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Sedans Volkswagen Passat VW Passat vs. Acura TSX
19 messages, Last post on Oct 04, 2009 at 10:09 AM
You are in the Volkswagen Passat Forum. Your Hosts are pat & karens
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Help me please to make a decision. I am a normally conservative 55 year old man moving to the LA area and I want to buy a new car, for a very short commute to work and long exploration drives on weekends. I want a fun car, and I want to keep it for many years. I am not good at self maintenance at all. I will use dealer maintenance. I have read horror stories on this forum about VW maintenance and reliability. Still, I am considering a VW against an Acura. I am down to a decision between an Acura TXS with Nav and a Passat 2.0 Turbo with Nav as my new car. On paper, by my own criteria the Acura wins hands down: better reliability ratings, a little cheaper, built-in bluetooth, just as luxurious, I even like the slightly smaller size. Also, the Acura will need less maintenance, with oil change every 10,000 miles (vs 5000) and no tune up for 100,000 miles, and thus total cost of ownership will be lower for Acura. On the side of the Passat, I come up with only 3 tangible positives to list: Parking Assist (which I like), a smaller turning circle and a slightly more responsive engine from a dead stop. So why am I even still considering a Passat? I don't know. Help me cure my madness someone, please. For some reason I do like the Passat, but I can't define it (and thus I am afraid it will go away once I buy). Maybe it is the rebel in me, I have never chosen a car that "didn't make sense" before. Stop me before its too late! Or else defend the Passat. Please, folks, comments please? Ron Stephens
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Replying to: awaretek (Dec 20, 2007 11:18 am)
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Replying to: nj2pa2nc (Dec 21, 2007 3:22 am) Ron |
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Replying to: nj2pa2nc (Dec 21, 2007 3:22 am)  The poster is looking for feedback, not necessarily "praise", for both cars, so your input is very helpful.
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Replying to: pat (Dec 21, 2007 9:13 am) purchase a VW Eos (wanted a convertible) and went so far as to get pricing quotes: The Eos isn't exactly a Passat, but I believe it shares some common components: 2.0 turbo engine & transmission. The car was fun to drive and I liked the engine and DSG transmission, but what killed the purchase was the dismal VW reliability ratings and even worse dealer service rating for VW. I switched gears and considered Volvo S40, Audi A4 & the TSX. I also think the Audi A4 2.0 turbo engine is similar to VW's (same company). Very fun car to drive, but from the Audi forums, it seems to spend a lot of time in the service dept. Also more expensive when considering features. The TSX simply seemed to be a bargain considering all it comes with. As a final note, a good friend of mine owns a Passat with 150000+ miles on it - mid 1990's, I think - and he told me that he had a lot of reliability issues with his car over the years and felt I'd made a good choice with the Acura. What you may like about the Passat is the European design that I liked a lot about the style/interior of the Eos/Audi/Volvo. But I think the TSX is a tremendous value and the style has grown on me and it is very nice to drive. |
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I owned a 2006 Passat 2.0t sedan for 15 months; while I loved driving it, I did not love the amount of time it spent at the dealer for recalls and other issues. I initially considered the TSX, but decided to get the Passat since it was larger and less expensive (although a comparably equipped Passat is more expensive than the TSX), and liked the way it drove vs. the TSX. All said, I traded it in on a 2008 Passat Wagon (lease). I'm hoping the 2008 has all the bugs worked out. If I had wanted another sedan, however, I would have gone with the TL or the new Accord, which is a lot of car for the money). If you are interested in keeping your car beyond the warranty timeframe, definitely go with the Acura. Resale value is also going to be better on the Acura/ Honda. One other perk with Acura service: loaner cars! VW won't give you one unless the car is deemed mechanically dangerous to operate. My final opinion... even though I love the way my Passat drives, it sounds like you should go with the Acura (although I'd really suggest you test drive the new accord V6... tons more power than the TSX, more space than the TL , AND takes regular unleaded vs. 91+.) Good luck!
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Replying to: bpitt1 (Jan 03, 2008 10:14 pm) Acura is a near luxury / luxury brand. VW is not. Acura's competitors: Audi, Volvo, Lexus, Saab, Mercedes, BMW, Infiniti VW's competitors: Honda, Toyota, Nissan, etc. Acura's level of service tends to be better - especially if they want to keep pace with said competitors. |
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That may be, but the guy has asked for opinions comparing the two. (While VW might be in the same ballpark, there isn't a Honda, Toyota or Nissan that handles like the VW does). While Acura may be a luxury brand, the TSX is an Accord at heart. The Passat feels more like a luxury brand in ride, handling, power than the TSX , but a navi-equipped Passat costs the same or more than the Acura, so the trade-off will always be Acura reliability and service vs. Passat's Germanic driving experience. All said, I think the Acura or Honda will be better for him since he wants to keep the car for the long haul. In my opinion the new Accord is more car for the $ than the TSX and is still reliable, just don't expect free loaners from Honda...
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Replying to: bpitt1 (Jan 05, 2008 10:34 pm) |
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