Avensis or Passat?????

jod1983

Hi
First time posting in this forum so sorry if this question has been asked before.
I plan on buying a Avensis or Passat in the next few weeks. A 09 or 10 (Diesel) is the plan.
Now i was a set on getting the Avensis when people said 'no' the new ones are 'troublesome,drink juice etc', so i looked in the direction of the Passat. Now other people have said the same of the Passat, kinda thinking i should have kept my mouth shut...
I travel frequently from Cork to Donegal so MPG is my main concern. Also i planned on the 2.0l version of the Avensis.
Hope someone with knowledge of both can help me with this.
Thanks

The Pontiac

jod1983 wrote: »

Hi
First time posting in this forum so sorry if this question has been asked before.
I plan on buying a Avensis or Passat in the next few weeks. A 09 or 10 (Diesel) is the plan.
Now i was a set on getting the Avensis when people said 'no' the new ones are 'troublesome,drink juice etc', so i looked in the direction of the Passat. Now other people have said the same of the Passat, kinda thinking i should have kept my mouth shut...
I travel frequently from Cork to Donegal so MPG is my main concern. Also i planned on the 2.0l version of the Avensis.
Hope someone with knowledge of both can help me with this.
Thanks

Who are these people? Was it pub talk?

I thought the Passat 1.9 diesel was one of the most proven engines on the road. They're everywhere, and the basic design has been around forever. What exactly did they say went wrong with them? My brother has the supposedly less reliable 2.0 diesel. 220,000km on it, and never gave a days trouble.

f140

jod1983 wrote: »

Hi
First time posting in this forum so sorry if this question has been asked before.
I plan on buying a Avensis or Passat in the next few weeks. A 09 or 10 (Diesel) is the plan.
Now i was a set on getting the Avensis when people said 'no' the new ones are 'troublesome,drink juice etc', so i looked in the direction of the Passat. Now other people have said the same of the Passat, kinda thinking i should have kept my mouth shut...
I travel frequently from Cork to Donegal so MPG is my main concern. Also i planned on the 2.0l version of the Avensis.
Hope someone with knowledge of both can help me with this.
Thanks

the passat is a good car and would be a LOT more comfortable

barney 20v

<Ollie> wrote: »

Who are these people? Was it pub talk?

I thought the Passat 1.9 diesel was one of the most proven engines on the road. They're everywhere, and the basic design has been around forever. What exactly did they say went wrong with them? My brother has the supposedly less reliable 2.0 diesel. 220,000km on it, and never gave a days trouble.

But a 09-10 Passat would be 2.0 pd correct?

bazz26

I wouldn't be just limiting myself to those two, there are other good cars outside of these predictable two.

jod1983

<Ollie> wrote: »

Who are these people? Was it pub talk?

I thought the Passat 1.9 diesel was one of the most proven engines on the road. They're everywhere, and the basic design has been around forever. What exactly did they say went wrong with them? My brother has the supposedly less reliable 2.0 diesel. 220,000km on it, and never gave a days trouble.

The turbo going was 1 problem.
The 2.0l was the version i was looking at, so glad to hear your brothers is going well.
I think people will have negative comments no matter what i buy!!

robertxxx

Id get the Toyota. Germans and their reliability and all that...............

The Pontiac

barney 20v wrote: »

But a 09-10 Passat would be 2.0 pd correct?

You're right. Are they that much worse than the 1.9? Brother has one has one, 2007 with over 220k km on it, no trouble whatsoever. It's drives like new.

jod1983

bazz26 wrote: »

I wouldn't be just limiting myself to those two, there are other good cars outside of these predictable two.

Could you name a few please? I currently have a 1.4l 03 Corolla with 178k on the clock, so thats why i was looking at the Avensis. As for the Passat, they just seem to be everywhere, so was using there popularity.

barney 20v

jod1983 wrote: »

Could you name a few please? I currently have a 1.4l 03 Corolla with 178k on the clock, so thats why i was looking at the Avensis. As for the Passat, they just seem to be everywhere, so was using there popularity.

I thought the issues with the 2.0 pd vag unit were resolved after early 2008.

megafan

either/either best deal you can get on low genuine milage & service details & with decent warranty from reputable dealer... both types likley to be ex fleet cars & could (should) have high milage....

George Dalton

2008 was the last of the 2.0 PD engines. 2008 onwards would be common rail. Smoother and more economical than the older PD design.

OP no matter what car you suggest there will be "experts" who will run it down. The reality is there is no such thing as the perfect car so in my opinion the best thing you can do is go and have a good look at and test drive all the options and then buy whichever you personally prefer.

puzzle factory

robertxxx wrote: »

Id get the Toyota. Germans and their reliability and all that...............

toyotas are thrown together in england now so your not going to win either with reliability either way anymore.

bazz26

VAG switched to CR engines in the Passat from 2009.

OP, the likes of the Mazda 6, Honda Accord or Opel Insignia diesels are all just if not more capable than the Passat or Avensis.

jod1983

Thanks for the help folks.
Have the Mazda as 3rd choice. Currently leaning towards the Passat, but will try and test drive each one before committing.

Thanks again

barney 20v

George Dalton wrote: »

2008 was the last of the 2.0 PD engines. 2008 onwards would be common rail. Smoother and more economical than the older PD design.

OP no matter what car you suggest there will be "experts" who will run it down. The reality is there is no such thing as the perfect car so in my opinion the best thing you can do is go and have a good look at and test drive all the options and then buy whichever you personally prefer.

Agree completely

puzzle factory

puzzle factory wrote: »

toyotas are thrown together in england now so your not going to win either with reliability either way anymore.

Their manufacturing facility in Derby is held in high regard by many manufacturers ranging from packaging companies to companies manufacturing implantable medical devices. Toyota charge a fair bit to show off their manufacturing practices.

Whatever reliability issues Toyota have I would imagine not a huge pile of them would be due to them been thrown together, much like other producers most of the common issues are apparent design issues or due to material quality.

robertxxx

puzzle factory wrote: »

toyotas are thrown together in england now so your not going to win either with reliability either way anymore.

So are honda and they are the most reliably cars in the world.

Are VW not made in mexico, india or china.

jod1983

Hi all,
Have driven both cars in the last week and the Passat comes out on top. The next question i have is regarding the engine types a few of ye finished in earlier posts, pd or cr.
Also came across this crowd in the UK who seem to be cheaper even including VRT.
http://www.cargiant.co.uk/Volkswagen/Passat/Saloon/details-571487-Volkswagen-Passat-Saloon.asp?viewtype=0 . This one links to the pd engine with 50.4mpg and could have home for approx €10400.
http://www.cargiant.co.uk/Volkswagen/Passat/Saloon/details-572397-Volkswagen-Passat-Saloon.asp?viewtype=0 . This one have the cr engine but a lower mpg of 48.7 and could be home for about €9500.
The misses loves the second one (colour, price...... wants to refloor the sitting room :c)
Is the cheaper one with the cr engine,slightly lower mpg and cheaper price the better??
Thanks again for the help.

George Dalton

The PD you linked to is the old 1.9 105bhp which was a great engine in its day but its day is a long time ago now. If you drive a 1.9 PD and a 2.0 CR Passat I can guarantee you won't want to buy a 1.9. The 2.0 CR 140bhp is in a different league in terms of smoothness and power delivery. In real world conditions it is also if anything slightly more economical than the 1.9. The 140bhp CR TDI is incredibly good on fuel for such a big car.

jod1983

George Dalton wrote: »

The PD you linked to is the old 1.9 105bhp which was a great engine in its day but its day is a long time ago now. If you drive a 1.9 PD and a 2.0 CR Passat I can guarantee you won't want to buy a 1.9. The 2.0 CR 140bhp is in a different league in terms of smoothness and power delivery. In real world conditions it is also if anything slightly more economical than the 1.9. The 140bhp CR TDI is incredibly good on fuel for such a big car.

Was hoping someone would say that!!! As said my woman has big plans for the remainder of the budget.
Im not a hard driver so surely that would increase my mpg?

Jack breen

George Dalton wrote: »

The PD you linked to is the old 1.9 105bhp which was a great engine in its day but its day is a long time ago now. If you drive a 1.9 PD and a 2.0 CR Passat I can guarantee you won't want to buy a 1.9. The 2.0 CR 140bhp is in a different league in terms of smoothness and power delivery. In real world conditions it is also if anything slightly more economical than the 1.9. The 140bhp CR TDI is incredibly good on fuel for such a big car.

How many kms should you get to the tank on them? I think they take 70l to fill.

George Dalton

Jack breen wrote: »

How many kms should you get to the tank on them? I think they take 70l to fill.

Yes it's a 70L tank I think. They do about 1200km on average. Obviously it varies depending on the type of driving and the individual driver. We sold one during the summer and it was back in about a month later for some minor warranty work and the owner mentioned it had done 1280km on a full tank before the light came on.

JohnBoy26

RoverJames wrote: »

Their manufacturing facility in Derby is held in high regard by many manufacturers ranging from packaging companies to companies manufacturing implantable medical devices. Toyota charge a fair bit to show off their manufacturing practices.

Whatever reliability issues Toyota have I would imagine not a huge pile of them would be due to them been thrown together, much like other producers most of the common issues are apparent design issues or due to material quality.

Most of the issues with them are due to the quality of the components supplied by outside companies for the car e.g the sheet metal,altinator, starter ecus etc. I find the jap built toyotas to be far superior in this regard.

coolbeans

FWIW, isn't the current Passat very long in the tooth compared to virtually all of its competitors? That would be a big negative for me but it's your money. I think it was launched back in 2005. I know there was a "new" model launched back in 2010 but the dogs on the street know that that was just a facelift of the 2005 model. Surely there's a proper replacement in the pipeline soon enough?

bazz26

I'm not gone on those UK spec "Highline" Passats, they were based on the SE model but with aftermarket dealer fitted low quality leather seats. The proper Highline sold here had better spec.

Personally I would be looking at something like this but they are more expensive:

http://www.cargiant.co.uk/Honda/Accord/Saloon/details-572116-Honda-Accord-Saloon.asp?viewtype=0

JohnBoy26

bazz26 wrote: »

I'm not gone on those UK spec "Highline" Passats, they were based on the SE model but with aftermarket dealer fitted low quality leather seats. The proper Highline sold here had better spec.

Personally I would be looking at something like this but they are more expensive:

http://www.cargiant.co.uk/Honda/Accord/Saloon/details-572116-Honda-Accord-Saloon.asp?viewtype=0

+1 on this. A much nicer car than a Passat or an Avensis imo.

The Pontiac

bazz26 wrote: »

I'm not gone on those UK spec "Highline" Passats, they were based on the SE model but with aftermarket dealer fitted low quality leather seats. The proper Highline sold here had better spec.

Personally I would be looking at something like this but they are more expensive:

http://www.cargiant.co.uk/Honda/Accord/Saloon/details-572116-Honda-Accord-Saloon.asp?viewtype=0

Just shows how much we're ripped off by in this country. A 2009 Accord Diesel for that money.

MugMugs

JohnBoy26 wrote: »

Most of the issues with them are due to the quality of the components supplied by outside companies for the car e.g the sheet metal,altinator, starter ecus etc. I find the jap built toyotas to be far superior in this regard.

Enlighten me, are you saying that if the same supplier supplies both Japan and Derby that by default, the Toyota built in Asia is the better built vehicle?

wandatowell

puzzle factory wrote: »

toyotas are thrown together in england now so your not going to win either with reliability either way anymore.

How long have they been built across the pond do you know?

bazz26

Since the Carina E in the early 1990s. Some models are built in France, Czech Republic and Turkey too.

BigEejit

Verso's are produced in Turkey

JohnBoy26

MugMugs wrote: »

Enlighten me, are you saying that if the same supplier supplies both Japan and Derby that by default, the Toyota built in Asia is the better built vehicle?

No that's not what im saying at all. Most of the components in the UK built Toyotas are supplied by European manufacturers. It's these components that are inferior in quality to the components manufactured and sourced in Japan for the Japanese built Toyotas.

Il take the Carina E for example. The UK built Carina E gave steering rack trouble and rear brake problems. All these components were manufactured in Europe by European manufacturers. The Japanese built Carina E on the otherhand didn't give any of these problems and had a better designed rear braking system and steering rack. All the components in the Japanese Carina E were made in Japan by a Japanese manufacturer.

JohnBoy26

wandatowell wrote: »

How long have they been built across the pond do you know?

The have been built in the UK since the launch of the Carina E back in 1992. Altough most Carina E sold in Ireland were made in Japan up until 1995 and were better quality than their UK built counterparts.

Tea 1000

coolbeans wrote: »

FWIW, isn't the current Passat very long in the tooth compared to virtually all of its competitors? That would be a big negative for me but it's your money. I think it was launched back in 2005. I know there was a "new" model launched back in 2010 but the dogs on the street know that that was just a facelift of the 2005 model. Surely there's a proper replacement in the pipeline soon enough?

It was launched in 2011, and is a new model. There are significant enough differences, much more than just a facelift brings, but it was a lame enough attempt at a new model.

Tea 1000

JohnBoy26 wrote: »

The have been built in the UK since the launch of the Carina E back in 1992. Altough most Carina E sold in Ireland were made in Japan up until 1995 and were better quality than their UK built counterparts.

Yes, but Toyota Ireland in their wisdom had all Carina E's fitted with higher springs in the rear, because they thought our roads wouldn't cope with the standard car. Which meant that aside from that weird "my boot is filled with helium" stance of it, they liked to swap ends quite readily.
Funnily enough, a relative of mine had a 2 litre petrol auto purchased brand new which didn't look like it was on stilts, so I always suspected that it had the standard suspension given that it was probably a special order from the dealer at the time.

pajo1981

coolbeans wrote: »

FWIW, isn't the current Passat very long in the tooth compared to virtually all of its competitors? That would be a big negative for me but it's your money. I think it was launched back in 2005. I know there was a "new" model launched back in 2010 but the dogs on the street know that that was just a facelift of the 2005 model. Surely there's a proper replacement in the pipeline soon enough?

The new MQB platform based passat will be released next year.

While I'm sure the avensis an accord are well put together, they just look/feel cheap 'n nasty. The new passat will undoubtedly be the biz.

pajo1981

JohnBoy26 wrote: »

No that's not what im saying at all. Most of the components in the UK built Toyotas are supplied by European manufacturers. It's these components that are inferior in quality to the components manufactured and sourced in Japan for the Japanese built Toyotas.

Il take the Carina E for example. The UK built Carina E gave steering rack trouble and rear brake problems. All these components were manufactured in Europe by European manufacturers. The Japanese built Carina E on the otherhand didn't give any of these problems and had a better designed rear braking system and steering rack. All the components in the Japanese Carina E were made in Japan by a Japanese manufacturer.

The Carina? WTF, is this the 90s?

JohnBoy26

pajo1981 wrote: »

The Carina? WTF, is this the 90s?

It was only an example. :-)

JohnBoy26

pajo1981 wrote: »

The new MQB platform based passat will be released next year.

While I'm sure the avensis an accord are well put together, they just look/feel cheap 'n nasty. The new passat will undoubtedly be the biz.

In no way does an Accord look or feel cheap and nasty imo.

wandatowell

JohnBoy26 wrote: »

The have been built in the UK since the launch of the Carina E back in 1992. Altough most Carina E sold in Ireland were made in Japan up until 1995 and were better quality than their UK built counterparts.

Interesting to know, cheers pal

dh0011

nobody has mentioned the mondeo