New Beetle or Passat

Does anybody have an opinion on the new Passat GLS. I'm trying to decide between it and a concept New Beetle. I know the obvious differences, but I don't know much about the Passat as far as driving, convenience, and reliability. Both cars have the 1.8 Turbo and comforatble options. David

Reply to
D&LBusch
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Go Passat! You will be happier in a long run.

Reply to
Woodchuck

Passat.

Reply to
Pete Cressman

Passat Passat Passat, and then if you have the money get a beetle as a second car

Reply to
Tony & Debs

Neither, you are looking at spending big bucks on piles of cheaply made, assembled plastic. Buy American and at least when it breaks the replacement parts will not put you in the poorhouse. Reliability is not included with either of these vehicles.

Reply to
Bob F.

Reply to
Pete Cressman

What's that smell?

Oh, yeah... Troll shit.

Reply to
SLH

Reply to
D&LBusch

Hmmm... Those are such amazingly different cars that I am not sure how to answer the question.

I have a New Beetle Turbo S, and it is one of the most fun cars I have ever owned. It is the rocket-powered roller-skate that Wyle W Coyote always dreamed of. It is also a very basic vehicle, not very comfortable for 4 adults, not much trunk space, and has a lot of road noise. The regular beetles are the same, but not so quick and a little less jarring from bumps.

I also have the Passat's more expensive brother, the Audi A4 and have driven many Passats. The Passat is a great road car, nice for commutes or a long drive. 4 adults can sit in them comforatably and easily. They have lots of trunk space. They have good power, but are much heavier than the beetle, thus slower.

You really need to know what you want out of a car and how you are going to use it to decide between those two chioces.

Scott

Reply to
Scott

PASSAT!!

Reply to
wjcimbri

Modern plastic is a phenomenal feat of engineering.... you must know nothing of modern polymer science... Sure some stuff needs to be made of metal, but most things don't and in quite a few cases plastic is the superior material, it can be stronger, lighter, and it can wear better.... now the catch is that it must be molded properly... improper molding is why many things fail, not the plastic itself. Its plastic from the 80s and early 90s you should worry about.

Reply to
Rob Guenther

I have had rides in both. The Passat is the superior vehicle. It has similar features to the Beetle (heated seats, mirrors, leather, 8 speaker stereo etc...) but it is just a nicer car. The seats were more comfortable, the 5 speed tiptronic was nicer feeling, the interior larger, the styling was more conservative.... And it's a larger, heavier car, so it's safer (tho the Beetle is damn safe apparantly... but you can't go wrong with more weight and metal around you).

Reply to
Rob Guenther

Had my passat once in for repair, and got a beetle loaner. Almost wanted to use my '91 Grand Am instead (and trust me, that's not a compliment)!

Reply to
Baudolino

I drove my friend's 2002 turbo Beetle and hated it. noisy, unrefined, harsh-riding, and felt flimsy. natch I'm spoiled because I have a 2003 Passat GLS :)

Reply to
Joon

My aunt has an 02 new beetle turbo S. It is a wonderful car. It handles great, rides ok on the highway, and im 6'3" tall and i have plenty of room in there. I am looking at getting a new beetle. I drove my cousins passat, it was more of a luxury car, not much more front seat room, boring performance, great trunk space, but with the new beetle you can fold the back seats down to get more trunk space than the passat could ever dream of. Plus his passat has been in the shop 4 times this year, its an 03. Her bug has been in once, for the headlight burning out. I recommend the new beetle. But thats just my opinion, plus, you have to really look at what youre looking for in a car. If you are looking for a sporty, fun car with great benefits , get a new beetle. If you are a guy with kids, and looking for a more comfortable car on the highway, get the passat. GOOD LUCK!!

Stephen Merrill Steph

Reply to
stevie steph

The Passat is much more practical from a passenger/cargo space standpoint. A little heavier, therefore slower and less economical, but it would definitely be my choice. (It *was* my choice, but then again I never even considered a NB.)

-- Mike Smith

Reply to
Mike Smith

As far as weight is concerned, it depends. A 1.8 liter passat, gls weighs 3100 lbs, a new beetle turbo s weighs about the same. 3150 lbs. Its not a cheap lil car like a lot of people see it. Its a solid, well rounded car. And held up better than the passat did in crash tests. They got the same rating. but the new beetles structure deffy looked better afterwards. good luck

Stephen Merrill Steph

Reply to
stevie steph

Reply to
Rob Guenther

Crash test ratings are not determined by how the car *looks* after a crash, but by measuring the impacts and stresses seen by a test dummy during the crash. The Passat is larger, and therefore has more "crumple space"; i.e. room for the body to deform during a crash while preserving the integrity of the passenger compartment. Also, AIUI, the "star" ratings are relative for each vehicle class (e.g. compact, midsize, etc.) so a midsize car with a 5-star rating may well protect its passengers better than a compact with the same 5-star rating (even if the midsize is damaged more).

-- Mike Smith

Reply to
Mike Smith

So much for the warranty, if VW refuses to honor it. I'm suffering this horrible predicament of having a dealership accuse me of not changing the oil in a concerted attempt to help VW void the warranty. This is really bad, considering the fact that could have bought any car, but I went with VW because of their fantastic warranty.

Reply to
rma

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