Passat 1.8T Vs V6

Re: Passat 1.8T Vs V6 (vwkarma)

Tossing in my $.02. I took a 2002 Passat out for a test drive just to see the difference and, while it was the tiptronic and I drive a true manual, I still prefer the V6. The torque comes on stronger and lower in the revs compared with the 1.8T. I do alot of skiing and scuba diving, so I like the extra torque for carrying my gear through the hills and dales of the New England states. Mileage isn't too bad either with the V6, although it would probably be a little better with the 1.8T. I averaged 33 mpg coming back from Watkins Glen last year (that's with two other people, camping equipment and three cases of wine http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif). One other item is some insurance companies will charge more for the turbo than the V6 or may not even insure you, like Tri-State Consumer (my company). They view turbos as sports cars and anyone getting a turbo just wants to speed and cause accidents (never mind that, when I bought my car, the V6 had 40 more ponies on the 1.8T).
Suffice to say, I recommend the V6. However, if money's tight and you don't do alot of country driving, I don't see a problem with the 1.8T. It was alittle noisier than the V6, but still a great value for your money.
Regarding dealerships in northeast NJ, I recommend Metropolitan VW in Jersey City. That's where I got mine back in August 1998. They gave me the best deal on a V6 manual. Every other VW dealership in the area (even down by Princeton) wouldn't budge on price from the MSRP. Metropolitan also has a decent service department, but they are only open Monday to Friday. You can reach them at (201) 656-8000.
Hmmm... Looks like I put in $1.02. Oh well, hope this has helped out.

Re: Passat 1.8T Vs V6 (vwkarma)

The "consensus" (yeah, right) seems to be that if you are planning on modifying the engine (via chip especially) then the 1.8T is the better engine choice. If you don't plan on modifying the engine, then the V6 will indeed provide better stock performance, better low-end torque, quieter engine sounds, and greater resale value.
It is slightly heavier, and some have noticed that this makes it a little heavier to toss around in the turns. I for one haven't noticed this effect on stock suspensions.
At the dealership where I bought my 2002 GLX 5-speed, I drove both back to back for about 30 minutes each. After walking in thinking I was going to buy the turbo, it was clear to me that the V6 was more my liking. One of the tests that we did was go up a long straight hill, slow down to about 25 MPH, and put the car in 3rd gear and try to accelerate. This will give you a pretty dramatic comparison between the cars.
Some knock the "turbo lag" that turbo-charged cars exhibit -- I actually think it's an incredibly fun feeling. My Saab 9000 2.3 turbo is amazingly fun (200 hp stock), but then again it has greater displacement than the 1.8T and thus is better on the low-end, too.
Have fun with your new car -- I couldn't be happier with ours.