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05 Volvo S40 vs 06 VW Passat

10 messages,  Last post on Mar 19, 2006 at 6:35 AM

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What is this discussion about? Volvo S40, Volkswagen Passat, Sedan

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#1 of 10 05 Volvo S40 vs 06 VS Passat by davidp158 Jan 13, 2006 (11:06 am)
I need a new sedan, to replace our '98 1.8T manual Passat. The Passat was a great car (until I wrecked it...ouch). The Passat's 1.8 turbo performed fine once rolling, and got great gas mileage. In spite of VW's reliability issues, the Passat was reliable and fun to drive.   I'm considering either a leftover 05 Volvo S40 or the new 06 Passat. I haven't driven the 06 Passats, but reviews state they are much improved over the earlier models. My main concern with the 06 Passats is buying into a redesign model and dealing with potential problems.   We drove three 05 Volvo S40; AWD T5 manual, AWD T5 auto and regular S40i (no turbo) automatic. The manual transmission has a very sensitive clutch, but the 6 speed shift was nice. The T5 auto had a bit of lag from standstill, but had otherwise a wide power range and fun to drive for an auto. The non-turbo auto was felt underpowed and the engine was loud when accelerating up inclines. As expected, the S40 feels smaller than the 98 Passat, but a much more solid ride and handling feel. My biggest issue with the S40 was the road noise, as I really enjoy listening to music. I'm wondering if the Passat will be a better car for road trips and around town driving.    We've tried to warm up to Honda, Toyota, Acura, and Lexus, but I really don't care for their styling. Great cars, no doubt, but I'm not drawn to them. The price difference between Audi and Volvo or VW seems pretty steep, but maybe I'm not making a fair model comparison.   I have read other threads discussing the Volvo S40, Audi A4, Passats, and hope someone will chime in with some comments regarding my inquiry. We're in the Seattle, WA area, and driving in lots of rain, and some snow, so AWD is appealing to us. Replies to this message: pat (Jan 14, 2006 2:40 pm) dfc3 (Jan 15, 2006 4:33 am) dolphin (Jan 16, 2006 6:25 pm) sirtoby (Jan 31, 2006 12:16 pm)
#2 of 10 BUMP by davidp158 Jan 14, 2006 (9:40 am)
BUMP   Anyone?
#3 of 10 Re: 05 Volvo S40 vs 06 VS Passat [davidp158] by pat HOST Jan 14, 2006 (2:40 pm)
Replying to: davidp158 (Jan 13, 2006 11:06 am) "Bump" is not necessary, what is necessary is that you categorize the discussion to the vehicles in the title which you apparently skipped. I've done that for you - hope you get some feedback.
#4 of 10 Re: 05 Volvo S40 vs 06 VS Passat [davidp158] by dfc3 Jan 15, 2006 (4:33 am)
Replying to: davidp158 (Jan 13, 2006 11:06 am) I've never driven the S40, but I've owned an S60 for the last 2+ years. I prefer the size of the S40, because I live in an urban area and prefer the narrower car. But.. I went with the S60 because of the smoother feel and less road noise. I'd agree with your comments on the power.
#5 of 10 Re: 05 Volvo S40 vs 06 VS Passat [davidp158] by dolphin Jan 16, 2006 (6:25 pm)
Replying to: davidp158 (Jan 13, 2006 11:06 am) I agree with your reluctance on purchasing a car in its first model year...have your looked into used vehicles?
#6 of 10 05 Volvo S40 vs 06 VW Passat by davidp158 Jan 16, 2006 (10:00 pm)
Pat - Oops! My bad. Sorry about overlooking the title of the message. I'm not clear where I went wrong, but I'll be more careful when creating a new message thread.   dfc3 - Thanks for the reply and comments about the S60. The size of the S40 doesn't bother me too much, but the road noise is a concern.   dolphin - I have been looking for a "leftover" 05 Passat, but haven't found one yet. After driving the 06 Passat, I'm a bit underwhelmed by the styling and Jettas are just too noisey for me. I would expect a 2 year old car with normal mileage would be more sensible, and that's where I usually start when I visit any dealers. The prices of "certifed" used cars at dealers seem a bit steep, but I guess that's due to extending the warranty coverage.   I took a 2003 Acura TL for a drive today, but it was disappointing. Fairly loud road noise, and uninspiring to drive. Decent power and comfort for long drives, but it didn't feel like an premium sedan. I may give a newer TLX a drive and see if the small car size is more fun to drive, but I suspect it will also have a bit more road noise than I'd like.   I also looked at the Audi A3 2L automatic today, and liked it quite a bit. Its small, like the Volvo S40, but wider inside, and a lot of fun to drive. The GSD is a hoot to drive. The interior features and quality strikes me as a bit spartan compared to the Volvo, but both my wife and I enjoyed driving it a lot. The seats are a bit stiff, and the cargo area is very small, so we may pass on the A3. Even though its a new car for the US, I believe its the same production car that's been available in Europe for the past 2 years. Thus, I don't feel that its totally "first year" and would hope some of the bugs have been sorted out.   thanks to all for the replies! Dave Replies to this message: pat (Jan 17, 2006 7:49 am) alman08 (Mar 08, 2006 9:14 pm) benjamins (Mar 19, 2006 6:35 am)
#7 of 10 Re: 05 Volvo S40 vs 06 VW Passat [davidp158] by pat HOST Jan 17, 2006 (7:49 am)
Replying to: davidp158 (Jan 16, 2006 10:00 pm) No problem at all.   When you create a discussion you have a chance to give it appropriate categories which then show up in the "What is this discussion about?" line at the top of the page. The reason they are important is because you want this discussion to show up when someone searches for either vehicle. The category is the key to that happening.
#8 of 10 Re: 05 Volvo S40 vs 06 VS Passat [davidp158] by sirtoby Jan 31, 2006 (12:16 pm)
Replying to: davidp158 (Jan 13, 2006 11:06 am) Remeber that the new Passat is on the market for a year or so now in Germany - so the first flaws should have been solved already before the car hit the american market.
#9 of 10 Re: 05 Volvo S40 vs 06 VW Passat [davidp158] by alman08 Mar 08, 2006 (9:14 pm)
Replying to: davidp158 (Jan 16, 2006 10:00 pm) When I got a slightly used 05 Passat last Oct, I did cross-shop that with the 06 Passat and S40. I liked the new Passat, however, I didn't want to mess with a first year totally redesigned model. While the S40 was nice, it's a tad smaller than the Passat and more expensive. Plus I read on the S40 board that many owners weren't too happy with theirs right now. And by the way, I got a good deal on the 05 Passat (it had 8000 miles on it when at time of purchase). Replies to this message: benjamins (Mar 19, 2006 6:35 am)
#10 of 10 Re: 05 Volvo S40 vs 06 VW Passat [alman08] by benjamins Mar 19, 2006 (6:35 am)
Replying to: alman08 (Mar 08, 2006 9:14 pm) My wife has an 06 s40 and is very happy with it. People tend to post that have problems and those that don't have problems don't have the need.   The s40 is not a tad smaller than the Passat, it's way smaller. The Passat is almost s80 size, Volvo's biggest sedan. I wouldn't cross-shop them due to the size difference, Passat, Camry, Accord, are similar sizes, and the wonderful thing about the Passat is you can get a car that is the size of many European luxury sedans with a European feel for a price similar to the Accord or Camry. I can't think of any other European car sold in the U.S. the size of the Passat for the price.

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