[dark.knight]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

Every Skoda I have travelled in has really hard seats. I am old enough to remember the pre-VAG days when Skoda was considered a bad joke, but I don't remember if it was the case way back then. I think so.

Completely agree. I felt perhaps, that the Germans have a lot more cushion under their skin and since they are significantly heavier people than say a typical Indian like me with a bony behind and poor posture, I am unable to contour properly into Skoda seats, had a long ride in one and I had unbelievable back-pain afterwards.. this for someone who has no back problems whatsoever.

Audi seats are soft, glad they got that figured out. With VW it depends, mostly the seats with horizontal lines going across them upholstry wise, are guaranteed to feel like granite.

[Thad E Ginathom]

Originally Posted by dark.knight

Completely agree. I felt perhaps, that the Germans have a lot more cushion under their skin ...

But I don't include VW and Audi in that. Have always found them comfortable. And I have very little "in-body cushioning"

Back in the day of Skoda-the-butt-of-jokes, I found sub-joke Lada more comfortable. In fact, I rather liked their upright seats.

Sorry, fordfreak, for this diversion. I was never uncomfortable in a Passat!

[fordfreak]

Originally Posted by lamborghini

The Comfort tyre pressures are significantly lower than in Normal mode.

In the Tiguan, we've kept the tyre pressure a point higher than recommended in Comfort mode, and the ride is significantly better! Do give it a shot, I am confident a bulk of your ride quality issues will be resolved!

Originally Posted by dark.knight

Reducing tyre pressure should surely help, but the engine noise and thuds may not disappear anytime soon, even the Audi Q3 had a very very noisy suspension.

Originally Posted by itwasntme

First, the Passat has DCC. Should not the Comfort setting iron out the harsh ride?

Reducing the tyre pressures and setting DCC to 'comfort' has helped significantly. Some of the countless imperfections on the road do still filter through, but things are more than acceptable now. Given how pathetic Kolkata roads have become, I would need to buy a Rolls Royce to be 100% satisfied. I am certain I would not be complaining if I was driving around in Mumbai, Delhi, etc.

I've set the pressures to 37 Psi now (comfort setting on the TPMS recommends 36 Psi). Suspension noise is still there, but that is something I lived with in my previous Passat too; so no big deal for me.

Originally Posted by itwasntme

Secondly, the VAG generic ride may be harsh but not 'all over the place'.

Ride quality on the Passat is firm, but not all over the place. The car feels confident when pushed hard too. It isn't a corner carver like an Octavia or a BMW 3 Series, but the handling is more than good. It is a bit numb, but nothing unsafe, scary or all over the place. Comfort at higher speeds is something in which the Passat excels.

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

Sorry, fordfreak, for this diversion. I was never uncomfortable in a Passat!

I was following the discussion regarding the rock-hard seats, but I personally find the seats on my Passat to be very comfortable. They are well contoured, slightly firmly cushioned (good!) and easy to get comfortable in. Yes, seats on VAG vehicles are on the firmer side, but I prefer that to those being overly soft.

[Zahir]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

Every Skoda I have travelled in has really hard seats. I am old enough to remember the pre-VAG days when Skoda was considered a bad joke, but I don't remember if it was the case way back then. I think so.

Agreed but it’s not limited to Skoda. My Jetta had terribly hard seats, so does my new Superb. Of the family, my Audi has the most comfortable seats and not just acceptable but actually comfortable.

[lamborghini]

Originally Posted by fordfreak

I've set the pressures to 37 Psi now (comfort setting on the TPMS recommends 36 Psi). Suspension noise is still there, but that is something I lived with in my previous Passat too; so no big deal for me.

That is still surprisingly high! I have a feeling 32-33PSI would be ideal for the car in terms of city ride quality.

In the Tiguan with 18" wheels, the comfort setting is 33PSI.

I for one hate this new system VW has incorporated in all their new cars to monitor tyre pressure - which each mode having different pressures, and all pressures being on the higher side.
In the tiguan 33PSI is recommended, but 1PSI lower will see a warning, even though it is an acceptable tyre pressure keeping comfort in mind without risking safety.

In comparison my Merc, BMW, etc. just give a tyre pressure warning when it falls too low (27 PSI) which is much easier to live with as you can adjust the pressure depending on the road conditions, etc.

[theMandarin]

Originally Posted by fordfreak

Yup! I took delivery on the 12th of December. Haven't had a chance to put too many kilometers on the ODO (currently at a little above 400 KM) yet as I have been travelling, nor have I had the chance to take proper pictures.[/list]

Congratulations @fordfreak on your new ride . I feel this is the most suited color for this car that is on offer here in India at the moment.

Here's a question to you and other members on the forum. Is the engine being offered here compliant with Euro 6 norms or does it conform to an earlier standard (probably Euro 4) ?

I think the state of tune being offered here is not available in the EU.

[kslives]

Originally Posted by adi_petrolhead

I think if you're considering buying the Passat as a replacement to the Jetta, you should wait for the facelift in 2019. It should get a few more goodies and initial issues if any should be sorted out.

Is it confirmed that a facelift is coming to India in 2019? I’m about to buy a new Passat so need to know this for sure so that I delay my decision. Thanks

[itwasntme]

Originally Posted by fordfreak

So I've ended up booking a Passat HL in Pyrite Silver!

Hey, hope all well with the car?! Lots more pictures eagerly awaited. Plus a mini ownership review maybe?

[anandpadhye]

Originally Posted by itwasntme

Hey, hope all well with the car?! Lots more pictures eagerly awaited. Plus a mini ownership review maybe?

Go for the 330i while it's still available, trust me you will have fun. That engine is mad. I know Passat/Superb are far more VFM and practical but then when will we have fun, right?

[itwasntme]

Originally Posted by anandpadhye

Go for the 330i while it's still available, trust me you will have fun. That engine is mad. I know Passat/Superb are far more VFM and practical but then when will we have fun, right?

Anand, assume you are more or less sleeping in the car as well last few nights . Need lots more pictures and a mini or full thread from you!

Finances and usage the issue. Need to maintain 2 'premium' cars due to the nature of our jobs. As a result, cannot justify in my head to splurge 50+ L on only my toy plus possibly high maintenance costs.

I also drive 70+ km workdays in terrible BLR office commute. We also visit various malls, Commercial Street, Brigade Road alternative weekends. I have never babied my vehicles so can I really have peace of mind with that expensive a vehicle?

Hence, largely 'reconciled' to a (remapped) Superb, Passat or possibly a vRS. When I say reconciled, I also mean that I have always been in love with full-size sedans so it will also be the culmination of a dream.

I was instead telling wifey that let's wait till the kids leave the nest, have a mid/senior-life crisis, and buy a Polo GTI or a Mini Cooper S JCW Edition or suchlike. Ensure only 2 usable seats to avoid kids piling in

[anandpadhye]

Originally Posted by itwasntme

Anand, assume you are more or less sleeping in the car as well last few nights . Need lots more pictures and a mini or full thread from you!

Finances and usage the issue. Need to maintain 2 'premium' cars due to the nature of our jobs. As a result, cannot justify in my head to splurge 50+ L on only my toy plus possibly high maintenance costs.

Thanks, will surely write a review.
Yes, the high maintenance is definitely a bother. Given my 1.8 TSI Laura did not need any maintenance other than routine oil change service and 1 brake pad change in 9 years, it makes me sad to see the costs mentioned on BMW threads. Very unfair!

[kslives]

Just bought my new VW Passat Highline Connect (Black Oak Brown) on 25th Jan!

[itwasntme]

Super! Now we can look forward to pictures of a Pyrite Silver and a Black Oak Brown. Congratulations on the buy.

[fordfreak]

Originally Posted by itwasntme

Hey, hope all well with the car?! Lots more pictures eagerly awaited. Plus a mini ownership review maybe?

Hey! The car is doing well. I've only put about 900 KMs on it so far. Had a lot of travelling through January, so barely got time to enjoy it.

I will be clicking a few pictures this Sunday hopefully. My sales person has asked for pictures of my car to show potential customers, apparently since mine is currently the only Pyrite Silver Passat in Kolkata.

I'll try to post updates once in a while on this thread for the benefit of the members, but I doubt I'll get enough time to maintain a dedicated thread as I had for my previous Passat. Of course, I will put up a mini-review once I put a few more kilometers on the car.

Edit: Adding a few low-quality images of the car for the time being.

[Mtv]

Originally Posted by fordfreak

Hey! The car is doing well. I've only put about 900 KMs on it so far. Had a lot of travelling through January, so barely got time to enjoy it.

I will be clicking a few pictures this Sunday hopefully. My sales person has asked for pictures of my car to show potential customers, apparently since mine is currently the only Pyrite Silver Passat in Kolkata.

I'll try to post updates once in a while on this thread for the benefit of the members, but I doubt I'll get enough time to maintain a dedicated thread as I had for my previous Passat. Of course, I will put up a mini-review once I put a few more kilometers on the car.

Edit: Adding a few low-quality images of the car for the time being.

Car looks amazing in that shade of silver and I've seen only one of these on the road so far

The old Passat was a hard act to follow, I doubt you'd have been satisfied with any other option

Wish you many happy miles bro, congratulations