[motomaverick]

Hello all, it's been many many months that I have posted anything in Team-bhp. There are a couple of reasons for that and the biggest was our migration to the Maple country i.e. Canada at the beginning of this year.

Landed in this vast country in the month of Feb'19 right in the middle of one of the heaviest snowfalls. The car was a far fetched dream then. Having hunted for a job using public transport it was getting increasingly frustrating to waste so much time travelling. On one hand a distance of 20 km can be covered by car in 15 mins whereas I had to keep a minimum buffer of 1.30 hours using public transport.

Finally, after the snow melted and summer descended on this beautiful land I found an opportunity to look for a car. Having no previous driving experience in North America, it was a bit hard to learn all the nuances of road usage. I am in Ontario so I had to go through their graduated drivers' license program. Once I got my G2 level license I could zero in on a car.

I had no checklist and was not looking for a new car. It always looked prudent to me to get a used car, get experienced with it and then move on to buying a new car.

Search:
Understanding the Canadian used car market takes time, here just like India the market is more or less unorganized but most of the dealers are more reliable than private customer especially when it comes to German cars. I got to learn that there is something called CarFax report which gives you some sort of a picture but it should not be considered as the bible, so I relied mostly on my experience of buying 3 used cars in India.

I had no specific models in mind but I was advised to stay away from Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla, and Nissan Rogue mainly due to insurance being super high for these cars. They are sold more, hence, more accidents and thefts. In Canada just like the US, the insurance is basis the driving record of the person buying it, the car in question and the location a person is staying.

Coming to the odometer readings, even here in Canada rewindings take place especially on Beemers and Audi's so here Carfax report comes in handy. But buying a car that has done 100K on the odo is pretty common as the distances are quite high. So I was pretty comfortable if I got a car that had done less than 150K km.

Some of the cars looked at generally:

1. Toyota Camry Hybrid
Reason for looking at hybrids is getting good gas mileage. Most of the cars sold here run on gas, exceptions being Germans and trucks from RAM or Chevrolet. But there were hardly any good ones in the market. Plus the looks of the Camry sold before 2018 is pretty lousy.

2. Honda Accord
Again I was looking at the hybrid variety of Honda Accord but whatever they sold before 2018 the battery would eat up luggage space. I almost finalized a normal naturally aspirated Accord from 2016 but the vehicle had a case of rear-ending and hence discarded it.

3. VW Jetta
Most of the Jetta's sold here in Canada comes in two varieties 1.4 TSI and 2.0 TDI both with 150 HP. But again the Jetta sold here is as spacious as the Vento and I didn't want to buy a compact car, I was interested in a full sedan.

The car:
So finally out of the blue, I bumped onto a Black VW Passat 2016 model. Boy, it was like love at first sight for the 2nd time after my better half i.e. The car looked manly from the front and it was in the same class as the Camry and Accord. So here I present to you the car that finally became our first in Canada



Volkswagen Passat 2016 1.8 TSI Highline


The long full sedan side profile


The lovely front 3 quarter profile, its not a she its a He

Price Breakdown
Car price with tax: $13555
1-year 3rd party unlimited km warranty: $1100
(Engine, transmission, turbo)
License plate: $200
Total Price for Car: 14855

Over an above the price of the car I need to pay around $320 insurance per month


What I like:

• A clean and evergreen look, with a robust, abuse-friendly build.
• The 1.8 TSI gem of an engine which produces 170 HP and 250 Nm torque
• Nice & roomy cabin. 1st & 2nd seat rows are spacious, while the driver seat has nice bolstering
• Compliant ride quality with neutral road manners and excellent NVH
• One of the best OEM sound system from Fender audio with 8 speaker system including SiriusXM satellite radio
• Safety features such as all-wheel disc with ABS and EBD, traction control, Isofix, front brake assist with autonomous emergency braking (collision mitigation), and 8 airbags including side curtain.
• Convenient features such as adaptive cruise control, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, sunroof, reverse camera, auto headlamps, heated wiper water, rain-sensing wipers, and android auto & apple carplay.

What I did not like:

• The touch screen infotainment is slightly lethargic and sometimes acts up when connecting Android auto
• 1.8 TSI could have been provided with the faster DSG rather than the torque converter as this transmission is notchy and slow.
• Projector headlight should have been present at least in the Highline variant, it is only available in exceline variant.
• Lane assist is missing as this feature is present in the lower variant Civic.

The badge that really matters

[motomaverick]

Owning and driving experience so far

I started writing this ownership when I had driven around 3500 km but at the time of publishing its run for 5800 kms. It has been a very rewarding experience driving this car. When two strangers comment on how nice the car looks certainly tells about the timeless design these Germans make.

Engine performance & driveability:
The 1.8 TSI engine is very versatile and there can be no two ways about it. Its a turbocharged 170 hp with 250 Nm torque mated to a conventional torque converter. I am not sure but probably its the same engine that the Skoda Octavia 1.8 TSI sold in India. Because of the high torque, the engine can pull the car effortlessly. The turbocharger certainly helps when on the motorways as the car can keep up with most of the cars here. The engine does not have any lag and is a very silent performer. Revs freely to 4500 to 5500 RPM. Due to its torquey nature, it becomes effortless to drive this car in urban conditions, especially here in North America where we need to constantly stop and move a laggy engine will certainly bog us down.


The lovely TSI engine, its in fact a very clean and well laid out bay


They have even covered up the battery, not sure if its functional


Yes there is a protective cover below the engine sump but its hard plastic


Though the bonnet is not so heavy VW has given a single gas strut

The adaptive cruise control is another added bonus on this car as it improves motorway driveability immensely. We just need to set the desired speed and distance and the car is able to match the speed of the vehicle in the front right up to the point of coming to a halt and then picking up speed again. It is the first time for me using this feature and I just love having it when on the highways.


The blindspot monitor in action

The fuel efficiency is also acceptable for a car that weighs 1500 kg. On cruise mode at around 130 kph, I have got around 20-22 kpl on-dash displayed mileage. I would take that any day as even my diesel Fiat was not able to give such a mileage. The highest mileage I have got as per the onboard computer is 27 kpl. If I remember correctly I was driving at 100 kph for almost 20-30 km.

Transmission
As mentioned previously in my dislikes the transmission certainly does not suit the car. Its pretty jerky lower down the gear in slow speed. But somehow VW has been able to mask it nicely as the response times are pretty quick. They have also given a Sports mode where the throttle response and gear changes change the complexion of the car. It becomes more lively and very eager to downshift or hold a gear for a longer time. During normal city traffic, the car changes gears without anyone noticing the shifts. Sometimes the transmission almost feels like a DSG but then its lousiness comes out when pushed.


The normal torque converter, missing the DSG

Ride & Handling
The ride is pretty compliant and the potholes especially the uneven manholes do not bother the car. The car comes with independent suspension on all corners with the rear being multi-link with stabilizers. What this ensures is the passengers are not jerked around on bad roads. In terms of handling, I would say it is not the best but not the worst as well. It certainly isn't in the same league as the Fiat Linea but its not bad as my previous Manza. Sweeping curves can be taken at higher than indicated speeds easily though the car loses composure on wavy roads when the rear bouncing more than I would have liked.

Noise, vibration and harshness:
No complaints on this front. VW has done a fabulous job of screwing together this car and even after so many km's on the odo there aren't any noises from the car. Once the windows are rolled up the NVH levels are fabulous and it is able to cut out most of the outside noise. I would partly attribute it to the thicker windows that companies need to put in cars sold here in Canada. Also, as previously mentioned due to independent suspension setup the harshness is not present in the car.


Pretty good insulated heat shield also helps in reducing noise

Braking & Safety:
The car comes with 4-wheel disc setup with ABS, EBD and traction control. This setup makes it pretty efficient in braking. The onboard autonomous braking system certainly helps in the job of stopping safely as it adds much-needed force if we as humans lack during emergencies. This has happened to me once on the motorway. With the constant stop and go traffic one time there was a sudden stop and though I was maintaining a safe distance the speed was a little higher. The onboard system instantly kicked in with beeps and along with my foot on the brake pedal, I could feel the car also making sure it stops safely.

Apart from the above, this variant comes loaded with 8 airbags including side curtain airbags, hill hold, blindspot monitoring, and rear cross-traffic monitoring. The really like the latter two features as it aids immensely during everyday driving. With constant lane changing required on the highways or city roads, the blindspot indicator helps to identify cars in my blindspot easily. The rear cross-traffic helps when reversing out of a parking spot, there is a loud beep that is heard if there are any pedestrians or cars passing behind while on the reverse.






Entertainment
This particular variant of the Passat in North America comes with the Fender audio system. This system includes eight speakers and a subwoofer along with the 400-watt amplifier.*I am just glad to have found this car in the used market. The first time I heard it I was sold on the audio. At 50% audio level itself the music is loud, clear and without any distortion. Will post an audio recording to show how good OEM system Fender audio is a little later. Though there might be certainly losses due to mobile phone recording I have tried to use an external mic for the same.

The actual HUD is a 6 inches touchscreen system with dedicated buttons of some of the menu functions such as media, navigation, radio, and Android auto. The HUD is not the most complex but it is also not the smoothest out there. The software system looks dated but has some neat features like sensing the hand to raise or make the menu options visible when playing music is helpful. This system comes with VW navigation from Here maps but updates are very hard to come by and with Android auto readily available the navigation system has not been used much. The downside I have noticed about this system is its iffiness when connecting to Android auto. Some days it throws up error but then connects later. The same was not noticed with Apple car play so not sure whats the partiality.




VW gave SiriusXM satellite radio as well. Though we need to subscribe


Never heard of this system but it sure sounds quite good


VW has given navigation but haven't really used it

Convenient features
The other features that I like about this car and found it useful are the dual-zone climate control, auto headlamps and rain-sensing wipers. With Toronto receiving rains every now and then during summers the rain-sensing wiper helps as I do not need to remember to put them on. The auto headlamp is another useful feature as the headlights come on when the computer senses dark areas such as underground parking lots or during dawn, dusk and of course night.


The dual-zone climate control


Yes in Canadian winters heated seats is required


Typical European style headlight switch with the instrument dial brightness controller

[motomaverick]

Other internal & external highlights

For a highline version the car is certainly loaded, presenting here some of the other features that may or may not be useful for some but definitely does for me.


Headlights
The headlights have been well designed, yes would have loved a projector or LED setup but then when buying a used car we don't have so many options.




Low beam is sufficient for internal city roads, on the highways sometimes it feels lacking

Sunroof
Passat has a smallish sunroof, maybe the reason being this car is not the best sedan they have to offer but don't think the CC has moonroof. Even though the sunroof size maybe small but its easy to operate and adds lot of light to the cabin.



Armrest & Chubby Holes
The car has all the chubby holes one might need on a day to day basis. As having on the go coffee is so common here, the cup holder below the gear shifter comes in handy. It also has springs to hold the cup in place. Then there is the armrest that has a charging port and a deep chubby. The door pockets have a smaller chubby but it can hold a 500 ml bottle and some papers with ease.


Yes, thats a flat bottom steering, you can see the neat dash layout. All materials are soft touch with aluminum and wood trims



The soft cushion part of the armrest can be extended, its sufficient for my short arms


Thats a huge space, I have stored some tissues, perfume, charger


Somehow the door pockets got lesser space maybe the bigger speakers
might be the reason

Trunk space
The North American Passat comes with 450 L of cargo space. This can be increased lengthwise by lowering the 60:40 rear seat. Useful if you want to carry ski's. Though its around 50L less than the Linea the area is well laid out and devoid of any intrusions.


Boot space comparison with my laptop bag, also check out the easy-release buttons for the rear seats

Smaller yet significant things:

1. Vanity mirror on both eye shades with light
   
   
2. Easy stay hook for the cargo board, making it convenient when taking out the spare tire etc
   
   
3. Remote stater is another small but significant feature in this car as I am sure it will be useful during winters to have the car started before getting inside
   
   
4. Two USB and charger ports are useful as one USB and charger is always blocked by using Android auto and dashcam so the second ones are free for use
5. Sunglass holder has been provided and is pretty big to accommodate all the common types of glasses
   
   
6. Aircraft style reading lights for rear passengers
   
   
7. Power operated seat height, backrest and most important lumber support.
   
   
8. Headlight off warning incase you forget to turn them off
   
   
9. Grab space to close the trunk lid
   
   

I am really looking forward to fruitful ownership with this car in a new country and hopefully, I can keep this thread up to date from time to time.

[Aditya]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing!

[twin_turbo]

Congratulation on your first buy in Canada. Wish you all the best for all your future endeavors. You got a sweet deal there though i feel the warranty is a bit overpriced. But overall, a good deal.

Originally Posted by motomaverick

They have even covered up the battery, not sure if its functional

I think that cover might be to protect the battery from extreme winters. Internal resistance of the battery tends to go very high as temperature decrease which could reduce the cranking amps.

Also as you said, you will really appreciate the remote start feature every single day in winter months.

[motomaverick]

Originally Posted by twin_turbo

Congratulation on your first buy in Canada. Wish you all the best for all your future endeavors. You got a sweet deal there though i feel the warranty is a bit overpriced. But overall, a good deal.



I think that cover might be to protect the battery from extreme winters. Internal resistance of the battery tends to go very high as temperature decrease which could reduce the cranking amps.

Also as you said, you will really appreciate the remote start feature every single day in winter months.

Thanks, the deal was pretty good. Well I was too anxious about the high kms run so didnt really do much research on 3rd party warranties and their cost. Yeah I also thought it might be for winters but then it sounded ridiculous as there are gaps on the side but maybe you are right.

[motomaverick]

Recently got the Vantrue N1 Pro dashcam for the car and I must say the purchase was well worth it. The picture and video quality are pretty good. Not very stellar as the N2 version from Vantrue but gets the job done. On the plus side, the camera is pretty small.

In twilight such as dusk, the camera does struggle to focus

Cost on Amazon: $79.99 (after $20 discount)

Below are some pics of the dashcam as well as taken by the cam.

The size of the camera


All the items inside the box


Few pics from the camera. Day clarity is quite good.

[venkyhere]

Originally Posted by motomaverick

Ride & Handling
The ride is pretty compliant and the potholes especially the uneven manholes do not bother the car. The car comes with independent suspension on all corners with the rear being multi-link with stabilizers. What this ensures is the passengers are not jerked around on bad roads. In terms of handling, I would say it is not the best but not the worst as well. It certainly isn't in the same league as the Fiat Linea but its not bad as my previous Manza. Sweeping curves can be taken at higher than indicated speeds easily though the car loses composure on wavy roads when the rear bouncing more than I would have liked.

I am shocked to read that you find the handling of the linea (that you have owned in the past - from your profile pic) to be better than this. The passat has a wider track, more wheelbase, multilink rear (instead of a torsion beam), and still your driving experience is that it's not in even in the same league as the linea. Kindly elaborate with details, if possible...(really curious).

[motomaverick]

Originally Posted by venkyhere

I am shocked to read that you find the handling of the linea (that you have owned in the past - from your profile pic) to be better than this. The passat has a wider track, more wheelbase, multilink rear (instead of a torsion beam), and still your driving experience is that it's not in even in the same league as the linea. Kindly elaborate with details, if possible...(really curious).

Well, the setup might be different favouring the Passat but after driving both the cars that is what I felt. When the road is undualting then I have observed a distinct bounciness in the Passat which was not there in the Linea. Maybe the car that I have here in NA has that softness who knows because I have never driven a Passat sold in India.

[Vikram Arya]

Congratulation for the car & a belated welcome to Canada.

A very well written initial ownership report I must say.

Please do get a good set of winter tire/wheels combo by the end of October as winter weather can be fairly nasty especially for the folks located in and around Great Lakes region. Though it is not a legal requirement in Ontario, believe me it is worth much more than what you would end up paying for those wheels/tires.

Dive safe & enjoy the new ride!

[abhinavinc]

Your purchase brings me back memories of when I first drove the 2017 Passat Comfortline about two and a half years ago. The car was a daily rental from Budget and had just clocked 4500 Kms when I took it for a long weekend to Ottawa via Lindsey from Toronto.
I remember being in love with the car as I loved its timeless design, powerful 1.8 TSI engine which doesnt stop pulling along with the classy timeless interiors. I had a dream to buy this car as my first vehicle in Canada, and remember drooling about it whenever i saw it on the road. Little did I know better things were awaiting me in the next 2 years though, but to this day I still remember the joy on my face when I took it out on the 401 East.

And you are very right, this car surely can keep up with most cars on the highway all day and masks speed excellently

I am not too sure about your mileage figures and how you got them, the best I have seen on my 2017 Corolla is 5.3 L/100Km.

[abhinavinc]

Originally Posted by Vikram Arya

Though it is not a legal requirement in Ontario, believe me it is worth much more than what you would end up paying for those wheels/tires.

You are spot on. I tend to think of it this way - If you plan to keep the car for 3-4 years at least, it makes perfect sense to get winter tires as a second set of tires as you would be needing a tire change anyways if you only have the all seasons throughout the year.

I am a big advocate of winter tires especially in Ontario, but there are some people I know who literally like to brag that they spent an entire winter on just the all seasons on a 4x4 SUV, and hence saved money on winter tires without a fuss.
I would value my life a lot more than a $1000 I would spend even if the tires weren't financially viable, but they apparently are given my reasoning above.
My advise to all - get winter tires at all cost and let other people do what they want!

[GutsyGibbon]

Originally Posted by motomaverick

Over an above the price of the car I need to pay around $320 insurance per month

Do you have any driving history in India? Can you prove that by means of license, insurance/registration? I would recommend that you shop around.
Find out if they have defensive driver discount?
Find out if you can increase the deductible to $1000

$320 is crazy high most probably because of lack of driving history. I pay around $1600 per year for 2 cars and a bike, for 2 drivers, that is worth $100k in all (granted with good driving history). I still think you can do better, if you keep trying. Every month of driving history should make it better. All the payments you make are pro rated. Keep getting quotes every 3 months, till you drop it to around $1k per year. You can relax after that.

[abhinavinc]

Originally Posted by GutsyGibbon

Keep getting quotes every 3 months, till you drop it to around $1k per year. You can relax after that.

I highly doubt he'll get it for $1000 per year here in Ontario, as the insurance prices are insane.

A figure in the ballpark of $1500-$2000 seems more reasonable and practical at the current stage even with a full G license.

[GutsyGibbon]

Originally Posted by abhinavinc

I highly doubt he'll get it for $1000 per year here in Ontario, as the insurance prices are insane.

A figure in the ballpark of $1500-$2000 seems more reasonable and practical at the current stage even with a full G license.

I hear you, it can very well be. The numbers I quoted are in USD. I also assumed the age of the driver to be in mid 20s, some driving history in India, and some discounts that may be left out. (multiple car household - if roommate has a car?)

Paying $3840 per year on a car that is worth $15k is more than 25% of the cost of the car (every year). It may also make sense to have just liability coverage, and stash the rest of the money saved in an emergency fund. (self insurance)

I have a teenage son, that I am adding to my auto insurance policy. These are some of the considerations I am going through to get better prices from good insurers.