I just got to know about this all-new Volkswagen Passat from a Paul Tan review. http://paultann.org/2016/11/01/b8-volkswag...ed-in-malaysia/ (delete n from paultann to access link)

Does anyone know the price range for all 3 models of the Passat? The high-spec 2.0 Passat comes with a wet dual-clutch while the lower models come with dry dual-clutch. Reviews look good for this D-segment. Not too sure if there are other issues that plague the existing Volkswagen models, or the after-sales service.

The Volkswagen Malaysia website has omitted the Passat from their page to make way for the new model. Apparently there is a Passat road show in Mid Valley megamall now as I write this. Has anyone seen the car in Mid valley?

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 have just read one review which mentioned that although the handling of the new Passat is good, the Ford Mondeo and Mazda 6's handling is still better than the Passat. Though I presume handling is not the main consideration for most people who are considering a D-segment although it is desirable to have a good handling car. A D-segment is more toward family outings and providing more space for passengers sitting at the back seat, thus promoting higher levels of comfort when compared to smaller and more cramped spaces of a C or B segment.

On top of that, the looks, style and image of the Passat are a step higher than most Japanese which include the Camry, Accord and Teana. In other words, it is classier to be in a Passat than in any of these Japanese. Ditto the Mercedes/BMW vs Passat where the Merc and BMW are classier and more upmarket than the Passat.

The Ford Mondeo has a rather significant discount now, slightly below RM180k so I don't think the new Passat 2.0 high-spec will be cheaper than the Mondeo. Other than the price, it also depends on several factors. One of my colleague has test driven the Mondeo three times this year being an avid fan (though he hasn't decided to buy it yet), and he had also test driven the previous generation Passat. He likes the handling and feel of the Mondeo better (than the Passat). ALso, he mentioned that the Mondeo is a very powerful car, more powerful than the Passat on paper. Not too sure if this new Mondeo would be even more powerful but it was reported that the handling of the Passat still cannot match the Mondeo, and the Mazda 6.

Apart from power and performance in handling, there is also the interior and exterior looks also which is personal. For me, I do think the VW Passat looks better than the Mondeo in both interior and exterior. I don't quite like the interior of the Mondeo. No doubt the quality and fit and finish inside the Mondeo are superb - the nice leather seats, the fit and finish on the door panels etc. But I don't quite like the design which looks outdated. The VW Passat's interior looks classier and more tasteful, more modern.

Though Mondeo looks and feels like a huge car. The Passat looks slightly smaller. Not too sure which vehicle is roomier inside the cabin. In the end, it depends on what the user is looking for. All cars have their pros and cons.

Any idea if the Passat here comes with the beige leather trim?

Yes, that is certainly a valid point as I also tell my colleague the same thing. Not that he did not notice. There are hardly any Mondeo on the road. At least I have seen one or two Mondeos on the road for the past 1+ year, but my colleague did not see even a single Mondeo on the road yet, other than the one that is parked in the showroom. That is the main concern really, the rarity on the roads which means the response to this Mondeo is lukewarm.

Nowadays economy is bad and less people are buying stuff and spending money, more so changing cars. Sales are bad and my colleague got texts from the salesman on the reduction in price for the Mondeo. I told him not to commit as the price will be reduced even further with this kind of economy.

Just stumbled upon this video on the Passat B8, though this one is diesel. The 0-100km/h acceleration is brutal, achieving a blistering 5.92s. Watching the needle sprinting up rapidly on the speedometer is quite amazing. On top of that, the acceleration to 200 km/h is uniformly quick up to 240 km/h where it almost hits the plateau.

I wonder if there will be a similar video on the high-spec Passat B8 2.0 petrol that we are getting over here.

This post has been edited by SportyHandling: Nov 13 2016, 10:06 AM

Certainly a valid point. Most people who are eyeing this Passat B8 but not in a hurry to get the car may wait for the price to come down, expecting a huge slash in price just like what that has happened with the previous "sales" earlier this year. Current VW owners who bought their cars before this big slash in price are certainly an angry lot. A friend who owns the VW is calling the previous VW management or salesmen a crazy bunch for giving such high discounts that affect the resale value of the cars. The damage has been done, and with this new announcement that there will not be any huge discounts for the Passat B8, it will be a "Test Period" for VW to see whether sales for the Passat B8 will pick up.

VW are smart to announce that they are not aiming for large volume sales for the Passat B8. I think they would have expected that the demand wouldn't be high with the pricing they have set for the cars, and the issue with huge discounts previously given that may have caused potential buyers to hold back from buying the car and wait for the next round of discounts. Since the car is assembled locally in Pahang, I don't think they would have any problems coping with production(large volume sales), that if the demand is good. In other words, it is not that they want to do low volume sales with the Passat. It's just that they are expecting a low demand/sales with the car.

This post has been edited by SportyHandling: Nov 18 2016, 08:41 AM

One of colleagues who loves good cars has just test-driven the VW Passat 2.0 last weekend and shared his "stories" with me. He is a die-hard Ford fan having test-driven the Ford Mondeo not once but twice earlier this year. The Mondeo is his top favourite but he was holding back although the price keeps dropping throughout the months. The salesman kept texting messages to him and the last discounted price was slightly below RM180k if I am not mistaken.

After test-driving the VW Passat 2.0, this is now his favourite car. The wife was sitting at the back seat during the test drive. He was impressed not only by the power and performance of the car which he mentioned was either on par or better than the Ford Mondeo, but the interior quality of the Passat. The interior quality of the Passat was said to be much better and nicer than the Mondeo. I have already expected this as I too felt the interior of the Mondeo is too plain and cheap for the price. Similarly, my colleague mentioned the interior of the Mondeo looked cheap next to the Passat.

So there you go. The VW saleswoman was pushing for the sales. Apparently after all the prices and GST are added in, the car's price is close to RM220k which is rather steep. My colleague cheekily said he would be waiting for the car's number plate to reach VW before he would consider buying the car.

This post has been edited by SportyHandling: Dec 22 2016, 10:46 AM

No idea. That was what he told me. You can ask the one which sells at RM189k. Probably some hidden costs somewhere.

RM30k discount for low-spec Passat 1.8? Looks good. Perhaps the high price slash pattern with VW Malaysia may be repeated soon if there are outlets which are already giving discounts up to RM30k for selected models.