2004 Accord vs. Passat

The Passat 1.8T (4cyl) is more fun to drive most definately. That turbo
charger really kicks in at 3rd Gear (manual). The styling of the car and
the pannel lights are european and more stylish. However, the Monsoon
stereo in the Passat does not compare with the Accord's sound system. It
sounds much much better. Expecially with the Accord's built in XM
stereo. You will be addicted after the first week and become an XM
subscriber. The overall Accord interrior leather interrior seemed much
higher quality in my opinion. Also, being a tall person, the Accord has
much more interrior room. Especially if you are carrying passengers. I
had originally favored the Passat since it came standard with side
curtin airbags. My wife's sister had a 29 year old friend who went to
the nursing home. She would have walked away if she had side curtin
bags. But the 2004 Accord now has them for all Leather trimmed EX models.

I struggled with the decision and waited for the 2004 Accord Leather EX
5M with Navi. I enjoy the thrill of driving and this thing really moves,
even with the 4cyl engine. I spent the Auto Tranny money on the Navi
which is the best in the industry. Really adds a lot of fun and I never
get lost anymore. If you get turned around, Just press the voice button
and tell the car to take you home. You also get a full huge database of
restaurants, gas stations, and every sort of business on the DVD. The
Navi, stereo, and climate control can be operated completly by voice if
you don't want to take your eyes off the road. You can even switch CDs
and que up a specific track with voice commands, or specify a specific
radio station (XM,FM, or AM).

Im very happy with my choice and have no regrets. I know it will be a
good car for years to come. My last Accord was a good car for 16 years.

 

I think the point is if you think it's rough, it's rough, no pardons
required.

 

I didn't say it was noisy. I said it was noisier than my Passat. The
question was comparing the two. I have both and that's my experience.
The Honda has more road / tire and more engine noise. I'm very happy
with the Accord. It's just different than the Passat.

Also on the reliability side, I'm not sure it the problems with the
Beetle and Jetta are because both are assembled in Mexico, or basic
design as I believe underneath they are built on the same platform.
From what I've read, I'd guess it is the latter more than the former.
If you look at CU data, Passats (at least the newer versions) have a
better record than the Jettas and Beetles. However, the Passat is
still only average while the Honda is much better than average.

 

VW's are reportedly less reliable than Hondas, but I am very frustrated by

I dont disagree with you, but your Accord may be a lemon. I've never heard of
that many problems with an Accord. Sounds out of the ordinary.
J Hebert

 

I read a few months ago, in an article on family sedans, that CU were not
recommending the Passat because of its poor reliability record. I left the
magazine at the office, let me know if you want to know the exact issue.

 

I read a few months ago, in an article on family sedans, that CU were not

Poor? The Golf/Jetta/Beetle are poor, the made-in-Germany Passat is average.

 

I checked the article. You're absolutely right. In fact although its
predicted reliability was only average, they still liked the Passat best.

 

the jetta is not built in mexico you retard

 

The ratings do not take reliability into account, it is reported
separately. To be a 'recommended' model it must do well in the
ratings and have at least average reliability.

 

It's a great car, period. And most of the window problems have been
with the Golf/Jetta, not the Passat. The only really significant
problem I'm aware of on the Passat was the coil-pack issue and, well, I
got a V6, so I never had to worry about it.

Apples to oranges. New Beetle resales are poor because the NB was a
stupid idea from the very beginning - an extremely impractical car.
(But it *did* serve a purpose, in that it got people to start noticing
VW again.) After you're done chuckling over NB resale values, check out
Passat resale values - there's quite a difference.

All of that said, if you can get an Accord with similar features to a
Passat for less money, get the Accord. They're both excellent cars. On
the other hand, there are features offered by the Passat that are not
available in the Accord, such as a wagon, an 8-cylinder engine and 4WD.

 

Well, to be fair, the Jetta is also assembled in Mexico.

 

It most certainly is. IIRC the Jetta *wagon* is built in Germany, but
the sedan is built in the same Puebla facility as the NB.

 

And it's very easy to find yourself creeping up toward 180 km/h, too.
The Passat may not be the quickest off the line, but it wants to go fast.

 

IME, admittedly dated, German assembly is no guarantee of quality either.
You think German's do the assembling?

Rgds, George Macdonald

"Just because they're paranoid doesn't mean you're not psychotic" - Who, me??