GarethB

A few weeks ago I sold my Alfa 156GTA and bought a 2002 VW Passat W8

The Alfa was an amazing car. I paid just over £7,000 for it in 2009 with under 30,000 miles on the clock. In my ownership I took it on an amazing trip to southern France and into Italy which saw it do over 2,000 miles in a couple of weeks including Route Napolean, Mont Ventoux, the Monaco GP track, Col du Torini, Mont Blanc Tunnel and countless autoroute miles.

I hit a maximum 135 on a deserted autostrada and 120 on Bedford autodrome.

In so many ways I loved it. In many others I hated it. Shortly after returning from Italy the engine blew up. More specifically a spark plug blew which took out several other important bits of engine and ultimately cost me £4,500. Luckily the warranty covered £150. The damage due to the original spark plug problem, so that's all right then.

After three and a half years I was becoming increasingly torn. Where I used to park the car at work meant that when I started the engine, in a slightly enclosed area, the sound coming back to me was, basically amazing. I loved it. But the other things were beginning to irritate: the squeaks and rattles that were probably par for the course in a 100,000 mile car, Just not a 70,000 mile car.
The increasingly common problems and bigger repair bills. But I challenge anyone to listen to the glorious busso 3.2 engine and not think, "I'll give it another go".

But increasingly I wanted more. I was getting fed up of having to fix the cycle rack to the back and then have no access to the boot from the car when I did; the lack of cup holders etc, things like that all became more and more irritating

So, when the chance of buying something as silly as a VW Passat W8 came up I was sold. The fact that I knew the owner really helped but what got me was the complete silliness of the car. A thread on Pistonheads sorted the "get its" from the "don'ts" and it really is one of those cars. Of course there are cars with better performance: smaller, lighter, faster etc.

But the absolute silliness - and that truly is the word - of the car had me. I've been a sucker for a Q car since I first heard of the Lancia Thema 8.32 and while this may not have the kudos of a Ferrari engined saloon I do take a great deal of pride in the fact that the best way to describe the engine is "three quarters of a bentley"

Very few Passat W8s were made. Very few were manual. Fewer still were estates. Around 20 I believe..
This one was chipped and lowered. So it has about 300bhp, an immaculate interior and is still very subtle, only the badges and 4 exhaust pipes indicate this is more than the usual Passat.

Just ask the Boxster driver who decided to challenge me in a traffic light GP as I drove the car home from the South coast. Childish I know, but thoroughly enjoyable.

So, what's it like to drive and own? Well, it's been very well taken care of throughout its ownership. It wears its 96000 miles very well.
Compared to the Alfa it's lazier. Where the Alfa raced away and was therefore loud and racy which made it wearing on the motorway although I never really noticed it until I drover the VW, this car is so much more relaxing.

I realised that I could drive at motorway spped, have the stereo on AND talk to my passenger. A womderful experience which I am not used to at all. I thoroughly enjoy those relaxing drives.

Economy? Well, I never checked the economy of the Alfa, but the small tank became apparent when I first filed up the VW and spent 50% more. What I've noticed was that if I filled up before a trip to Nottingham (from London) I'd need to refill in Nottingham if I wanted to get back to London without buying petrol at a motorway service station. With the VW I know I can do the trip to Nottingham and back with some driving up there without having to fill up until I get back. Now that may be due to tank size, so a comparison is unfair. However, the larger tank is a real bonus even though it is almost £100 to fill up.

Because economy wasn't a subject I wanted to get into I didn't check the VW for a few weeks, but for comparison purposes I did want to have some data, so here it is. In a week of city only driving I got 109 miles from 44 litres (9.6 gallons) or 11mpg.
On a trip to Nottingham (mostly motorway with considerable country A and B road driving) I got 20.6MPG. Now, while that may not be Prius levels of economy it was bloody enjoyable.

Criticisms of the car?
Well the Sat Nav was showing its age (2002) and when VW quoted me almost £300 to add a cable to play my iPod through the stereo I decided to install a new stereo, for £250 which is brilliant.
I'm still trying to get the hang of pulling away smoothly, alternating between very slow and a full on launch. Anything in between is a bit jerky. Could be me just taking time to get used to the car.

In general, I love the car. The subtlty, the silliness, the acceleratiion, the relaxed cruising, the rarity all make it entertaining.
There's no work scheduled other than a service in 6,000 miles, so I should be able to keep a maintenance schedule but at the end of the day it's a 12 year old car which I could be doing 15,000 miles per year in. So if it's alright with you I'll keep this as a diary of how the car goes for me and what could be the potential issues of a massive engine in a normal, or even dull estate car.

Shiskine

It'll be interesting to see over time which of the 11 or 20 mpg is the more representative figure. I know if I had a something like that - a bit like when I had the TVR - it would be the lower figure, and in this day and age with fuel prices as they are, I just couldn't justify the spend.

Undoubtedly fun though ...

cheshire_carper

Aside from some other issues, I'd think the ownership experience is similar to an estate rs. It's big engine in normal looking car. Smooth, powerful, comfortable but grating when you keep needing a petrol station. I pretty certain that that is the part you will begin to despise, although if your previous motor was not too economical you will be better placed to stomach it.

If you had a 40mpg that becomes 15mpg overnight, it annoys quickly, irrespective of fun. Particularly when you realise fun can be had in more fuel economical ways.

arsie

So you decided to keep and use the W8. Nice.

On the one hand you can calculate the extra (to be) spent on fuel and other running costs; on the other hand the effect of the 'time well wasted' in a pleasurable environment for the hours of travel your job demands, is incalculable. What you are paying for is not the 'fun' side motoring by any stretch of the imagination. In the same way, when I was a road warrior I always treated myself to quality accommodation, food and drink. Ok it's not as economical but you're earning shed loads so it's a drop in the ocean.

It will be interesting to hear the story unfold in terms of mechanical - and human - attrition.

I look forward to more episodes in the "Son of Gad's M5" diary.

Nick Graves

Interesting write-up, Gareth.

Don't worry about the slow launch - that's something to do with 4WD inertia and it's not as slow as it probably feels.

I thought the RLegendo felt a bit slow off the line at first, until I realised it gathers speed far quicker once it's on-cam than it seems to at first. It's also the refinement thing and manual shifting with a slight lift-off helps. Automatic means automatic clutch in my book, as there's no way it can read the road ahead.

Frankly, think of all the money on squirt and other tax as helping the scoungers/needy and laugh it off.

GarethB

First proper use of the estate part of the car this week as following a mix up 8 office chairs were delivered to someone's home rather than the office. Her first impression of the car was certainly good, along the lines of "oh wow, it's really nice". I have to say the interior is in really good condition. (leather recaros all round). The odd crease in the leather are barely noticeable.

Needless to say with the back seats down and the load cover out of the way 8 office chairs (self assembly I hasten to add) were no problem.

I have a trip to Peterborough and back today, then on Friday it's Bristol, Birmingham, Nottingham so an opportunity for a lot of motorway miles which I'm really looking forward to. Although the Alfa was never a pain to drive on the motorway it was interesting to note the difference in the VW. In the Passat I can have the stereo on and have a conversation with a passenger, rather than making a choice of either. I wouldn't have really criticised the Alfa for that - I was mostly in the car on my own anyway - but it's very nice to experience in the VW

Mileage this week (short trips through town mostly) was 12.3mpg but those motorway trips should improve it a lot.

Overall mileage over the last 3 fill-ups is 15.6MPG (540 miles / 34.63 gallons) but that has been a higher proportion of town driving. I'll recalculate at the weekend after the motorway miles.

Nick Graves

Interesting thing, physics. Rlegendo gets about 16 urban/22 cruising too.

gaddafi

I see <10 mpg quite easily, cold and urban in the STR. I have tried to get a negative figure in the hope I would go back in time or it would take me longer to climax but neither has happened yet. I suspect very few cars with larger engines better 15mpg in urban stop start conditions. Gareth, you should find a sweet spot just below 80 where low twenties are easily sustainable. Trouble is, it only takes one pesky rep that needs to be put in his place to drop the average. Worth it though.

arsie

GarethB

Oh, it is. A1 to Peterborough and back, entertaining without upsetting the passengers.