Good car, needs better service support

 

Exterior Elegant looks and good robust bodywork combined to make a pleasing car. the use of chrome is subtle and understated adding to the subdued charm of the car.  The head lamps are distinctive and easily spotted as is the VW badge on the front and rear. The clever use of the badge on the rear as a trunk opening device adds to the clean appearance of the car. The rear tail lamps are too Jettaish for comfort and could have been different. Doors are brilliant esp the Hofmeister kink on the rear doors.

 

Interior (Features, Space & Comfort) Interiors are well styled with easy to touch and comprehend. However there are signs of cost cutting and the plastics do not have as robust a feel as the Camry and some of the other cars. The features are well thoughout and easy to use. Climatronic is effective, but needs to be set below what you would expect on a hot day (its great in winter and on cloudy days - VW needs to work on this).  the cupholders are logically placed and there is enough space for all that you want to carry. The leather interiors are nice, but cause their own problems.

 

Engine Performance, Fuel Economy and Gearbox The crdi 2.0 litre engine is refined and smooth. there is turbolag that is compensated by the dsg gearbox.  the 6 speed dsg gearbox has swift shifts but struggles in our driving conditions between 2nd and 3rd gears where the shifts take noticably longer and hesitant.

Fuel economy is approx 10 kmpl in city traffic and 13 kmpl in a combined cycle.  highway give about 14 kmpl as I tend to drive fast (above 100 km/hr), The drivetrain deteriorates after bout 17,000 km of use and there are noises that the dealer cant figure out.

 

Ride Quality & Handling Ride is good in cities, but the suspension is too soft for high speed driving on highways. the suspension bottoms out easily and the chassis is not well controlled due to soft suspension settings. The mudflaps (OE spare part) are too long and touch speedbreakers etc easily resulting in noise.

 

Final Words Overall a decent car. however the number of dealers is less and simple things like changing the battery on the key fob is an issue.

 

Areas of improvement Suspension needs to be improved. Drivetrain durability also needs to be looked at.

 

elegant finish, comfort, featuresbuild quality (interior), reversing lights