Have not driven latest passat
From the trim level mentioned by the OP, this isn't the latest Passat. If it were I suspect things would go the other way for me and several other posters.
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From the trim level mentioned by the OP, this isn't the latest Passat. If it were I suspect things would go the other way for me and several other posters.
Perhaps though the comparison is with a top of the range Mondeo with the superb and stonking 2.2 diesel engine, it would have to be a well equipped Passat to compete and I suspect that for some the extra performance and (subjectively, I know) engine refinement would swing it the Mondeo's way. For me it would be a tough call, I admire the new Passat and it is a new model that will be current for a few years still, though from experience I am not so impressed by the 2.0 TDi engine.
However back to the OP, IMO the Mondeo is simply a vastly superior car to the previous Passat and the Mondeo in question is a nice one so no brainer.
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?I am not only talking about the dash illumination though also the multitude of warning lights that illuminate when the ignition is turned on, I think I said a cacaphony of colours?
?It is not just the warning/check lights that I was referring to??
So it?s the backlight and check lights? I repeat the backlight is red and check lights, red and yellow?.so that?s a cacophony of??.two colours. And you still haven?t explained what the check lights have to do with the cabin ambiance. I can?t remember, are the warning lights on a Mondeo really all green, the same colour as the backlight?
?and it started as a general point re recent VAG cars which would therefore encompass the relevant Passat?
I think that you?re now confirming how little time you?ve actually spent in VAG cars with is statement as the dashboard lighting varies enormously across the brands and as such your ?general point? is irrelevant and meaningless. In a similar vein, last time we discussed the 2.0tdi it became obvious that you had never experienced it in the new Passat. Have you had a drive since?
Ultimately, what?s important is that your comparison, light-hearted or not, has no basis in fact and thus no relevance to the thread.
To reality check the thread, the Mondeo is indeed superior in certain areas and inferior in others, but the handling and this more powerful engine swings it for the Mondeo.
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Passat evertime.
Used to own a mondeo.
Same problems as always with ford(suspension made out of paper mache).
Stupid me i have bought a focus estate(dog car)and problems are back.You can trust fords to break parts and empty your wallet?
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I'm not one to defend to the death my car but you're unlucky Caesar me old chum. We've had the same Focus in the family since 2000 and it hasn't had a single suspension component replaced. Come to think of it, the only none servicable item it's had has been a coil pack at 70k.
I'm not aware of any inherent suspension problems with the Mondeo either. (Excluding the post about it in Technical Matters right now!)
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So apparently Adam, if someone has mechanical problems with their Ford they're just unlucky, but someone else has mechanical problems with their Passat, then the conclusion is that Passats and indeed all VWs are unreliable. Isn't this indicative of how farcical things have got?
Since the new shape Passat was introduced in the late 90s I've lost count of the number of Golfs, Focus, Passats and Mondeos that have passed through our offices as we are talking about several hundred vehicles, private company and opted-out. People like to air car grievances and as I?m interested in cars I?m keen to listen. With a few notable exceptions with both marques, it appears that the cars have generally performed as expected and been generally reliable. Both VW and Ford cars have had minor gremlins and glitches, there have been problems with rubbish dealers but it varies geographically and there seems to be no trend and many have been happy to stick with VW. According to our fleet manager, with the exception of Alfa/Fiat, which have been removed from our list, Renault and oddly enough MPVs of all brands, the major brands are all much of a muchness when it comes to reliability. Some surveys say that VW is the more reliable and some say Ford and within that it varies year to year. The bottom line is that while individuals may be unlucky with a Ford or VAG vehicle, they?re all pretty good in most areas, excel in a few and stink in a few; which is good because we don?t all value the same thing and it makes the market more interesting. This constant mantra about the infallibility and vast superiority of Ford over just about anything else, but especially VAG, just isn?t borne out by fact. The repition of it is just tedious and sad IMO smacks of some sort of insecurity.
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I do not think anyone suggested Ford's were superior to VAG or any other marque in this thread. For the most part people have expressed a view that the current Mondeo (soon to be replaced) is perhaps better than the old Passat. But one must remember the Passat was well ahead of it's time when it came out and lasted as a model longer than most which is proof of how popular it has been.
In terms of saying if Ford or VW are better built. My brother once had a VW Sharan followed by a Ford Galaxy. The Galaxy was not as well put together as the Sharan, yet they came off the same production line. Conclusion must be quality control was different for the various flavours of the same vehicle. And the Ford derivative was not as reliable. But this time they were the same car from the same production line.
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Although you may not beleive it Martin I am truly open minded when it come to cars, if I was going to spend between 15 and 30 grand of mine or someone else's money on a car today I would consider virtually all marques, I only sing the Mondeo's praises because I have done 105000 satisfying miles in one and have had fairly good customer service from Ford and Ford dealers. I quite enjoyed two of the three Vauxhalls I had previously though the dealers were simply carp.
It is fairly clear from numerous press reports and consumer surveys that VW/Audis previously excellent reputation for quality and customer service has slipped somewhat where as Ford's reputation in both these respects has been on the rise for a few years now and is still on the up. Although there are exceptions and localised experiences may be to the contrary I really dont see much point in arguing against this fact. This does not make a VW or Audi a bad car, though it does introduce factors that it would be wise for any prospective buyer to consider.
One other point, expectations come into play here, because of Ford's good reputation today their customers have fairly high expectations and Ford are in general managing to meet or exceed these expectations and therefore maintain and growing their reputation. A factor in the demise of VWs reputation was that customers expectations had risen to such an extent that it would have been virtually impossible for VW to meet them yet alone exceed them, this supported by the fact that Seats and Skodas use similar componentary and have comparable build quality though engender a somewhat lower expectation in the mind of the customer hence they are generally achieving better results than VW in the satisfaction surveys.
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Forgive me Martin, but I'm almost certain that not once on this forum have I called VW's unreliable. I like the look of the "old" Passat even now. I loved VW's of old such as the Corrado and I'd have a VR6 in a shot. It's just the interiors that I find woefully boring. Truly awful. One can't deny the frequency of dodgy VW's though - on this thread alone loads of people have piped up.
I'm not trying to say Fords are the best thing ever. I have one which has been almost faultless. It drives like the day we got it, it's never let me down and I love it. That doesn't mean I'll only buy Fords ever because of this. In fact, I'd be very surprised if my next car was a Ford. I'm sure that if I'd had a Golf or Passat that had no faults I'd be singing it's praises equally and I'm willing to concede that maybe I (and Dad before me) has been extra lucky in terms of the car.
The fact is though, the Mondeo (I can't believe I'm saying this) is twice the car the Passat is. I love the new one and I even probably prefer the previous shape Passat in terms of exterior looks but I would never, ever buy one.
My opinion of course albeit probably insecure, uniformed and wholly incorrect but there you go. I'm young and stupid.
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And yes - I'm fully aware I've spelt "uninformed" wrong.
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"on this thread alone loads of people have piped up." - Eh? I count 2 people complaining about unreliable VWs, one person complaining about two Fords that he's had and one person stating that a Ford Galaxy wasn't as well put together as a VW Sharan. Top Gear's customer satisfaction survey puts VW at 21st, and Ford at 25th. Audi is at 13. Our fleet manager states that in his experience VW and Ford reliability is on a par. I don't think that you have been especially lucky with your car, rather that serious reliability complaints from owners of most cars nowadays be it VAG, Ford, GM, PSA etc. are the exception and not the rule and those whose expectations where highest shout the loudest.
Adam nowadays there is no massive difference in any respect between cars in the same mainstream class, be it executive, supermini, family saloons etc. Such homogeneity is good in that one is unlikely to be lumbered with a dog but bad in that the ownership and driving experience is fairly similar across the class. To assert as fact that the Mondeo, Vectra, Passat, 407, Accord, Octavia or whatever as being vastly inferior, superior, twice, thrice or ten times the car as it's competitors would be fatuous and unlikely to be based on any real experience of all the cars in question. I've notched up a fair mileage in them all and whilst I have my favourites, in truth they are each better or worse in various respects and to a moderate degree. The OP will undoubtedly be as happy in his Mondeo, if indeed not marginally happier than he would have been in the Passat.
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Passat everytime? There are several threads on this forum regarding suspect quality on previous model Passats.
For the record: 2001 Passat 130TDI estate which I ran for 3 years.
Tailgate lock was faulty and was missed in PDI - replaced 2nd week.
Climate control unit failed at 27k and replaced - 2 days in garage.
Top links on front suspension failed at 49k
Turbo failed at 51k
Pollen filter housing seal failed after service - front passenger footwell had 50mm of water in it!
Catalytic convertor baffles detached at 53k - cat replaced
Undershield replaced twice before I ran the car without it.
I was fortunate as all these were replaced under warranty, in the case of the top links not without a struggle. Despite taking the service manager out, he was unable to hear the clonks every time the car hit a minor bump, eventually got them replaced after circumventing that dealer.
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Suprised at comments about the Passat interior being better than that in the facelift Mondeo.
Although well built I found the dash layout in the Passat very dated - it was barely better than that in my Mk2 Mondeo, let alone a Mk3 Mondeo.
Not sure I could spend 13 grand on a Mondeo though before checking out the 02/03 plate 330d and 530d's available for this money.
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