[fordfreak]

Originally Posted by itwasntme

Shouldn't the road tax and registration amount be commensurately lower if the ex-showroom price itself is lowered instead of a discount?

That's how it should be. Will find out tomorrow when the sales guy comes over to negotiate the deal. Lets see what happens.

[fordfreak]

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

Ended up getting a pretty good deal on the car. Stuff like the regular discount, corporate discount, loyalty bonus, exchange bonus, etc., was included. Planning to get finance and insurance done from outside as it's working out to be significantly cheaper while providing the same coverage and terms as the policy from VW.

The TCS was calculated on the reduced ex-showroom price, but the road tax & insurance was calculated on the full price. Didn't quite understand this.

Looking at a 3 - 4 week wait period till delivery. Apparently (according to my sales executive) my car will be the first Pyrite Silver Passat in Kolkata. Surprising they haven't sold a single one in that shade yet!

[pnredkar]

Please check the road tax part again. The back of the envelope price calculation given to me here in Bangalore involved a reduction in road tax also.

[coolmind]

Originally Posted by Gannu_1

The Smaller yet Significant Things

The driver-side ORVM dims automatically in conjunction with the IRVM to reduce glare from trailing headlights:
Attachment 1700893

I could see a small mirror portion on the ORVM (to the right)? Is it a light?
What's the purpose of it?

[itwasntme]

Originally Posted by coolmind

I could see a small mirror portion on the ORVM (to the right)? Is it a light?
What's the purpose of it?

I have the same feature on my Octavia too.

Essentially, it is the inner side of the LED turn indicator located on the outside of the mirror housing. It is useful for the driver to know that the the indicator is blinking and also warns bikers who are close alongside on that side of the vehicle.

Originally Posted by fordfreak

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

Looking at a 3 - 4 week wait period till delivery. Apparently (according to my sales executive) my car will be the first Pyrite Silver Passat in Kolkata. Surprising they haven't sold a single one in that shade yet!

Got your car yet? Pictures and initial feedback please!

[redcruiser]

Originally Posted by itwasntme

I have the same feature on my Octavia too.

Essentially, it is the inner side of the LED turn indicator located on the outside of the mirror housing. It is useful for the driver to know that the the indicator is blinking and also warns bikers who are close alongside on that side of the vehicle.

I think its a common feature in all the VW cars. Even my Polo has this feature. Quite an useful one I must say.

[fordfreak]

Originally Posted by itwasntme

Got your car yet? Pictures and initial feedback please!

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.

Car was delivered on time, but I still haven't gotten my accessories (rubber mats and rubber boot mat). Only have numerous apologies from the dealer so far with no committed arrival date.

Moving onto the car, below are my likes & dislikes. Apparently, my car is the very first 'Pyrite Silver' Passat in Kolkata. Surprising this hasn't sold more. Attaching a couple of pictures I clicked at the time of delivery.

Please feel free to ask any specific question if you like. I'll do my best to answer it. Apologies if I have missed anything out.

Likes:-

• Engine - Powerful and torquey engine accelerates really well and is a joy to drive.
• Practicality - Very spacious and practical car. Enough storage spaces inside the cabin and the boot (568 L) can swallow a herd of elephants!
• Features - Loaded to the gills with features. Sunroof, heated + ventilated seats, 360 deg. camera, auto-park, electric open + close boot, electric fold +adjust ORVMs, Apple Carplay + Android Auto, TPMS, etc. You name it, the Passat has it!
• Design - I love the understated and mature design of the Passat. Very elegant IMHO.
• Headlamps - Light up the road ahead brilliantly. The dipper seems to be too bright though.
• Size - Doesn't feel as large as it is. Surprisingly very nimble even in city traffic conditions.

Dislikes:-

• Suspension noise - The suspension can be heard loud and clear while at work. This can get annoying.
• Cabin insulation - Could have been better as the engine is quite audible inside the cabin.e
• Dealer - Same old story with delays, etc. Got to grin and bear it after a point.
• Ride - It feels a bit firmer than ideal. Tyre pressure is maintained at 41 Psi. I think the ride quality of my Altis has really spoilt me!
• VW Connect (not really related to the car) - The app isn't has good as Honda Connect, but it does provide some information which isn't available on Honda Connect. Not that big an issue but room for improvement.

[itwasntme]

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.

Likes:-

• Engine - Powerful and torquey engine accelerates really well and is a joy to drive.
• Practicality - Very spacious and practical car. Enough storage spaces inside the cabin and the boot (568 L) can swallow a herd of elephants!
• Features - Loaded to the gills with features. Sunroof, heated + ventilated seats, 360 deg. camera, auto-park, electric open + close boot, electric fold +adjust ORVMs, Apple Carplay + Android Auto, TPMS, etc. You name it, the Passat has it!
• Design - I love the understated and mature design of the Passat. Very elegant IMHO.
• Headlamps - Light up the road ahead brilliantly. The dipper seems to be too bright though.
• Size - Doesn't feel as large as it is. Surprisingly very nimble even in city traffic conditions.

Dislikes:-

• Suspension noise - The suspension can be heard loud and clear while at work. This can get annoying.
• Cabin insulation - Could have been better as the engine is quite audible inside the cabin.e
• Ride - It feels a bit firmer than ideal. Tyre pressure is maintained at 41 Psi. I think the ride quality of my Altis has really spoilt me!

Amazing looks and your likes are spot-on, many thanks! I also took along the family to see a white and blue Passat HL in BLR - they were also floored by its magnificence :-).

However, surprised to hear the ride is too firm and suspension noisy. Tyre pressure at 41 psi seems too high - is it correct? Further, check the DCC settings and choose Comfort for CCU roads with the manholes and tramlines.

Did you decode the VIN and get the manufacturing date? I am keen to know if if VW is assembling them strictly on firm order basis. Sounds like it given the waiting time for you.

[fordfreak]

Originally Posted by itwasntme

I also took along the family to see a white and blue Passat HL

However, surprised to hear the ride is too firm and suspension noisy. Tyre pressure at 41 psi seems too high - is it correct? Further, check the DCC settings and choose Comfort for CCU roads with the manholes and tramlines.

Did you decode the VIN and get the manufacturing date? I am keen to know if if VW is assembling them strictly on firm order basis. Sounds like it given the waiting time for you.

The blue shade looks very nice as well!

I got the tyre pressure figure off the recommended figure shown on the TPMS menu on normal setting (There are 3 settings - comfort, normal and fully loaded). And yes, I've got the DCC set to comfort. I will probably lower the pressures to the comfort setting and see if things improve. As of now the car is sublime on smooth surfaces but crashes through potholes and imperfections on the road.

Regarding the VIN / manufacturing date - It is a May 2018 manufactured car. I only checked after delivery, so can't really do anything about that now. Totally my fault. Plus, I hadn't specified that I wanted a newly manufactured car. I was a little disappointed in getting an 'older' car, but everything works well so I've moved on to enjoying the car and not grumbling. Looks like VW have some amount of stock built up at their plant.

[lamborghini]

Originally Posted by fordfreak

The blue shade looks very nice as well!
And yes, I've got the DCC set to comfort. I will probably lower the pressures to the comfort setting and see if things improve. As of now the car is sublime on smooth surfaces but crashes through potholes and imperfections on the road.

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!

[Thad E Ginathom]

What a lovely car. Despite being derided for setting my fantasy sights too low, rather than on something really exotic and expensive, The Passat was actually my dream car for quite a while.

Hired a few, a decade or two ago, for holidays in England.

[dark.knight]

Originally Posted by fordfreak

Dislikes:-[list][*]Suspension noise - The suspension can be heard loud and clear while at work. This can get annoying.[*]Cabin insulation - Could have been better as the engine is quite audible inside the cabin.e [*]Dealer - Same old story with delays, etc. Got to grin and bear it after a point.[*]Ride - It feels a bit firmer than ideal. Tyre pressure is maintained at 41 Psi. I think the ride quality of my Altis has really spoilt me!

Nailed it, just what I felt after having driven every VW group car ever, from Audi, Skoda & VW.. rock hard suspension, some have rock hard seats as well. I used the exact word to describe high speed travel (80+), sublime, but under regular city roads the suspension thuds, crashes and the car is all over the place. Its a choice I guess, like drinking coffee black and without sugar, I prefer mine creamy and loaded with sugar.

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.

I remember riding in German sedans of yore including the E90 3, they were not this uncomfortable, these days with the growing alloy size and suspensions with literally no springs with very little re-coil, they are quite uncomfortable 99% of the time.

[itwasntme]

Originally Posted by dark.knight

Nailed it, just what I felt after having driven every VW group car ever, from Audi, Skoda & VW.. rock hard suspension, some have rock hard seats as well. I used the exact word to describe high speed travel (80+), sublime, but under regular city roads the suspension thuds, crashes and the car is all over the place.

Normally I would agree except on 2 counts:

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

Secondly, the VAG generic ride may be harsh but not 'all over the place'. My Octavia with the multi-link suspension has a superb ride and is at it's best on IN B-roads or SHs where there is a lot of scope to get it badly wrong at speed. I routinely drive at +30% on the same road where my Cruze LT would have been unsafe.

[dark.knight]

Originally Posted by itwasntme

Secondly, the VAG generic ride may be harsh but not 'all over the place'. My Octavia with the multi-link suspension has a superb ride and is at it's best on IN B-roads or SHs where there is a lot of scope to get it badly wrong at speed. I routinely drive at +30% on the same road where my Cruze LT would have been unsafe.

I will not disagree with your opinion because it is your experience and each driver has been habituated a certain way I guess, my friend is an ultra VW-fan and he loves the ride quality in them and cannot feel at home inside any other vehicle.

By all over the place I didn't mean the car slips and slides but rather the way in which cars like the Yeti and Q3 just drop at the slightest undulation and the thud comes in with a hard-ish jerk, that is what I mean.. they do not iron out the undulations by any means and the slower one goes the worse off it gets. Not sure if the Q3 has multi-link but the Jetta did have, again it is slightly hard at low speeds and wobbles in a hard way (not due to lack of balance, though).

I come from city-tuned cars as far as ownership goes and I guess I'm restricted to my experiences thus far too, the Elantra simply irons out anything in sight at low speeds, no sounds, no wobbles and I've rode over 4-5 inch deep and 6-8 feet long abraded roads, nary a thing felt. High speed ride is fair too, though I haven't crossed the legal limit and perhaps I never will.

I'm not saying its a minus at all, VW cars are well built, feature loaded, and are highway cruisers.. built for Autobahns, but I guess for my strictly city needs, they are a bit harsh.

[Thad E Ginathom]

Originally Posted by dark.knight

rock hard seats

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.