Thanks for the information and photos. From the photos on website, the new Passat surely looks good, quite a bit better than the previous Passat model especially the back. The front also looks more elegant.

A close friend has the Jetta close to 5 years now. Perhaps his was the older model but he has got into some issues which include smoke coming out from his engine compartment in which the whole engine needs to be overhauled. Not too sure what was the actual problem but it was recommended that RON97 is used instead of 95 to minimise problems. Not sure if the current Volkswagen models need to be run in RON97 for better performance or to stay out of problems?

Another issue with his Jetta is whenever moving from standstill say from the traffic lights, you can feel a slight judder in the cabin. It was said to be an inherent character of the Volkswagen with this dual clutch. It's a different type of judder/vibration compared to the Ford Focus. You only feel a slight vibration in the cabin when the car moves from standstill, for a very brief period. After the car gets moving, there won't be any more vibration when the gears are upshifting. As with the Ford Focus, there is no vibration/shuddering when moving from standstill. The shuddering or (slight) jerking with the Ford Focus only happens when the gear is upshifting or downshifting ie. 1st gear to 2nd gear, or 2nd gear to 3rd gear.

Coming back to the new Passat. Not too sure on the advantages of DRY clutch vs. WET clutch. Any thoughts? It is unfortunate that the high-spec 1.8 does not come with a wet clutch and only the high-spec 2.0 comes with one. In terms of reliability and performance, I presume the wet clutch as a slight advantage? Any support or evidence on the superiority of wet clutch compared to the dry clutch?

Yes, a valid point that the resale value of Volkswagen is very low. Hence, for those who may not be in a hurry to get the car, it may be worthwhile to wait for the "sales" period. If I am not mistaken earlier this year or late last year the Jetta was sold at about RM80-90k and the Passat was sold at RM100k+/-.

I would be more concern on after-sales service. I read that one may have to book a service appointment about 1 month in advance as there are no slots if you book 1 or 2 weeks earlier. And VW is very strict with the mileage as they will consider the warranty of the vehicle to be void if the car's mileage exceeds the recommended mileage when the car is sent in late for service. Is this true? Other car manufacturers are more relaxed in this aspect. Ford actually has 1,000 km or 1 month buffer on top of the recommended mileage/period of sending the car in for service. The owner will not be forfeited if it is still within the buffer period.

I checked on ebay and various sites. The kit alone will cost well over RM4000 if you buy from sellers direct, that price does not include shipping, and does not including duties. But that's only one part of the story, you still need to pay for the labor charges as well as the programming charges. Which is why retrofitting adaptive cruise control/self park/lane departure warning will cost around RM10000+ because they are part of the system and there are many other accessories which needs to be bought and fixed in order for the entirety to work. I will stress again, this is quite a labor intensive job - chairs and carpet will need to be removed, the dashboard possibly as well, and the wiring will need to be rerouted and after all that is done, it needs to be programmed and tested.

Of course, if this was done in the factory, it will be a lot easier but still doesn't change the fact that different parts will need to be brought in (subject to duties) and additional labor will be required.

Btw, VWPCM might not get it any cheaper because they conduct their purchases in USD. They also need to account for the transport cost and the weak ringgit isn't helping anyone.

Yeah, but you're paying double if buying the kit...

I don't think you need to remove chairs and carpet... the front bumper needs to be changed, and you need to wire things up. You need the mid level dashboard AFAIK, and at least the 6.5" screen. Things like that.

I'm saying that at least on the Highline, possibly on the Comfortline they should have ACC as one of the options. And that means buying the parts in bulk. Even if it isn't 2k, even if it is 4k or so... wouldn't that be worth it? Especially given that the VW system works exceptionally well. I was considering a Honda Civic when buying my Golf, more affordable and also not too bad, but during research people complained about the Civic slamming the brakes hard when approaching a bridge. And other wrong alerts. Not having those on the VW system... especially nothing dangerous.

Got a rumor saying lowest spec will be RM169k and highest (2.0) will be RM189k, anyone heard of this? But then again price will be revealed reeaaaal soon 

Some new info from VW:

http://www.volkswagen.com.my/en/models/the...s.html#/hl=cat2
http://www.volkswagen.com.my/en/models/the...rice-specs.html

Edit:
Highline top speed 246 km/h.... 0-100 kph 6.7s....

Edit:

The Passat 1.8L TSI Trendline From RM159,990.00

The Passat 1.8L TSI Comfortline From RM179,990.00

The Passat 2.0L TSI Highline From RM198,990.00

5 years manufacturer warranty + 5 years free service for purchase in 2016

Specs and performance looks good. Now only have to wait for the price to come down.

Yup. i think the price is still a bit expensive considering how much issues this brand had for our market. Most of the potential buyers surely from the d segment car not the compact luxury car like the c class or 3er or A4 because of these trio has better brand image. Somemore judging from my initial impression on showroom last week, i still think those trio offer a better quality car such as interior materials & the feel of the switchgears but if compare with the d-segment, i must say the b8 is definitely on top. If they were to attract buyers, they should've put a more attractive price.

I feel they should have priced the B8 2.0 at about 170k to 180k. That would have made the price extremely enticing. There's currently nothing in the market that can actually match the performance of the 2.0. and kit wise, it quite up there with the luxury marque.

The closest rival in terms of size and specs would be the 320i/A4 B9/C200. If it was priced at 175k - 180k, the gap would have been much wider and thus more appealing for those who wants luxury but not willing to pay over 200k for the car. At 198k, it loses quite of a bit of the advantage it commands. Most of the luxury entry level sedan is priced around 238k to 250k region.

Specs and performance looks good. Now only have to wait for the price to come down.

"Volkswagen To Maintain Current Prices; Heavy Discounts To Stop"....

http://www.carlist.my/news/volkswagen-main...unts-stop/42940

We'll see that when they suffer from low sales volume.
They actually screwed up all previous buyers by giving so much discount on the older generations previously.
Now they give people the perception and expectation of "I'll buy it when they give heavy discount".

This B8 Passat is quite the deciding factor of the fate for Volkswagen Malaysia.

I feel they should have priced the B8 2.0 at about 170k to 180k. That would have made the price extremely enticing. There's currently nothing in the market that can actually match the performance of the 2.0. and kit wise, it quite up there with the luxury marque.

The closest rival in terms of size and specs would be the 320i/A4 B9/C200. If it was priced at 175k - 180k, the gap would have been much wider and thus more appealing for those who wants luxury but not willing to pay over 200k for the car. At 198k, it loses quite of a bit of the advantage it commands. Most of the luxury entry level sedan is priced around 238k to 250k region.