[blackwasp]

VW Passat

What you'll like:

• A solid European sedan with classy & understated styling; will age well over time
• Premium, upmarket cabin and a cavernous 586-litre boot
• Loaded with features & technology (adjustable dampers, 360-degree area view camera...)
• Fast & practical 2.0L TDI engine mated to a smooth & quick 6-speed DSG
• Mature suspension brings balanced road manners
• 5-Star NCAP safety rating (9 airbags & a full suite of electronic aids)

What you won't:

• Many of you will find the styling to be too conservative
• Sibling rivalry from the Superb (more rear legroom etc.). The Skoda is cheaper as well
• Lacks the brand cachet that customers desire at this price point
• Explosive 1.8 TSI petrol engine isn't offered, and neither is a manual transmission
• Long-term reliability concerns over the DSG transmission
• Volkswagen's dealership & service experiences are a hit or miss

Review Link

Skoda Superb

What you'll like:

• The benchmark D2-segment luxury sedan...all over again. Well priced for all it offers
• Timeless, elegant styling. Fit, finish & build quality are top notch
• Amazing rear seat comfort. Beats luxury cars costing twice as much
• Classy cabin is practical & user-friendly. Cavernous 625 liter boot!
• Terrific diesel & petrol engines mated to fast gearboxes. Manual tranny available too
• Loaded with features & technology. Equipment list runs pages long
• 5 star safety rating & kit - 8 airbags, ESP, TC, ABS + EBD, EDL and lots more

What you won't:

• DSG is known for breakdowns. Old Superb's long-term reliability was overall poor
• Skoda's scary after-sales service. Dealer network doesn't understand customer service
• Diesel's price premium (over the petrol) is 3 lakhs on the road! That's unusually high
• Some product planning goof-ups (limited colours, no diesel MT)

Review Link

Toyota Camry

What you'll like:

• Fuel-efficient, environment-friendly Hybrid technology. ARAI rating = 19.16 kpl
• 2017 update brought 9 airbags, 12-speaker JBL sound system and LED foglamps
• 5 star equipment (reclining rear seats, triple-zone climate, powered sunshade, ventilated seats etc.)
• Spacious premium sedan with outstanding levels of refinement
• Lexus-esque exterior styling. Great road presence
• Neutral ride and handling balance. Much improved over earlier Camry generations
• Toyota’s bullet-proof reliability and superb after-sales service

What you won't:

• Price hike post-GST and withdrawal of FAME subsidies make it dearer than before
• Diesel competition (Skoda Superb, VW Passat) is priced noticeably lower than the hybrid
• Unknown maintenance costs & battery life of the Hybrid system in Indian conditions
• Numb driving feel. Not as dynamically accomplished as the Europeans either
• Only D2 segment sedan without a sunroof

2013 Review Link

[GTO]

Thread moved from the Assembly Line to the What Car Section. Thanks for sharing! My pick is the Passat. Copying my post from the Passat review thread here.

Originally Posted by GTO

I didn't expect it to, but the Passat left quite a positive impression on me after I took it out for a drive. This is a full-size luxury sedan and, as Ajmat said elsewhere, why would anyone buy an Audi over this (similar to A4 vs Jetta / Octavia). I think the Passat is an incredibly elegant car on the outside & inside, both. The build quality is SOLID - far more than I've experienced in any MQB car. Was also pleasantly surprised as to how aggressively the DSG is tuned; it was allowing me downshifts even at higher rpm levels. Liked the suspension and love the fact that it gets adjustable damping (although you can expect seriously expensive suspension jobs in the future).

I'd pick this over the Superb as the Skoda feels like a long limousine to me, it doesn't get the adjustable dampers & I'd much rather deal with VW dealers than Skoda's. Found the Passat "tighter" to drive than the limo too. I like the new Superb's styling, yet not as much as I was drooling over the VW's. On the other hand, if I were a chauffeur-driven owner, I'd pick the Camry Hybrid which IMHO still offers the best backseat experience.

All this doesn't make a difference though. Due to the lack of a "badge", its styling (which many will find boring) and the fact that the 'Superb' is better established in India than the 'Passat' (which has been a consistent failure), this car won't go too far. My Jetta-driving brother was very impressed with the Passat, but when I asked him if he'd upgrade to it, pat comes the reply = NO. If & when he upgrades, it'll be to the Audi / BMW / Mercedes family.

Still, one heck of a sedan . Loved it.

P.S. Friendly Mod Aditya also drove it, fell in love with it and was one of the few BHPians to vote for it in the Team-BHP COTY.

[V.Narayan]

My vote is for the Camry. I speak from experience having owned a Superb from 2010 to 2017 and a Camry from 2006 to date (and a Laura for about 8 years, earlier on). Owning a car in my opinion is a holistic experience covering many aspects - driving dynamics, rear seat comfort, practicalness vis a vis the uses and needs of the owner, reliability of the car, ease and convenience of after sales service, down time versus up time, how well it wears, frequency and trouble of breakdowns, quality of interiors and for many F.E. Keeping all these factors as they weigh out over 7 to 10 years I would place my money on the Camry. The Superb or Passat might have better acceleration or turning grip or torque. I don't know about others but less than 0.25% of my cars mileage is used in gripping turns or throttling off at a traffic light - others I can understand may have differing patterns. Frankly there wasn't much to choose between the two where engine and power was concerned. My old Camry which is still earning its keep the engine I think is in the ~130 bhp* range and the old Superb was I think 150-160 bhp*. The Superb accelerated bit better like an arrow and the Camry had a superior & softer rear seat ride. The Superb's interiors were better. For overall aggravation free super reliable service I would pick the Camry. The new Passat looks beautiful what with those diamond tear drop looks of its front lights but VW service and spare part availability (for the slow selling Passat) will need to improve for the car to win. I have no doubt that the Passat must be a delight to drive.
* these are approximations from memory

[roby_dk]

Superb for me.

Passat is quite understated thus missing that bling factor. Camry would be my second choice due to the hybrid technology but it seems to be overpriced now. Superb ticks almost all boxes other than the horrible skoda ASS.

[R2D2]

I am also in the process of evaluating a new car and this poll is pretty easy to answer as the very same thoughts have crossed my mind. Included in my thoughts are the 3/A4/C from the Big 3 but I'll restrict myself to the cars that are the subject of this thread.

I'll keep it simple. That Superb is well, a head turner, it looks really sharp, more glamorous better than the upmarket sister the Audi A6 too! It's one heck of a good looking car and has made me turn around and look at it multiple times whenever I've seen it on the road. Ironically though the VW is positioned as a higher end/premium marque it looks like the least glam sister of the VAG cars that share the same platform. The VW Passat? I really like this car too. She's no head turner like that Superb. Both EU cars will give you loads of driving pleasure, But the BIGGEST drawback of both these cars are the ASCs, low ownership experience scores topped off by iffy DSGs and when you choose to part with it, the comparatively low resale values.

Now the staid Toyota Camry - the plain Jane of the group but the one that will stand by you through thick and thin come rain, wind or sunshine, over decades of you choose to keep it that long. Indian culture being what it is, we are born to think frugally by default, and love well engineered fuel efficient Jap cars and Toyota is one company that carries a reputation in this country (and across the world) for reliability and top notch after sales. And this I say from a nearly 12 year long ownership experience of 2 Corollas. I frankly do not like temperamental vehicles. I ain't getting any younger and being aware my boy racer days are long gone I've begun to value comfort, reliability and after sales as primary factors. Yeah, I really do need that peace-of-mind experience. So yes, if had to choose between these D2 cars:

a) Camry
b) Superb (1.8 TSI)
c) Passat lack of a petrol engine puts this one down at #3.

Which ever one I buy it'll probably be my last ICE/hybrid car. I look forward to the dawn of EVs on our roads.

[libranof1987]

If only the Camry (rather, Toyotas in general) had better styling, it'd be the undisputed pick: reliability, safety and convenience all rolled into one. But, the Camry's looks just don't cut it for me.

Unless the use of the car is to ferry the saheb (then I'd pick the Camry), I'd chose the Superb. I love the subtleness of the Passat much more but a) prefer the petrol, b) economics

Also, this thread is a gentle reminder to the German 3. They need to price their cars more realistically because there's enough quality products in the same segment as their offerings that are much better value for money. Given how common place the German 3 are soon becoming, there's only so much their brand pull will do.

[blackwasp]

Voted for the Camry. Out of these 3, the Hybrid Camry is the pick for me. Toyota reliability, ride comfort and the best back seat of the three. Yes, it might be a bit boring to drive, but that's more than made-up with the Toyota reliability and other factors. I prefer to keep the cars for a long time and I'm not yet confident of the Germans post year 5.

[Santoshbhat]

Voted for the Passat.

My reasons for picking Passat over the Superb

1. Superb 1.8 TSI AT would have been my pick , but for the dreaded 7 speed DQ200.
2. When it comes to the diesels, Passat gives me adaptive dampers and some nice features like 360 deg cameras
3. Better looking car

Reasons for not picking the Camry

1. Hybrid too expensive
2. Unexciting. Dull driving experience is a put off.

[lamborghini]

I've voted for the Passat - it feels the most special to sit in out of all of these cars, and IMO unless you really need the extra legroom - the Passat is much easier to pilot around town.

The Superb and Camry are runners up - Superb if you want a diesel to be driven around in, and the Camry if your running doesn't justify a diesel. Both are excellent chauffeur driven vehicles - IMO the Camry being a little more robust and better suited to the chauffeur experience.

[ajmat]

The Passat for me. The high speed stability, DCC and well crafted interiors did it for me.

Will hate the depreciation though!

[anandpadhye]

If you don't look back at your car after you have parked it, you have got the wrong one

Skoda Superb for me - all the way.

just look at the 3 photos in the opening post, can't take my eyes of the Superb. Passat is boring and Camry ugly! Also, Superb is the only one that offers the lovely TSi engine

[Nikhilb2008]

As a driver it would have to be one of the two European cars but someone in this segment is typically looking at the rear seat. Not only that, a typical middle aged or older executive doesnt want to worry about service and related stuff.

The Toyota Camry is the best at that. It's a buy it and forget it car. I know someone who has a Camry and he gets double digit mileage in the city and 20+ on a relaxed cruise on the highway.

The comfort is also exceptional and the reclining seats are amazing.

Most of the disadvantages of the Camry are related to price. And if you get past that, it's amazing. It's expensive because repair bills will be lower and generally be far more reliable.

Lack of a sunroof is a good hting in my opinion. I wonder how many people with sunroofs actually use it! In our conditions, it's just a quicker way of getting the interior of your car dusty.

[Varun_HexaGuy]

Some might think that I'm insane but this is what I am. For the first time ever, I've voted a VW over a Skoda and to be specific I picked up a Passat over a Superb! Okay let's not exaggerate. I personally experienced this car in a recent Auto expo in my city and also personally visited a Volkswagen showroom nearby just to have a glance and feel of the car (that good the car is!).

How my love for the Passat started :
It was mid-November I guess, I was glancing over YouTube and a notification comes in. It was a notification about AutoCar uploading a drive report of some car (yeah I really didn't give it much of a notice!) and then tapped on the notification and the review starts. It was on the Passat. At the first glance, I fell head over heels for the understated and conservative looks it offers (my dad still thinks as to how I agreed onto the Hexa) and showed it to my dad. Then we both were watching the review together and I personally was loving the interior of the Passat (talk of attention-to-detail). "Ze Germans know a thing or two about Attention-to-detail, isn't it?" I felt. At the end of the review was really impressed with the car and a question was running in my computer, "It's a great package, but is the car capable enough to take on the mighty superb?" Well that question remained a question till I visited the 2017 HYD Auto Expo on December 4th.

The first impressions :
Just done exploring the Lexus NX300h and it's other siblings, made my way to the stall of Volkswagen where the only car put up on display was the Passat. The stall kinda looked deserted with only a handful of people checking her out. On the other hand, the Skoda's stall was seeing a lot of footfall with the Kodiaq, Octavia and Superb on display. So made an entry into the stall of Volkswagen and the SA there and I exchanged pleasantries and we soon got into business. In the meantime, dad came to the stall and told the SA about my fascination in cars. So the SA seemed knowledgeable about the product and lo and behold! I was taken away by the way the Passat looked.

Since the new Passat is based on the MQB platform, I didn't expect the built quality to be up with the old Passat but the built quality of the new Passat did impress me in the other way. When the built quality of the Superb felt like more of an Octavia, the Passat felt a bit ahead when compared to the superb.

In-terms of finesse, the car impressed me a lot and the wow factor when I got in the first time was there (which wasn't there when I got into the superb for the first time BTW!). The controls fell easy from the driver seat (talk about perfect ergonomics you see). The controls also felt good and tactile to use too and the quality of the switchgear in some places felt really great.

Even though I knew what VW was offering under-the-hood, just to ask the SA, I asked him what all engine and gearbox options are on offer. To which he replied a 2.0 TDI has made its way onto the new Passat as well mated to a much reliable DQ250 wet clutch 6-speed DSG gearbox. IMO, the 2.0 TDI and the 6-speed DSG combo has proved itself to be relatively reliable when compared to the 1.8 TSI and the 7-speed DSG (the notorious DQ200) combo. Sadly, the explosive 1.8 TSI isn't offered as an option too. But the torquey 2.0 TDI is a no-brainer for me IMO.

Also the Passat gets adjustable damping while it's sibling, Superb doesn't get one. Keep aside the expensive replacement costs, the ride quality felt plush all thanks to this.

Final Take : For me, it's the Passat all over despite its slightly expensive price tag. It's appealing to both my head and my heart and if a time comes to pick up either the Superb or the Passat, I'd pick up the Passat over the Superb with my eyes closed.

P.S : I'm damn sure that I can't live with a hybrid. Hence, the Camry doesn't even make it into my consideration list.

[Equus]

Originally Posted by V.Narayan

For overall aggravation free super reliable service I would pick the Camry.

Exactly my thoughts! From an overall ownership experience spread over 5-7 years, its Camry all the way! The looks have also gotten better, although the previous generation was a lot more cool too.

[PrideRed]

Never witnessed such a close battle . Voted for Camry mainly because these cars are not meant to be pushed through corners. These are long,wide cars with lot of focus on rear seat comfort. These cars are meant to carry saheb with utmost comfort and peace of mind. And to me Camry does the best here. Had it been a segment lower-Octavia vs Jetta vs Corolla, I would have picked up Octavia simply because this is a segment where I expect the cars to be involving to drive.