VW Passat W8 vs. Rivals- advice for a potential customer

[Swoxy]

I didn't realise it was a Wagon!

[zackiedawg]

Yeah...my last Passat was the saloon...I loved it too, but I do alot of winter trips to the snow and ski regions (also why I like the AWD!), plus I like to go mountain biking, and didn't like having to hoist the bike onto the roof, or assemble some clunky rack on the back of my bootlid. The wagon allows me to just throw it in!

I had three SUVs before the sedan, so I had gotten used to that ability.

[HikaRu]

no mine is completely stock, except for some HID look-alikes. it's really not THAT expensive, it's about $38,000 USD after tax then we got some discount so it was like $33,000

[Stefanel1]

Swoxy meant (I guess) that it was a quite expensive car for sby who is 17 And I'm agree with him, plus, don't you have problems for the insurance ??!

[Stefanel1]

I don't see the spoiler on the HikaRu's 9-5 pic...

[HikaRu]

oh no, mine doesn't have that
black linear, no options except automatic

i need a better car...

my school is like this anyway, there's a 15 year old kid that drives a 2003 M3 w/ tiptronic, yes 15, no typo, he doesn't even have his license and he's driving already

[Swoxy]

! In the UK we can't drive until we're 18!

[GTi-VR6_A3]

Originally posted by Swoxy
! In the UK we can't drive until we're 18!

your gov't has pwned you bit it might be bettar as there are alot of stupid drivers on our roads that are young...

-GTi-VR6_A3

[Stefanel1]

Not many countries allowed people to drive before 18. They an in the USA because people are driving very slow so it's maybe less dangerous when an accident occures.

Why an automatic gear box on your 9-5 ??? .... nothing worth a manual.
A 15 years old guy driving an M3 ?.... is it his own BMW ? strange !

[GTi-VR6_A3]

Originally posted by Stefanel1
Not many countries allowed people to drive before 18. They an in the USA because people are driving very slow so it's maybe less dangerous when an accident occures.

hahah thats funny. the limits do not mean people drive slow. in montana in the day time there are no speed limits. most of the long freeways in california are 70. and people drive like 110.

-GTi-VR6_A3

[zackiedawg]

I agree with the Europeans here. We do drive fairly slow as a country. Speed limits are low, and training for a license is a joke. That doesn't mean some people don't go fast here...many do and mostly the kids...but they aren't sufficiently trained in high speed control and maneuverability to control their vehicle. And the rest of the population, especially the older folks, drive especially slow. Plus, our neighborhood roads have speed limits set as low as 25 or 35 MPH.

Most European countries require very lengthy and hard written tests, completion of driving courses, and very in-depth road tests to qualify for a license. Do you know what I did to get my driver's license at 15 years old in Florida? I answered 50 questions (as simple as "what does a double yellow line in the center of a road mean?") of which I was allowed to miss up to 5...and then I got in my mother's car, and drove around the perimeter of a strip-mall parking lot at under 30 MPH showing that I knew where the brakes and gas were. I then wrapped the driving portion of the test up with a parallel parking maneuver and a u-turn. It toook 2 hours total from start to end. That was it! Here's your license!

No wonder by 16 I had totalled my Honda Prelude. Since then, I took courses in Defensive Driving, enrolled in a race driving program, and took several manufacturer training and control courses to learn how to control a drift, drive on ice, reel in a fishtail, and turn in low traction conditions using only the throttle. I consider myself a decent driver now - at least on a par with the typical European driver. But I know what types of drivers are on the road because of our horrible and meager requirements for a license in the U.S.!

But believe me, it doesn't always slow us down. The kids still hop into a vehicle and feel invincible...they are the most common age class to suffer accidents due to high speeds or loss of control, especially when you put them on the South Florida roads with the 94 year-old ladies in 3 ton Cadillacs driving 30 miles per hour!

[HikaRu]

slow? let me show you a picture i took



and yes, he owns the m3. his dad bought it for him.

[Deakins]

Originally posted by HikaRu
slow? let me show you a picture i took

Are you proud of that? Seriously, how long have you had your license?

[HikaRu]

no, i think it's quite obvious that i was countering another statement, otherwise i'd have posted it somewhere else on automotiveforums? it's only logic, use your brain and you will find out how stupid your comment was

and yes, i agree with zackiedawg

[Stefanel1]

Everybody can drive to the max speed of his car, and many people did it at least once.
The average speed is another thing. And when I went in the States, I really had the impression that people were driving very slow. Even if, of course some people drive faster.
And the example of zackiedawg is very good : in Europe if you drive too slow, you'll be flash or horned by the other drivers because it's dangerous. In the States, no.

The driving licence is not enough good in Europe (or at least in France) but it's (I agree with Zackie) better than in the USA.
But we have other problems mainly the alcool which is a terrible thing that kills many people on the roads here. I've too many friends coming back from friends or party drunk in their car. We don't realize.

Finally, the most important is the average speed in a country (when we're considering if people are driving slow or not), not for example little cars or very old BMW driving at 300 kmh with NOS !
The driving of "Mr. Evreybody" is more realistic.