What should I buy to replace my Passat 1.8 estate?

I am looking to replace my 2000 Volkswagen Passat 1.8T Estate, which I’ve owned since new. I am hoping to get something smaller, but would prefer a manual.

I'm attracted to the new Golf Estate GT 1.4 TSI 7DSG rather than the manual as it seems to be 5 grams/km less CO2 emissions which means that it sneaks into the £30 VED band. Would this be a good buy? Are there any other cars I should consider?

Asked on 2 August 2013 by ianak

Answered by Honest John
The Golf estate is okay: www.honestjohn.co.uk/road-tests/volkswagen/volkswa.../ The TSI is the new belt cam EA211 engine. But the 7-speed DSG has had a few problems.
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