consumption - currently averaging 12.5l/100km, but I managed to get it down to 10.2l/100km earlier today. Hopefully that will improve as the engine wears in, and I adapt my driving style.
• The cruise control - IMHO, the stalk is poorly designed - having the 'cancel' function halfway between the 'on' and 'off' positions is annoying. Already I've managed to push it too far more than once while trying to cancel cruise, and ended up turning it right off instead. Also, the accel/decel function seems to work in units of 10km/h. Most other cruise controls I've used will adjust the speed by 1-2km/h, which is much more useful.
• The speed warning chime - is too quiet. I can barely hear it over the stereo.
• Limited ability to control audio tracks/stations via the steering wheel - you can only change tracks/stations from the steering wheel when the MFD is displaying the audio info. With the newer style steering wheel fitted to other Passat models, you can change tracks regardless of which MFD screen you are at.
• This is nitpicking a bit, but the interior lights come on immediately at full brightness when you unlock the car or turn off the ignition. It would have been a bit more refined to have them fade in, the same way that they fade out (like they do in my Accord Euro)

I've also come up with some questions that I haven't been able to find answers to yet.

1. Is there a way to enable/disable the dynamic/static bend lighting? The owner's manual refers to using the "Driver Assist" button on the end of the indicator stalk, but this is not fitted to my car, and there is no corresponding "Assistant" menu in the MFD
2. Variable instrument lighting - is there some way to control this? Or force the backlight to always be on or off?
3. What is the 'Conv. mode' menu setting for? The options available are "Off", "All" and "Driver". I can't find any reference to this menu item in the manual. There are settings for how the doors unlock with the key elsewhere, and there are settings for the remote-controlled window up/down function elsewhere too, so I can't work out what it does. Unfortunately I can't post photos to show exactly what it looks like.
4. The "alt speed display" function - is there a way to change the speed units? MPH isn't very useful here in Australia.

[maca]

I can't really offer you any solutions as I don't own a Passat.

But as for the speed warning; I find that when you stay over the speed set, you don't have the hassle of listening out for the chime

[revivor]

Congrats! I was also a moveover from a 2004 Accord Euro Lux. What a big difference it makes.
Fuel consumption will be up and down depending where abouts you drive your car. my last trip I managed 7.89l/100km between city+highway runs. For the life of the car (1mth that is) been avg about 9.67l/100km.
I do track my fuel expenses in my Iphone.

For most of the questions, they are in the manual.

[wandersen]

I can answer one question. The "Conv mode" when turned on will:
- open all or just the driver's window when you hold down the unlock button;
- close all windows and the sunroof when you hold down the lock button.

[Caddyman]

[*]The cruise control - IMHO, the stalk is poorly designed - having the 'cancel' function halfway between the 'on' and 'off' positions is annoying. Already I've managed to push it too far more than once while trying to cancel cruise, and ended up turning it right off instead. Also, the accel/decel function seems to work in units of 10km/h. Most other cruise controls I've used will adjust the speed by 1-2km/h, which is much more useful.[/list]

Pushing the button on the end of the cruise stalk will decrease speed by 1km/h and pulling the stalk towards you will increase speed by 1 Km/h

Matthew

[szikou]

What options did you get Kleung?

[kleung]

But as for the speed warning; I find that when you stay over the speed set, you don't have the hassle of listening out for the chime

Thanks for that. You'll pay my speeding fines and wear my points, then?

I was also a moveover from a 2004 Accord Euro Lux

Ah, another Honda refugee. Honestly, I'm more than happy with the Euro. I just needed a wagon with a bit more power, and Honda had nothing in their range that had the combination of features that I wanted.

For most of the questions, they are in the manual.

I've been through the manual cover to cover. Twice. I haven't been able to find the answers yet.

That's another gripe, actually - given that I've gone for the range-topper, you'd think they would have made the effort to ensure that the supplied owner's manual would contain information specific to it. The biggest example is that there is no mention about the older-style steering wheel fitted to the R36. There are also discrepancies between the lists of functions and options in the MFD in the manual vs what is in my car.

I can answer one question. The "Conv mode" when turned on will...

That's what I thought it did. But I could have sworn there was a separate setting elsewhere in the MFD for that. I'll check it out more closely when I have a moment.

Pushing the button on the end of the cruise stalk will decrease speed by 1km/h and pulling the stalk towards you will increase speed by 1 Km/h

Cool! Thanks for that, this is exactly what I needed. But this is yet another discrepancy in the manual - I read over the CC section three times and didn't spot that - the manual clearly said that using the accel/decel function would increase/decrease the speed by 'small increments'.

What options did you get Kleung?

Just the RVC, and a few dealer accessories (stainless load sill protector, boot tray, tints, brolly for the slot in the driver's door)

Had a sunroof in my old car, but didn't really use it much, so I didn't see the sense in spending $2k+ on it as an option.

A number of the other options would have been nice to have, but not worth the asking price.

The load sill protector isn't sticking properly - the ends are lifting up. Might have to get the dealer to re-stick it.

[szikou]

Cool, post some pics when you get a chance

[revivor]

The manual I have is filled with sections of information till it's so hard to shut the manual and put it into the glovebox compartment - i noticed they added a section on child seats safety for Passats when I went for my 1st service.

[okisub]

The manual I have is filled with sections of information till it's so hard to shut the manual and put it into the glovebox compartment - i noticed they added a section on child seats safety for Passats when I went for my 1st service.

Was the info in the extra child safety section Aus specific or just a general global one? I ask because I can't get an answer from VW aus about when you are allowed to use the built in booster seats in QLD. They just don't reply to emails.