USED Volkswagen Passat Saloon (05 - 11)

My car

Took delivery of the new Passat TDI, having been 'forced' back to diesel due to spiralling fuel costs.

The car is a pleasant surprise, quiet and powerful with bags of room.

The cabin is well finished and very comfortable for both driver and passengers - my three daughters love the space!

Styling is miles ahead of the older model Passat and in graphite blue with chrome and alloys it certainly gets second glances from other drivers.

The car drives very well with very little engine or road noise coming into the cabin. The solid feel of the car and the safety features that come as standard inspire a ot of confidence and the new techie gadgets such as the button hand-brake are great.

Overall, I'm impressed and so are my friends. VW are onto a definite winner with the new Passat. Drive one and see!

My car

Comfortable, economical and powerful with good space, although the fore and aft visibility is poor.

It would be a winner were it not for that dreadful, daft push-button parking brake. The one on my car caused stalling in first gear.

It wouldn't work unless the seat belts were fastened (both, if you had a passenger) and occasionally didn't work at all. Also, you can't tell if it's engaged without looking at the dashboard.

Please, VW, go back to a conventional handbrake and don't succumb to using pointless technology just because you can.

My car

I took the TDI 140 Sport model out for a test drive and the first thing that struck me when I took my place in the driver's seat was the feeling of luxury compared with other models of similar price and specification (including the far more expensive BMW 3 Series and the Audi A4).

The high-tech key-start mechanism and the electronic parking break are nice touches, the latter giving you more space in the cabin.

The drive is excellent, even the diesel engine is barely audible under hard acceleration.

There is plenty of power and torque available with the 140 PS engine. The sports seats hug you reassuringly and offer good support through corners, and the sports suspension gives a firm but smooth ride.

The car's looks are a massive improvement over the outgoing model, especially in the darker colours with leather upholstery, and the range of options is impressive.

I was so impressed that I have ordered one for delivery in early October, a little long to wait but this is a quality car that offers great equipment and looks for a very reasonable price.

Rivals should take a good look at this as it's the benchmark in this price range in my opinion.

My car

Following a 24-hour test drive, I placed my order. It has a great ride, which is smooth and refined, but very responsive handling. It's nimble over the ground with an air of elegance.

Having two children (aged 3 and 5), space is needed for the endless amounts of clutter that comes with them. The boot space must be class-leading and the small touches that VW has put on the Passat, siuch as the curry hook in the boot and the umbrella holder in the door, give the car a luxury feel only found in large exec sallons, such as the A6 or BMW 5 Series but without the price tag.

I cannot wait for delivery of my new Passat. I have gone for the steel grey and black, with a black interior.