We're thinking of buying a VW Passat estate blue motion 2.0 TDi and would like to know what they are like to tow with and the MPTM they are capable of towing.
Woody3 said:We also have a 58 plate 140TDi CR estate bought 3 years old, and it is by far the best vehicle we have ever owned. We did however have a problem - one of the rear springs snapped and the whole thing sat down. I got two new ones (same make as fitted by VW) and was able to replace the failed unit myself - with some bad language thrown in! However couldn't change the other so asked my tame garage to do it for me and they found the bottom bit of the other had failed as well!
We too have the Thule removable ball but be aware that whilst the chassis will take 90Kg noseweight (the highest in its class by a margin) the hitch is only rated 85Kg.
The ultrasonic parking sensors make life so easy (SWMBO says she will never have another car without them.) Ours has now done 101K and still does 50+mpg around town. Towing we have been as low as 27.7 but with careful driving, use of the cruise control, keeping the revs around 2K, and staying between 55 and 60 last week on a trip to and from Bath (from Harrogate - 236 miles) we averaged 32.2mpg although that is exceptional, 30-30.5 being more the norm.
One error to correct: fitting the towbar does not trigger TSP - it has to be activated in the ECU by a dealer and I understand they charge around £300 for about 15 minutes work.
This is our fourth VAG vehicle (Golf, Toldeo, Octavia, and now Passat) and it will be very difficult to get us to buy any other make now.