Newbie from Briskoda seeking Passat B8 advise

Hi everyone,

This is the end of an era for me; having driven three different Skoda's as company cars over a 10 year period covering 338,000 miles. My current Skoda, a Superb Greenline II 1.6Tdi SE has been excellent, recording a documented 64mpg over 3.5 years and 128k miles.

Unfortunately, our company car manufacturer list has been rationalised, seeing the removal of Seat and Skoda. I have thus narrowed my choice of next company car (due Ocober 2015) to a Passat B8 Estate, however, I am in a slight quandry as to which engine/gearbox combination to select. My thoughts are as below:-

• 2.0Tdi 150ps manual GT with optional sound deadening glass, XDS and rear 12v socket
• 1.6Tdi, 120ps manual GT with optional sound deadening glass, DCC, XDS, rear 12v socket
• 1.6Tdi 120ps DSG with optional sound deadening glass

My current Superb 1.6Tdi has impressed with it's economy, quietness and eagerness to rev when required. I mainly rack up motorway miles, interspersed with periods on A and B roads. I don't drive much in heavy stop start traffic. The car is usually one-up and does not need to serve as a tow car.

I recently drove a B8 190 GT DSG at a company car event at Millbrook and couldn't fault the gearbox, but then for comparison, drove a Leon 150 manual Estate which was equally as impressive. As much as I'd fancy trying DSG, I'm unsure if I'd miss the act of manual gearchanging. The VAG 6 speed gearbox has a delightful action, unlike the slightly notchy actin of the BMW manual gearbox in a 1 Series I drove at the same event.

In all honesty, if I had another 1.6Tdi, I definiitely remap the car within the first few thousand miles of ownership, as was the case with my Superb Twindoor 1.9Tdi. This should give an easy 150Ps and enable me to use the monthly leasing saving to select DCC. Or, I could select a 150ps which would remap to a tasty 180ps. That said, it's a shame the B8 1.6Tdi fuel tank capacity is 59 litres, whereas, the 2.0Tdi engines have the larger 66 litre fuel tank. Furthermore, the economy figures for the 1.6Tdi and 2.0Tdi GT Estates are shown as identical in the official brochure.

I'm slightly hesitant to select a car with 18" wheels, given that my current Superb has eco friendly 16" wheels with 55 section tyres, coupled to a lower ride height (slightly harder ride) for improved aerodynamics. The selection of DCC as a option would help, although, it's an expensive option and one where reviews are mixed. I might specifiy DCC only to find that the normal setting is adequate for everyday driving. I'm aware that the B8 handling is optimised with the 18" wheels. How do current B8 GT owners find the standard ride quality and in hindsight, would they have added DCC?

I have in mind either Crimson Red or Night Blue, as a chaange from my current Superb which is Steel Grey. My Superb Twindoor was in Rosso Brunello, which is the same as Crimson Red and looks great when ckean and in bright sunlight, although, I apprecite this colour is not to everyone's taste. The Night Blue looks very 'business', although my wife thinks it too dark and prefers Crimson Red! I like Indium Grey, however, I fancy a change from grey.

The interior choicee is between Titan Black and Espresso, however, the Black/Moonrock option is interesting.

As an observation, it is disappointing VW does not fit covers to the boot storage spaces behind the rear wheel arches, as fitted to my Superb. Another sign of cost cutting is the plastic boot sill protectotr, wheras, my Superb has a more upmarket (and robust) stainess steel sill protector.

Any advice would be appreciated, as I need to place an order with the leasing company in the next week or so, being mindful that GT lead times can be as long as 22 weeks.

Go for the 2.0 tdi SE with DSG, it is an excellent car and VW have taken Passat from large family saloon to compact executive. It has ample power for UK roads and I certainly wouldn't waste my money chipping it, even if it belonged to me, not my employer. Iridium grey looks good and doesn't show dirt. The black interior does show dirt maddeningly easily; grey or pale brown would be better. The standard 15" wheels are smart and are fitted with a deeper profile tyre than on the old Passat B7, meaning they fill the arches better and are smoother, quieter and more comfortable. My 2.0 tdi is regularly hitting 50 mpg at only 3000 miles and I expect this to improve as the mileage increases. Don't bother with the sound-deadening glass; the interior is already very quiet with very little outside noise. Spend your money on heated seats and windscreen.

Once you've had a car with DSG you will never go back to manual; the smooth rush of power is a big thrill and after two months I'm still looking forward to driving my car every time.

Unfortunately, my monthly leasing budget won't stretch to a 150ps DSG.

I had a similar problem although we buy cars outright for cash; my company "secretary" who deals with cars, had a budget in his mind so he knocked me back on metallic paint, heated seats and electric screen. When he handed the file to our purchasing colleague, he found a Passat estate 2.0 tdi DSG in a showroom at below the list price with non-standard wheels and metallic Iridium grey! I believe I got what you might call a "showroom filler" where manufacturers will knock out a few with different specs to fill showrooms and show off the new model while the orders begin to roll in.