Edmunds.com | Inside Line | Auto Observer Your Account | Help | Directory
You are here:
![[F]](http://a332.g.akamai.net/f/332/936/12h/www.edmunds.com/media/townhall/webxicons/site.gif){kind=small}
Forums
Sedans Volkswagen Passat VW Passat Wagon vs Subaru Wagons
742 messages, Last post on Dec 23, 2008 at 11:00 AM
You are in the Volkswagen Passat Forum. Your Hosts are pat & karens
It usually works like this - they engineer parts to fail 1 day after the warranty period. That's true for most every car.  They're amazingly accurate. My '91 Escort had some weather stripping fall off 200 miles out of warranty and Ford wouldn't fix it. -juice |
|
|
|
|
Rear legroom in the old and new generation OBs is absolutely amazing. I'm 6'4" and still have room to spare in the back even when the front seat is in a reasonable position. I sat in my neighbors Passat the other day and had trouble getting my head through the door let alone trying to fit a penny between my knees and the seat in front of me. Car companies dont cater to tall people enough. For all you VW owners who want some satisfaction... yes, I do have trouble getting my right knee under the steering in my OB
|
|
|
Hi all! First off, I have to say, as a passive observer, these forums are awesome! Thanks to all who contribute. ...I'm in a dilemma! I really want a sport wagon... I need a family friendly vehicle, and am in absolute denial of the need of a minivan, and simply abhor SUV's. AWD is not really necessary. I will be moving to Bremerton, WA, and will have no need to go offroad. The only options I could come with are the Passat (sketchy reliability - depending on who you talk to), Legacy/Outback (pricy), Mazda 6 (the major problems in forums are limited to rattles, but lots of them!), Volvo V50, V70 (pricy - although the V70R almost sounds like a bargain for the price!), and the BMW 3 series (330 not avail in wagon, only 325, and expensive). Given I don't really need AWD, as Subaru drivers out there, do you think Subies are still a good option considering the extra expense? I do enjoy driving, and do want a drivers car! Any comparisons or comments would be greatly appreciated. Also, for anyone who has test drove the 5EAT and 5M, can they honestly say the if the VDT is a noticeable improvement than the standard AWD in the 5M? and is the performance of the 5EAT at all sluggish compared to the 5M. I would probably buy the XT/GT limited. I love manuals, and miss it terribly in my Accord V6 (only avail in auto in the sedan). And lastly, apart from the ground clearance, is there anything more the OB offers than the Legacy? I know these are a lot of questions in one long drawn out message, but any help would be appreciated in making this decision. Thanks. RD.
|
|
|
Replying to: rahim (Jun 05, 2004 9:14 am) Besides the Outback's higher ground clearance, the suspension is HD, and the packaging is somewhat different. For example Outback wagons come standard with roof rack cross bars, which are optional on Legacy wagons. Same with the rear cargo tray. If you're an "outdoorsy guy, you may prefer the Outback. If you prefer sports car-like handling, you may prefer the Legacy. Bob |
|
|
Agreed. The Legacy GT may be a very good bet. But you're simply going to have to test-drive a few of the different models, because what constitutes a "driver's car" is a highly subjective thing. One man's driver car is another's slugmobile. You may find yourself preferring the driving feel of a Passat or the other wagons. I disagree that you don't need AWD if you're moving to Bremerton, Washington. If you find yourself going to the Olympic or Cascade mountains (skiing, general travel) during the winter, you'll find AWD important. And in the general Puget Sound region there are many hills. So when we do get the relatively infrequent snowfall, road conditions can become treacherous. |
|
|
Replying to: rahim (Jun 05, 2004 9:14 am) New 04 Outbacks are selling for 19,700 at my local dealer right now.
|
|
|
Replying to: eric102 (Jun 05, 2004 12:24 pm) 04 accord EX-V6 $24,750 (everything except nav/DVD - sedan) 04 Passat 1.8T AWD wagon $28,700 (w/ leather, stability, CD changer) 05 legacy GT Limited Wagon with a few options $31,500 The Mazda may not be as reputable as Honda and Subaru, so a price comparison there may not be fare, but they do make a nice looking wagon. The 1.8T does have 80 less HP which I assume is a big deal, but I haven't driven them so I can't say for sure. I am not saying the Subies are not worth it. I would not be here in this forum if I wasn't seriously thinking about purchasing one. I can't wait to drive 250 AWD horses around hilly terrain - esp with the reputation of good low end torque. Almost everyone I know who owns a Subaru, swears by them. That is saying something. I really want to buy one, and plan on test driving one this coming week. Deep inside I want to convinced that it is worth it. I know nobody else can make up my mind for me, but I was hoping for some guilt management;) RD. |
|
|
Passats seem roomy to me. Though the last generation had a bigger back seat than this one. Wagons have squared off doors so ingress/egress is also better. The Subie being a 2005 will help in resale value, it'll seem a year newer. It sort of is. Street prices are lower than $31,500, by far. GT Limiteds have already been had under $30k, and they are loaded up - heated perforated leather, AWD, moonroof twice the size of competitors, 250hp, 250 lb-ft, side curtain air bags, 17" alloy rims, etc. Compare a Passat V6 4Motion and the Subie is a better value. Even up against the W8 4Motion, the Legacy GT is still quicker and costs about $10 grand less. Look at it that way and suddenly it's a bargain. The 1.8T should be compared to the base Legacy, even that model has 168hp, AWD, side curtains, etc. Accord is FWD only and doesn't come in a wagon, 93% of Outbacks are wagons so choose the wagon body style and that will rule out Hondas. You can't even get a manual tranny in a sedan, so they're not really sporty. Mazda6? Very attractive, good value. I'm still a little concerned about the staining/rust, and we found parts were hyper expensive. $28 for a gas cap for my Miata. An O2 sensor for our 626 was $220, just the part itself. Resale is only so-so. As far as meeting the sports wagon criteria, the Mazda6 and Legacy GT are on the sportier end of the spectrum. The Passat is in the middle, the Outback and Accord are more biased towards a compliant ride, if you ask me. So I'd look at the 6, Legacy GT, and maybe the Passat. Good luck. -juice
|
|
|
Replying to: ateixeira (Jun 07, 2004 9:11 am) By the way, I couldn't help noticing that the Legacy is wider than the OB (78.4 vs 69.7), yet they have the same passenger seating space listings (rear shoulder room of 53.7). Is there I don't understand, or does the legacy infact have more shoulder room. I am trying to see it from the point of view of seating an adult and child next to a car seat! After hearing that the auto may be more than 1 sec slower in the 0-60 than the MT I may want the MT - will save some some $$, so hopefully will get under the 30,000. Then again, I will want to wait from some realisitic comparative reports between the two. Also, I wonder if I will be losing out alot of the Subaru AWD technology that the name and price comes with in the difference between the 2 of AWD in the MT and Auto. I wonder if anyone has actually compared the 2 different AWD techs in real world driving conditions. Rahim. |
|
|
Thanks. On the width, 69.7" sounds right, no way is it 78.4" wide. Must be a typo. If anything the Outback is slightly wider. The manual tranny on the Leg GT is very nice. They now employ a dual-mass flywheel, it's smooth as buttah. The tranny gears are also reinforced. It's a heck of an engine, too. The block has a semi closed deck. The valves are sodium filled for cooling. Many internals are forged. Think of it this way, it's not a turbo'd base 2.5l engine (EJ255 in FHI-speak), it's a de-tuned WRX STi engine block (EJ257). That STi makes 300hp/300ft-lbs, so the engine is way over-engineered. VTD is more high tech than the viscous coupling on the MT models, but still, I have a VC and my Forester is golden in the snow. My neighbors have Audi quattros and Volvo XCs but I'm still the one going out to buy milk in the snow storm in my Subie, perhaps those cars are "too nice" to slosh around in the snow?  -juice
|
|
You are here:
Forums
Sedans Volkswagen Passat VW Passat Wagon vs Subaru Wagons
New? Join Now!
Forum Tools
Search Forums
Browse by Vehicle
Browse by Board
Browse by Topic
Today's Chats
