Joey's Totally Predictable DD V2.0

[.RJ]

all of that power... Performance Pack ...

YES YES YES

[SlimKlim]

So buy one bruh. SE+Perf Pack 4-doors start at 30,700 w/destination, put some skin in the game!

[.RJ]

How much under MSRP did you pay?

[SlimKlim]

Five hundo under invoice, ~1700 under MSRP, that or close to invoice seems to be what people are actually paying for these things.

[.RJ]

word. I'm thinking hard about a new car next year... depends on how the great audi experiment pans out

[SlimKlim]

There are rumors that the radios will be upgraded for the 2016s and they'll come with Apple/Android CarPlay. Also rumblings of LED taillights, but I haven't heard either confirmed. I think they're going to start accepting orders for them in a couple months and '16 deliveries start in September.

[SlimKlim]

Oh I dun fucked up now. http://carbuying.jalopnik.com/volkswagen...1700662291

The bulletin says only fuel pumps produced on 3 specific days between 11/13 and 02/14 are affected. I don't know my production date, but I'm guessing I'm not gonna get a phone call for this particular recall. I bet all of the affected cars are the ones that hit the lot right when they launched last year.

I haven't completely escaped any VW quality issues. The car does have a very slight, very intermittent rattle somewhere in the dashboard that I occasionally hear on a rough road or in a left-hand sweeper. Not a huge deal, I'll get someone on it when I bring it in the weekend after next for it's 2 week check up.

I actually kinda feel for the service guys at the dealer, I'm gonna be such a pain in the ass for the next 3 years. 8)

[Ken]

At least they removed the plastic pucks from yours lol

[SlimKlim]

Haha yeah, true. BTW Mike, that A3 loaner you had that was brutally stiff definitely still had the shipping pucks in it. They're slipped under the dust cover on the shock so apparently a lot of dealers have been missing them. I'm guessing the MD dealer that had my car first took them out, because the guy that drove it down on the beltway didn't get out with vibrating eyeballs.

[SlimKlim]

One Week Impressions
Mileage: 301

Still enthralled with it. I can't believe how well it turns in for a FWD car, I've sensed the electronics doing their thing once or twice, but it's less intrusive than the MKV was. The lack of body roll is absolutely amazing, I was sulking a little that I didn't go full retard and order the PP+DCC (the adjustable shocks are bundled with the perf pack or I probably would've sprung for them) but the standard shocks deal with the worst NOVA roads surprisingly well. However, you always discover a few quirks and pet peeves when you're actually living with the car, that you miss on test drives.

Things I'm not crazy about:

One thing I didn't notice when test driving, and I had the same problem with Jake's FoST, is with the seat adjusted to lanky-mf'er settings, the car is not particularly easy to get in and out of. I have the seat adjusted so far back and so low, with the steering wheel extended all the way towards me, that sliding out between the gap in the steering wheel and b-pillar takes careful positioning.

That said, when I am installed in the car the driver position is excellent, and the convenience of having the 4 doors outweighs the ease of access from the 2 door, especially after having exclusively 2 door cars for the past 6 years. Also, the MKV was much easier to get out of, but only if there was no one parked next to me. In a NOVA sized parking spot i'd have to crack the driver's door open and somehow get myself folded out of it without knocking the door into the car next to me. So it's a wash really.

Uhhhhh what else. The gas tank is too small, seems to be a common problem with all the modern cars in this class. I dunno what stops them from doing a 15-16 gallon tank instead of a freaking 13.5, size restrictions?

The shift program on the DSG isn't aggressive enough, it wants to drop into 2nd and 3rd when it's still practically at idle, and then it lugs the motor when you go to give it some throttle, this is probably something the car will "learn" once I get past the break in period, it already seems like it's improving a little bit. Strangely the gearing is massively different between transmissions, 1-4 is dramatically shorter in the DSG than the manual, then gets significantly longer in 5th and 6th, I wonder what their reasoning was behind that.

The MFD or whatever the hell they call the screen between the gauges is poorly executed compared to the Ford. The Fords have a grid of 4 read outs that I believe you can individually configure. This car will display TONS of different stats for you, but just one at a time in like size 60 font. Why? I'd like to see oil temp, avg MPG, Range, etc all at once without having to scroll through menus.

I love that VW finally trusted us Americans with an oil temp readout, but why are they still holding back on things like boost and oil pressure? There is a menu in the car settings that lets you choose what shows up on that screen, seems like an easy feature to include and default to off so that super nerdy buyers like me can get their kicks, but your average buyer doesn't have to trouble themselves with it.

Finally, this isn't an issue with the car, but the dog fucking hates it. I don't know if it's the new car smell, or if it's harder to get into because she can't step onto the floor and then the seat, or if she senses how tight my butthole gets when she gets near it with all her fur, claws and slobber, but every time I open the door she does a 180* and tries to bail, I have to drag/coax her into it and then she sits right at the edge of the seat when I close the door, looking at me like the goddamn thing is on fire. It's super annoying to drag her into the car I bought expecting to make my dog-hauling life just a little bit simpler. I'm baiting her into it with treats now, hopefully she gets used to it soon. :roll:

Things I am crazy about:

Most owners have a huge stick up their ass about the "soundaktor," and delete them as soon as they get their cars home. I get where they're coming from but.... :dunno: I dunno, if you can get over the fact that it's fake and coming through a speaker, the car has an adorable little growl that kicks in around 2500 or so and it is LOUD in sport mode. The salesman said sport controls a flapper in the exhaust as well as the soundaktor, so it also makes it louder outside the car, but I'm not 100% sure that's true.

The transmission is fantastic. None of the NVH issues of the MKV DSG. Starting and stopping is significantly smoother and quieter, and partial throttle gear changes are buttery smooth. I can't wait to get past break in and really put it through it's paces, from what I've seen on youtube the "DSG farts" are a lot more noticeable in the MK7.

The powerband is amazing, it provides a solid amount of boost way down low for effortless driving in traffic, but VW doesn't want you to forget it's a turbocharged car, right around 3500 rpms there's a huge secondary wave of torque that pushes you into your seat and makes you giggle. Again, dying to get this thing broken in so I can really exercise it.

The Fender stereo is absolutely kick ass. Very clear, great bass, gets as loud as I'm ever going to have it with zero distortion. The bluetooth feature works well and will automatically connect to my phone and start playing without me having to do anything when I get back into the car. It also automatically transfers calls to the car whenever I'm in it.

I also love the "panoramic" sunroof, not sure what makes it so panoramic, but it is a nice big opening. At first I was off put by the perforated fabric sun shade, but then I realized its so you can have the roof open but still close the shade so you can get some fresh air without as much air blowing around the cabin, nice feature.

Overall I'm extremely happy with the car and can see myself running this thing into the ground. I don't know what else you could expect from a DD/commuter. Most of my belly aching about it is just hardcore car nerd crap that doesn't really bother me and normal people would never notice. The only thing really getting under my skin is the stupid dog's apparently strong aversion to getting into it. :dunno:

RJ I'm guessing you'd probably get the stickshift version but you're welcome to "test drive" it sometime, especially once I get her broken in.

[ScottyB]

nice review!

i've been hearing that based on weight + track times these things are punching out closer to 250hp than the claimed ratings. i have no doubt, that little engine is great.

[BLINGMW]

I love that VW finally trusted us Americans with an oil temp readout, but why are they still holding back on things like boost and oil pressure?

I don't even know how to get oil temp on the Passat, but I'm with you (no surprise), I'd love to have all that up. I know you know it car, just show me. :evileye: If I drove it more I might have to figure that out.

...she sits right at the edge of the seat when I close the door, looking at me like the goddamn thing is on fire.

That's hilarious :lol:
Though maybe not and she has precognition

[RawrImAMonster]

I wonder who actually makes the Fender stereo. I kind of doubt Fender is actually branching out into the car stereo world for more than a marketing gimmick.

Edit: Looks like it's Panasonic.

The shift program on the DSG isn't aggressive enough, it wants to drop into 2nd and 3rd when it's still practically at idle, and then it lugs the motor when you go to give it some throttle, this is probably something the car will "learn" once I get past the break in period, it already seems like it's improving a little bit. Strangely the gearing is massively different between transmissions, 1-4 is dramatically shorter in the DSG than the manual, then gets significantly longer in 5th and 6th, I wonder what their reasoning was behind that.

I think shorter gears are supposed to be a little more efficient for city driving. In an automatic it doesn't really matter because it's doing all the shifting for you, but in a manual really short gears in 1-4 get to be annoying. Not really sure why 5th and 6th would be a lot longer though. It's probably a similar reason. It can afford to have really long gears in the name of efficiency because it isn't much of an annoyance if it has to downshift more often compared to a manual.

[SlimKlim]

Yeah I think APR got 235hp/270tq out of a stock one, but they did not clarify whether it had the performance package factory tune. Another company dyno'd a non-PP one at 200 miles and it put down 220hp/266tq and i'd imagine it would produce a bit more once it's completely broken in. The power they are claiming for tunes is absolutely insane, even this little guy that clips on and can allegedly be removed with zero traces so there's absolutely no chance of any warranty issues claims 260hp/330tq, but it's also $400 and the car feels plenty quick as it is, so meh. http://www.neuspeed.com/641015-neuspeed-...odule.html

Good point Channing, it is a VW product afterall. :lol:

And yeah, I think the old MKVI premium stereo was from Dynaudio, but I'm not sure I ever tested it out. The MKV had a "premium" amplifier, but it was still nothing special.

That makes sense regarding the trans, the car has so much torque it can certainly move itself around just fine, but still, the manual cars will do 73mph in 2nd, that's some seriously goddamn tall gearing. Some people are whining that the DSG is "between gears" at 60mph, but I dunno what they're on about, it does just fine with all that torque available in 3rd gear.

EDIT: Channing the Passat may not have that option, do you have the 2.0T? Its possible you could switch it on somewhere in the vehicle settings menu on the radio but I'm not sure.

[.RJ]

...she sits right at the edge of the seat when I close the door, looking at me like the goddamn thing is on fire.

That's hilarious :lol:
Though maybe not and she has precognition

Well, she knows it probably will be on fire soon.

[SlimKlim]

:lol: To be fair, flammability seemed to be one of the few issues my MKV avoided.

Well... no... the throttle body wiring did melt together or some shit, so that's not entirely true. Maybe I should be listening to the dog and staying the hell away from the thing too. :lol:

[BLINGMW]

do you have the 2.0T?

TDI. Not that I cannot kind of figure out when the boost is kicking as it goes from approx 12hp at 1500RPM to 100hp at 1600, but a gauge is half the fun. :dunno:

[SlimKlim]

Yeah I doubt you'll get oil temp readouts from the TDI but perhaps, i wonder if Christina has it in her MK7 TDI.

You can always reappropriate an old android device to get some gauges via the Torque app without spending much money if you just wanna watch some needles bounce around. That always provided good entertainment in the MKV.

[SlimKlim]

Two Week Update

Mileage: 515

Well its not exactly two weeks but I'm bored.

There is definitely a dash rattle. Someone on vortex took their cowl off and found some cover or drain in there that appeared to not be attached to anything at all. I'm gonna bitch about it when I take it in Saturday and get them to check it out.

Most importantly, the dog situation is slowly improving. :lol: She no longer acts as if the car is a chamber of death, but is still reluctant to climb inside. I think the rear door opening is more narrow than Lauren's car, and she doesn't really know how to get her back feet into it, so I usually have to give her a boost to speed up the process. This dog either has the coordination of a Raggity Ann doll, or a gymnast depending on her mood, so I can never tell if its a lack of ability or lack of will that keeps her from doing something.

I definitely see what people are talking about with the weirdness of the DSG gearing. 1-3 are all close, then you could park an entire other Volkswagen in the space between 3 and 4. 5-6 are both ridiculously tall highway gears, but I actually really like that. I felt like all the gears were on top of each other in the MKV and the motor was revving higher than it needed to at 75mph+, that's definitely not an issue in this car. It's a really minor complaint, but if I could have everything the way I wanted it I think i'd have 1-3 good for just a few more MPH each so that 4th didn't feel like such a jump.

Otherwise all is hunky dory. It feels like the motor is starting to "open up" as I get some more miles on it. I'm starting to notice that classic "DSG cough" even on moderate throttle gear changes over the last 50 miles or so.

I've seen a lot of people saying that their motors felt more powerful after 1000-1500 miles, and that the exhaust "opens up" a little over the first few thousand and sounds louder, I wonder if that's what I'm starting to notice.

Dying to get her through the break in period and really take her for a ride. According to the manual at 600mi I can start winding her out a little bit further. Someone from VW told me they actually "recommend" a 3000mi break in, the 1000mi one is just what's "required"... but yeah, I dunno if I can do that.

[JPolen01]

3000 sounds ridiculous. I remember reading an op ed that said modern cars don't need any break in period. I don't know if I would go that far though.