A4 Vs New Passat

[greeng4309]

Hi,

Has anyone previously owned the B8 A4 and now has the new B7 Passat?

Interested to know how the cars compare?

Just changed jobs and have been told that they have ordered me a new 2.0 140 Tdi SE, delivery in early September. Previously had the A4 2.0 170 Tdi SE, which was simply awesome, best car I have ever driven.

Hoping the Passat is a similar drive.

Cheers.

[JamesMo]

Hi,

I don't have direct experience of a B7, but my wife owns a B6 estate se and I've had both a B6 estate (08 plate PD engine) and a b6 saloon (58 CR engine) on long-term hire and I now have an A4 S-line TDI.

So how do they compare?

Well the VW is much bigger inside, though the quality and design of the Audi dash and seats is better in my experience. The Audi handles better (though mine is an s-line) but the ride is much better in the VW (again the s-line suspension doesn't help here). I find the steering on the passat to be less direct than the A4, but the passat holds the road well - there's just very little "feel" throught the steering.

The VW is much more practical when compared to the audi - the estate boot is huge and swallows all our family junk with ease.

I genuinely wouldn't be disappointed with a Passat vs the A4 - I would seriously consider one myself when I come to renewing my A4.

Hope that helps - if you have any specific queries let me know and I'll try and help.

Cheers

J

[greeng4309]

Cheers, much appreciated..

Had a look at passat today at local dealership. Huge inside vs A4, very similar seats and plastics looked identical. Passat boot is massive vs the Audi.

Only difference is centre console and one or two standard options such as parking sensors and dual climate that were standard kit on the Audi SE.

Still, very impressed with the Passat aesthetics. Lets hope it drives as good as it looks.

[yuppyflyer]

Had similar recent quandary when choosing what to replace my A4 B7 Avant with. To the amazement of my colleagues went for Passat 140 Sport Estate instead of the A4 B8 Avant Technic. It will be delivered in 3 weeks.

Having spent lots of time test driving etc. the space and comfort of the Passat won me over, as well as the feeling of buying a newly released model rather than the A4 which came out in 2008.

There is no doubt that the Audi has a strong kerb appeal and a slightly higher quality finish inside, but as soon as you try to fit in passengers and luggage the sentiment changes.

Assuming you are going to run the Passat as a company car then you should find a nice saving on BIK tax with the low emmisions and list price compared to your A4 :)

[greeng4309]

Thanks for your feedback, your post also made me chuckle. Company car drivers are such a spoilt breed.

I actually spent days trying to convince one of my old colleagues to choose the A4 over the Passat at my last company. No idea why... Didn't work though, he chose the new Passat and loves it. I thought he was mad at the time, but that is pure badge snobbery. I generally love VW's, I've had two Golf's in the past but my last two cars were a 320d and then the A4.

Agree that the A4 Technik pack is stunning, leather interior, AMI and Sat Nav, but that spec was far better than the standard A4 SE spec I had, so the Passat SE is almost identical if not a little more interesting than the car I've just left. Would prefer the Sport but not an option with my new company.

I've got two kids under 3 so the Passat makes much more sense than the A4. Struggled shifting big loads in the Audi, plus Audi rear seats useless for seating adults.

Hope you enjoy your new car, collecting mine a week on Tuesday.

Cheers.

[pauldoherty]

Hi,

I currently drive a B8 2.0TDI SE 143 Saloon, and I have just chosen the Passat 2.0TDI Sport 170 over the A4 2.0TDI SE 170. My reasons are similar to some mentioned above, but in the main it came down to - a 'new' model rather than another virtually identical A4 for 3 years; and the huge BIK saving (now around £50 per month rather than £160 with the A4).
Before my Audi I had the previous model Passat - I don't see much difference in the interiors from new and old, but I like the extras with the sport. Of course, there is more room too!

Dorts

[BenR]

There's no comparison; the A4 is a very "compact" saloon aimed at the middle executive who wants a bit of bling and a nice badge to impress the neighbours. The dashboard dominates the car, the centre consol crushes the occupants and there is no rear leg room. The Passat is bigger all around, more practical (we regularly fit 3 people + 3 bikes in out estate and have even had 2 adults and 2 kids + 4 bikes) and of course cheaper than the Audi. VAG realised they were missing a trick with the Passat because business drivers who looked carefully saw the deception and wisely bought a Passat so the B7 is the same car but blinged up to justify a price increase.

[greeng4309]

Managed to take a 170 tdi Sport out for a test drive yesterday. Great car, similar drive to the A4, but marginally bigger. Deja-Vu in regards to control layout, parking break, key start, switches etc, although some of the plastics felt a bit thinner than what I had in my Audi.

The one real huge positive is that the Passat does not suffer with offset pedals that have plagued the A4 since it's release. Brilliant, hopefully no more lower back pain on long journeys.

Rear leg room was excellent, I'm 6ft 4 and got into the back easily behind my drivers seat set-up. I couldn't even get into the A4.

Would disagree with the above post in one area. Centre console in the A4 is stunning and built around the driver. I also had plenty of room in the front of the A4. VW is a nice place to sit, but I still prefer the A4 console to be honest.

Lastly, just a couple of questions: I take it the VW has an ipod or MP3 connection?Does anyone know if this displays tracks on the Stereo screen for easy selection, or do you have to select tracks from your ipod device? I had AMI in my A4 which was very easy to navigate around, but a standard AUX connection in my 320d which was a pain to navigate around as you had to take your eye off the road to select tracks, playlists etc etc

Lastly, totally confused re DRL on new Passat. Seen three variants. The Led's, nice but an extra option, the fog light area at the bottom which is the setup on a majority of the B7's I've seen, but today I saw a Sport with corner lights on within main headlamp unit, similar to the A3 - A4 SE drl's. Are there various DRL options to select? I understand that the LED's are a cost option but I'm confused to what the standard Passat DRL setup is?

Cheers.

[BenR]

I have an iPod "drawer" in my glovebox, into which you can fit different carriers for different shapes of iPod, which slot in very tightly. The CD player simply recognises this as a new drive and gives you six menus, which are actually the first six playlists on your iPod so you need to order them correctly if you want to play them in the car. You can then move through each playlist by using the > and < buttons. It's crude and not very clever and it upsets my iPod so much that I've given up using it in the car. In fact my iPod has never been the same since I attached it to my Passat so I won't be doing that again.

[walker77]

"Lastly, totally confused re DRL on new Passat. Seen three variants. The Led's, nice but an extra option, the fog light area at the bottom which is the setup on a majority of the B7's I've seen, but today I saw a Sport with corner lights on within main headlamp unit, similar to the A3 - A4 SE drl's. Are there various DRL options to select? I understand that the LED's are a cost option but I'm confused to what the standard Passat DRL setup is?"

I'm confused with the DRLs aswell. I have a 140 Sport saloon. Didnt take the LED option but a friend noticed in his rear view mirror that my spot lights came on when indicating and turning - I think the headlights have to be on aswell though. Are these the corner lights you refer to? I asked at the local VW garage and was told if you indicate and turn the wheel a corner light will come on to light up the verge/kerb side of the road you are turning into. I was confused as I hadnt ordered any additional option but he said they were standard and were classed as 'xenon' lamps. I'm not sure if it is the DRL or the spotlights that come on - it's a bit of a difficult one to monitor on your own. (as is the hefty rattle i've got somewhere behind the glove compartment)

Have to say that with the IPOD glovebox connection, I think it's great. Basically see the full ipod menu on the touchscreen (RNS315) - charges the ipod aswell.

[D4D]

Hi, I too chose the Passat over an A4. If you choose the Sport you will get the RNS315 as standard, this will give you an MP3 connection, an iPhone connection and a USB connection all in a special tray in the glove box which clips up out of the way, keeping your glove box clear. I have an HDD that sits in there connected to the USB, all of my music is on that, all of the track info appears on the RNS315 display and all of the steering wheel buttons work with it. Track info is also displayed on the MDI. You can also bluetooth stream from your phone and play CD's. Personally I'm very impressed with the options available.

The DRL's are so: in daylight the inner lights in the foglight cluster come on and stay on (these can be turned off, it's an option in the MDI). If you have your headlights set to "Auto" when it gets dark the DRL's turn off and the headligts turn on, when you turn a corner when your headlights are on the corresponding foglight cluster lights up to shed light on the corner as you turn around it. An excellent idea that does actually make a difference. I can't talk for the S and SE models, but it is standard on the Sport. My car does not flash the foglights/DRL's when indicating though, during the day or at night.

They definitely aren't Xenon lights though, those are a cost option, an expensive one at that !

[greeng4309]

According to the brochure, the SE spec also comes with those iPod / mp3 connections. Unfortunately sport isn't an option. My new company sees company cars as real perks and not an essential so I had no choice in what I get. Basically I was told to test drive the citroen c5, Mondeo and Passat. I couldn't get into the c5. I'm 6, 4 and 15 stone. I just couldn't get my legs under the steering wheel. I'm driving a rental Mondeo at the moment and it's horrible. A tacky, sluggish, tank that just doesn't excite. God knows what the reviewers see in this car? So last option was Passat which I knew I would fit into as i had a B6 loan for a couple of days back in Jan 2010 when my old 320d was being repaired yet again.

Basically my new boss called me up to say one would available for collection in a few weeks (due last week) it's silver and a 2.0 litre SE. Lol. My last company I could practically get what I wanted up to £30k.

Anyhow, car didn't arrive this week. I was told on Friday that it's another two weeks. Huge order book.

[Passat Sport]

@greeng4309
I'm surprised at your reaction to the Mondeo and also that at 6'4" and 15st you could fit in the BMW320D. I had Mondeos as company cars for nearly 10 years - all diesels, mainly Titanium spec and either 2.0 or 2.2. If they had still been on the list I'd have had another - big practical cars with plenty of space. Not at all sluggish, once you got used to diesels. Torque available all the way through the rev range. Also a better drive through the lanes than the BMWs on offer, although the ride was a little harsh on the 18" wheels. Unless the latest version has really changed you must be driving a dud or bottom of the range engine option.

I'm 6'1" and heavier than you and demo'ed the BMW 320D ED for a week last December. I hated it. Crowded driving position, jostly ride, vibration from the DMF at low speeds/revs, ridiculous boot access and no passenger headroom in the back - even my daughter had problems. I selected the Passat Sport 170 as the best of a bad lot on the new company car list. Performance is on a par with the Mondeo, ride is softer, but it doesn't hold the road or drive as well as my old Mondeo and I really miss the hatchback.

In the three months that I've had the Passat, the thing that I have grown to hate is VW customer care.

[greeng4309]

No issue at all in getting into the 320d, plenty if room in the front, although the rear space was tight behind my driving position it want really a concern as I rarely drove with anyone sitting behind me, and even when my eldest was born she was placed behind my wife.

Agree with you re jittery ride, although you get used to it after a while. Run flats were horrendous, tyre changes every 13k miles and the car reliability was poor, esp electric faults. And forget icy driving. If you think VW service is poor then it's a total different ball game with BMW. Garages generally do not like fleet drivers as I think they assume any old riff-raff sales manager is driving their cars.

I'm driving a 2.0 diesel zetec, hatchback at the moment. My personal opinion is the car is crap. Sorry, I just don't like it. Steering isn't as sharp as my old A4, and not even in the sane league as the BMW. Feel is non existent and I just don't like it. Never been a fan of the Mondeo looks wise, and driving this loan car for the past few weeks has cemented my feelings towards this car... Never for me.

[Passat Sport]

I tried the 320D ED. I could adjust the drivers seat far enough back for my 34" inside leg length, but that reduced the car to a three seater. Driver footwell was rather narrow, gear change a little awkward - centre console got in the way of my elbow.

So far service from my local VW dealer has been good, though all warranty issues to date. Service not due for another 15k miles. Service has certainly been better than the previous Ford Dealer. The moment that I could use an alternative to the Ford main dealer I did. The problem with my Passat has been the back up from customer care and VW themselves, although the supplying dealer (company car) ditched me fairly quickly. I've had BS from customer care and had to tell them about the car specification and options, 6 weeks delay in obtaining a replacement SatNav then discovering that VW cannot update it.

You must have a dud Mondeo, steering was very precise on my old Titanium and, although you didn't get quite as much feedback as the BMW it was more than adequate. I'm afraid that looks come a very poor third to practicality and performance as far as I'm concerned.

[greeng4309]

Collected car yesterday. Done 400 miles in past two days and initial impression is that the car is stunning. Lovely drive, very comfortable, lovely drivers position, very classy. Huge boot, lol. I'll post my proper thoughts next week after a few more hundred miles.

iPod also working great as well, can navigate all menus and playlists from the standard stereo.

Question though, I've received SE spec, bluetooth, cruise, auto lights etc etc. Rear mirror has auto wiper sensor but the stalk does not have an auto On/off function. It's a standard stalk only. Basically when raining today the wipers did not self activate as per my old A4 and previous Mk5 golf. Looked in manual and picture shown for stalk is different to mine.

According to VW website & brochure SE comes with auto wiper sensor as standard. Called Sinclair Cardiff today to ask but no one able to answer my question until Monday. They're not sure if spec has changed with the 61 models.

Any ideas???

Cheers

[db123]

There is no auto on/off as such auto wipers are the intermittent position, one up from off position, one below low speed. Sensitivity is adjusted by what is normally the intermittent delay on top of stalk.

Hope this helps

[greeng4309]

Thanks,

yep, works fine today, no issue whatsoever. Not sure why it wasn't working properly yesterday... There seemed to be a lot of smear on the windscreen when the wipers were operating, perhaps wax or polish from the factory that caused the sensor not to work correctly. Not sure, but I did nothing different today but they switched on when it started raining.

Or maybe user error..lol

[greeng4309]

Thought I'd share my thoughts on the new Passat SE vs current A4 SE.

Had car for two weeks now, covered 2100 miles. Initial impression is it's basically Deja Vu driving wise vs the A4, although one or two niggles in the A4 have been sorted out in the VW, ie jumping if you hit a pot-hole or bump at speed. VW is slightly more refined in that aspect, plus steering is slightly stiffer on the motorways but very similar to the A4 at slow speeds. VW also wins in driving position, seats and general comfort. No offset pedals.

Can't compare engines: I had the 2.0 170bhp in my A4, and to my surprise I received the 1.6tdi Passat rather than the 2.0 140 that my company told me that I was getting, this was down to delays re the 140. They had stock of the 1.6 so my company decided to go for that without letting me know. I do feel sorry for the VW guys as the look on my face when they told me that I had the 1.6 must have looked bad. I never have felt so disappointed when receiving a new car.. Spoilt brat.. lol

But.... A very pleasant surprise. You have to drive it hard, and go into lower gears more often than the 170, but the 105 is quite responsive and far quicker than the 12.2secs 0-62 that vw claims. It's not going to win you races but you can keep up with most 2.0tdi's, although second gear lets the car down in terms of acceleration. 4th gear is great and you can accelerate in fifth at 'cough' motorway speeds. 6th gear is just for cruising, don't even attempt to accelerate as nothing will happen. I would take the 140 (or 170) 2.0tdi over it any day but the 1.6 is not that slow, actually far better than I expected, plus I save £110 per month in tax vs my old A4...

Cockpit would go to the A4 as it's positioned more towards the driver and the MMI is larger and far more user friendly. I'm forever looking away from the road trying to operate the VW stereo in Media mode as the controls menus are awkward vs the simple A4 navigation dial. Nothing else wrong with the VW apart from the stupid clock that makes no sense. Everyone who sits in my car loves it until they see the clock, and it's basically 'what the hell'...

VW Media input (AMI) is great, reads my ipod without any hassle but it's sometimes tricky to navigate vs the Audi (extra option) AMI. The VW lists just one bit of song info vs the Audi that literally shows all the Ipod menus in the display screen. But for a free device I can't knock the VW.

A4 standard speakers are much superior to the Passat. VW isn't bad (much better than the BMW 3 Series) but not in the same league as A4 - 10 speaker and sub set-up

Rear space and boot to the VW. Huge. I don't have to adjust my seat in the VW if an adult wants to sit behind me. Rear seats in Passat are positioned at a normal height vs the very low rear seats in the A4.

Anyhow, summarised pluses below for each car.

A4 Pluses
Parking sensors as standard
Front Fog lights as standard
Slightly better quality interior plastics used (apart from steering wheel)
Overall build quality is just a little better, more detail in door finishes etc
Beep when car placed into reverse gear
Cockpit designed around driver, tilted towards. Navigation screen has easier access to info you require
Better standard speaks with inc of Sub
Coming home lights work without reading manual
Additional 12v socket in drivers area (excellent for charging phones and sat nav at the same time)
Tri zone Climate as standard
Colour Dis screen
Electronic Speedo clock as well as Analogue

Passat Pluses
AMI as standard
DAB Radio as standard
More storage space
Lockable glove compartment
More interior lighting as standard
Comfy seating position
Pedals not offset
Footrest
Better drink holder position
Dash is made for UK Market vs A4 that is basically a left-hand drive cockpit put into a UK car, few hidden switches and controls.. (A4 drivers will know what I mean)
Rear seats and legroom far superior
Boot is much bigger
More feel in steering
Better SE suspension, not as bouncy as A4
Front seats more comfortable, better support & lumbar controls
Better steering wheel design and controls (Not as flimsy as A4)
Prefer brushed still trim in Passat but hate the clock. Pointless inclusion

My verdict
Both great cars, very similar in appearance with a similar drive
A4 better for gadgets, slightly better plastics & finish
Passat is a better drive, more comfy, better seats, footrest, pedals not offset, huge room
Audi wins the technology gadget battle, the Passat for room, drive and overall comfort

Pound for Pound
Passat wins battle just for drive and space alone. Spend an extra 2k for more toys and the Passat is a clear winner.

Cheers,

Hope this helps someone...

ps.. I'm not a bitter ex A4 driver. I loved my A4, but the Passat is just as good to drive, if not slightly better. Shame I couldn't get the 170 engine as well... Heaven..

[davemetcalfe]

Lastly, totally confused re DRL on new Passat. Seen three variants. The Led's, nice but an extra option, the fog light area at the bottom which is the setup on a majority of the B7's I've seen, but today I saw a Sport with corner lights on within main headlamp unit, similar to the A3 - A4 SE drl's. Are there various DRL options to select? I understand that the LED's are a cost option but I'm confused to what the standard Passat DRL setup is?

Cheers.

Hi

Sorry for dragging up an old thread but I'd be grateful if you could let me know how the DRL's work on your SE - I'm considering one for my next car and its not clear whether the DRL's are in the fog light area (the SE doesn't come with front fogs as standard) or just part of the headlight cluster.

Many thanks.

[Hugh Jend]

Finally.... this part of the forum is beginning to liven up!

I've had my 170 sport estate (manual) for nearly a month and have covered 3k miles.

This is my second Passat....and it's head and shoulders above my previous 08 plate Highline!

I've potted the ipod connection, as I'm fed up with the bloody things discharging when I'm not in the car!

I've stuck a 16gig SD card in..and also have the same in my Blackberry..so I have two music sources.

I'd completely forgotten that I had music on the BB...only to be reminded when it kicked into life!

One issue (it is covered on this forum) is that I can't get the address book to revert to first name/second name...so (like the seats, after a few hundred miles) is a pain in the ****!

The front and rear sensors are a dream..and the powered tailgate works a treat!

I've disabled the DLRs..preferring to run on auto lights.

The satnav is not bad...but not a patch on the TT live (again, covered on this forum)... for traffic warnings.
That said it boots up immediately and does appear to be accurate (I run both the TT and the 315 Nav in tandem).

Any guidance on the nav software (so that POIs can be added via the sd card option) would be appreciated.

As for the BM 3 series...a pretty car (was an option for me) BUT just not big enough.

[bertj]

Hi

Sorry for dragging up an old thread but I'd be grateful if you could let me know how the DRL's work on your SE - I'm considering one for my next car and its not clear whether the DRL's are in the fog light area (the SE doesn't come with front fogs as standard) or just part of the headlight cluster.

Many thanks.

DRL's on the SE are where the fog lights should be. Absolutely stupid! I had one bloke going on at me after I'd driven into a car park because I had my fog lights on. If you have the optional xenon headlamps then the DRL's are in the headlamp cluster. They're also LED's as compare to the pathetic yellow tinted standard DRL's.