Passat Wagon MY13 - big enough for family car

[Riker]

As FSI mentioned the V6 sport pack suspension isn't any different to the V6 the reason being the V6's adjustable suspension. Only the 125TDi with Sport pack will have the lowered susp & that is approx lower by 15mm to standard. However, what I have noticed is that all V6 Passats with their adjustable susp sit a little lower than 125Tdi & 118TSi's.

If you read through the forum you will note there is not much mention of guys having trouble with their 125Tdi sport packs having trouble with scraping the ground on speed bumps etc. May happen but there isn't much discussion about it in the forum which suggests it isn't a big concern.

The sport seats are very comfortable in my opinion. I found my favourite seat position quite quickly & overall am comfortable but it was a bit of a challenge getting used to the oddly positioned brake pedal. When I take my daughters booster seat out & have all 4 outside seats ocuppied everyone is comfortable. I reckon they are great seats front & back.

[Mingers13]

As FSI mentioned the V6 sport pack suspension isn't any different to the V6 the reason being the V6's adjustable suspension. Only the 125TDi with Sport pack will have the lowered susp & that is approx lower by 15mm to standard. However, what I have noticed is that all V6 Passats with their adjustable susp sit a little lower than 125Tdi & 118TSi's.

If you read through the forum you will note there is not much mention of guys having trouble with their 125Tdi sport packs having trouble with scraping the ground on speed bumps etc. May happen but there isn't much discussion about it in the forum which suggests it isn't a big concern.

The sport seats are very comfortable in my opinion. I found my favourite seat position quite quickly & overall am comfortable but it was a bit of a challenge getting used to the oddly positioned brake pedal. When I take my daughters booster seat out & have all 4 outside seats ocuppied everyone is comfortable. I reckon they are great seats front & back.

I may order the sports pack and get rid of the panaromic roof cos dont think its worth it

Any other options that are good and worth considering cos they hard to picture some first hand knowledge would be good...

[entice]

Big mistake.
Panoramic roof is magnificent.
Paddled wheel can be added later for minimal cost. I think that's the best part of the sports pack TBH.

[Guest001]

Big mistake.
Panoramic roof is magnificent.
Paddled wheel can be added later for minimal cost. I think that's the best part of the sports pack TBH.

What is so great about a panoramic roof.
Is a bit like having mirrors on bedroom ceiling LOL

The last car I had with a glass roof was a PITA as when sun was behind me it always reflected in my glasses through the roof.

Had to put black tint in it which sort of defeats the purpose I guess. Would never have another one Just look out the windows is enough for me

[Guest001]

Does it cost anything to update GPS in Passat? S it a good GPS system

U can get updates off here free Stealers wanted $800 for the CD or $145 to update at service dept Salesman did it for free.

Satnav is nowhere near as good as a $200 Tomtom Is a great waste of money as the maps are nearly 2 years out of date and the text to speech directions are pretty laughable.
"Stay on this road for a very long time" how stupid is that.
Also mine is about 100 metres out when turning most of the time. Its always early and has caught me out when two exits have been close together.
Wouldnt have it again even if they gave it to me.

[Amalgam]

Paddled wheel can be added later for minimal cost. I think that's the best part of the sports pack TBH.

Hi Entice,

I have a MY12.5 125TDI wagon and would love to get the flappy paddles. The car was not a custom order so I missed out on the paddles.

What is the best way to go about it? From a search of the forums, do I need to change the steering wheel? Are there any issues associated with the change?

Thanks in advance.

George

[entice]

There's a whole stack of info on these forums about changing over to flappy paddles.
On my wife's car I tossed and turned about whether to lift a wheel and airbag from a Gti/R but decided the whole thing was too cost prohibitive. I ended up getting a wheel from O/S from a Passat CC (or you can use the Golf wheel that has the flappy paddles) from ebay. Landed it cost around $130. this meant that I could use my existing airbag (the expensive bit) on the new (2nd hand) wheel, and maintain OEM look. a fellow forumite here in melbourne who had done the swap before helped me out.

I considered just purchasing the modules but it's actually a different wheel frame, so you cant just "add the paddles".

makes the car so much better to drive (125TDI Highline Wagon), esp if you have coasting function on and you want to be able to gear down easily, or drop out of coast....

[entice]

What is so great about a panoramic roof.
Is a bit like having mirrors on bedroom ceiling LOL

The last car I had with a glass roof was a PITA as when sun was behind me it always reflected in my glasses through the roof.

Had to put black tint in it which sort of defeats the purpose I guess. Would never have another one Just look out the windows is enough for me

why not partially close the shade? it's fabulous to have the roof open at dawn/dusk, or the shade all the way back when it's overcast.

also, gives the kids in the back something to look out at and be occupied for time and time again as they look out of "the magic roof".

[Marakai]

Satnav is nowhere near as good as a $200 Tomtom Is a great waste of money as the maps are nearly 2 years out of date and the text to speech directions are pretty laughable.
"Stay on this road for a very long time" how stupid is that.
Also mine is about 100 metres out when turning most of the time. Its always early and has caught me out when two exits have been close together.
Wouldnt have it again even if they gave it to me.

Does Audi use a different one than VW? Because I used the Satnav in Germany in an A4 last year and it was absolutely amazing. Spot on even in construction zones. Warned about speed cams and traffic jams. Adjusted to giving routing advice based on time of day (rush hour). Absolutely loved it. I had high hopes that the Passat would have the same system adjusted (within limits - govt would prolly ban speed cam warning so as not to cut into their revenue stream) for Australia.

That said, my step-dad (Passat driver for nearly 20 years) is also not fond of the VW satnav and put in an alternative unit which he says is far superior. Should have run them side by side when I sat in the car with him but didn't think of it. But that may answer my question about whether VW and Audi use the same tech.

[Marakai]

What is so great about a panoramic roof.
Is a bit like having mirrors on bedroom ceiling LOL

The last car I had with a glass roof was a PITA as when sun was behind me it always reflected in my glasses through the roof.

Had to put black tint in it which sort of defeats the purpose I guess. Would never have another one Just look out the windows is enough for me

What's wrong with mirrors on the ceiling (and sipping champagne on ice, we're all just prisoners here... )?

Aaaaanyway, wife has a thing about sunroofs, it's the convertible for the middle-aged set. But I think I convinced her that we can put the money into a more useful option. However, they *can* be really nice on a mild sunny days cruising along the freeway at 160km/h, radio blasting. Oh wait, that's not possible in Australia.