B8 Passat GT Estate - any good?
Discussion
They're decent & a good family car, the Arteon is another option:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202408283...
If you're not a badge snob then the Insignia is a great family car:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202408293...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202409274...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202408213...
508 GT Line:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202409174...
Mondeo Vignale:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202409234...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202408283...
If you're not a badge snob then the Insignia is a great family car:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202408293...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202409274...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202408213...
508 GT Line:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202409174...
Mondeo Vignale:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202409234...
I recently bought a saloon GT. 1.6 tdi (yes it's slow as balls) tbh there's nothing to moan about on it, equally there's nothing to rave about either. Does the job of getting to work and ferrying various friends/family about. Would I buy one as a fun car even with a better engine, absolutely not. Would I buy something else, no as I'm happy with it. Just dont expect anything fun at all lol
Someone posted up a standard (slow) estate thread in response to the Post a pic of your fast estate thread and it was surprising how many people owned a Passat.
I bought a new one in Jan 2020 to a) partly grow up from my unreliable MINI Clubman, b) as University transport, and c) as family holiday transport. Sure it's not going to handle or set the world on fire, but it is a very comfortable, competent car. Having a fleet where sub 30mpg was the norm, 50-60mpg is amazing with a best of nearly 78mpg. The norm is now an 800 mile range with near 1,000 miles if you drive like a granny.
Edit to add: Would I buy another one? Absolutely. The latest Passat B9 is only available as a 1.5 hybrid and is ugly compared to the conservative restrained elegance of the B8. There's one more year of Uni trips left so I'm on the lookout for the last new, nearly new B8 as a 10-20 year car with that massive range.
I bought a new one in Jan 2020 to a) partly grow up from my unreliable MINI Clubman, b) as University transport, and c) as family holiday transport. Sure it's not going to handle or set the world on fire, but it is a very comfortable, competent car. Having a fleet where sub 30mpg was the norm, 50-60mpg is amazing with a best of nearly 78mpg. The norm is now an 800 mile range with near 1,000 miles if you drive like a granny.
Edit to add: Would I buy another one? Absolutely. The latest Passat B9 is only available as a 1.5 hybrid and is ugly compared to the conservative restrained elegance of the B8. There's one more year of Uni trips left so I'm on the lookout for the last new, nearly new B8 as a 10-20 year car with that massive range.
Edited by vikingaero on Saturday 5th October 17:46
Had a very well spec’d GT estate on a 15 plate for three years before stupidly deciding to swap it for an S4 Avant, which lasted only a year.
The Passat was a great family wagon with two young children. Loads of space for daily stuff and fantastic for driving from the NW down to Cornwall 2/3 times a year. Always felt solid and very spacious.
ETA ours was the 2.0 tdi with 190bhp. In hindsight I’d have remapped the gearbox and kept it.
The Passat was a great family wagon with two young children. Loads of space for daily stuff and fantastic for driving from the NW down to Cornwall 2/3 times a year. Always felt solid and very spacious.
ETA ours was the 2.0 tdi with 190bhp. In hindsight I’d have remapped the gearbox and kept it.
AmazingGrace said:
Need to replace the family wagon, have been looking at passat estates. Yea they are big and dependable but a tad boring inside. The GT seems a bit less boring - polished AND rolled in glitter.
Anyone had any experience of these?
It’s a 2018 2.0 diesel.
Any reason it needs to be diesel? not sure if diesel has much of a future given all this green nonsense being spouted by Govt, councils etcAnyone had any experience of these?
It’s a 2018 2.0 diesel.
aussieal said:
Had a very well spec’d GT estate on a 15 plate for three years before stupidly deciding to swap it for an S4 Avant, which lasted only a year.
The Passat was a great family wagon with two young children. Loads of space for daily stuff and fantastic for driving from the NW down to Cornwall 2/3 times a year. Always felt solid and very spacious.
ETA ours was the 2.0 tdi with 190bhp. In hindsight I’d have remapped the gearbox and kept it.
Good to know, thanks. Why does the gearbox need remapping?The Passat was a great family wagon with two young children. Loads of space for daily stuff and fantastic for driving from the NW down to Cornwall 2/3 times a year. Always felt solid and very spacious.
ETA ours was the 2.0 tdi with 190bhp. In hindsight I’d have remapped the gearbox and kept it.
ninepoint2 said:
Any reason it needs to be diesel? not sure if diesel has much of a future given all this green nonsense being spouted by Govt, councils etc
Doesn’t have to be a diesel. But not sure about the GTE. Maybe im just an old cynic but feel a hybrid has “battery needs replacing, that’s £9k please” at some point in the future.
AmazingGrace said:
Good to know, thanks. Why does the gearbox need remapping?
The mapping of it is not great, seems common on VAG DSG’s if this age. Combined with the start/stop functionality, it was annoying/ almost dangerous at times with the hesitancy it had at junctions.A quick gearbox map and coding out the stop start would solve it.
I had a 2016 GT 2.0 diesel estate from new for 75,000 miles. Great car. Not too big but spacious.
GT had half leather half alcantra interior with extremely adjustable comfort seats in the front. Smart looking thing in black with the GT wheels.
Had it for a long, boring M25 commute for 3 years and regularly saw 60mpg. Great motorway car. I would describe it as solid and secure at speed, and the adaptive cruise worked well down to 0MPH for the inevitable M25 jams.
No issues had it on mileage based servicing so every 15k.
I miss it. Would have another.
GT had half leather half alcantra interior with extremely adjustable comfort seats in the front. Smart looking thing in black with the GT wheels.
Had it for a long, boring M25 commute for 3 years and regularly saw 60mpg. Great motorway car. I would describe it as solid and secure at speed, and the adaptive cruise worked well down to 0MPH for the inevitable M25 jams.
No issues had it on mileage based servicing so every 15k.
I miss it. Would have another.
aussieal said:
The mapping of it is not great, seems common on VAG DSG’s if this age. Combined with the start/stop functionality, it was annoying/ almost dangerous at times with the hesitancy it had at junctions.
A quick gearbox map and coding out the stop start would solve it.
Agree. The start stop combined with the electric parking brake/ hill start assist thing could be a problem. Solution was to switch off start stop at uphill junctions. Interior is quite old school - there is a button for everything - so it was easy enough to work around A quick gearbox map and coding out the stop start would solve it.
It was on my shortlist until I went EV.
I dont like the new version but the B8 feels like a nice step up from the B7 I am about to sell.
The B7 has done me around 110k with 160k on the clock now - diesel yes but hasnt missed a beat. It just does what it says on the tin and pretty well at that.
Would I go DSG is another question mind you.
There is the biturbo diesel if you want something ultra pokey.
I dont like the new version but the B8 feels like a nice step up from the B7 I am about to sell.
The B7 has done me around 110k with 160k on the clock now - diesel yes but hasnt missed a beat. It just does what it says on the tin and pretty well at that.
Would I go DSG is another question mind you.
There is the biturbo diesel if you want something ultra pokey.
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