VW Passat TDI140 Sport Remap Long Term review

We've now had our VW Passat TDI140 Sport remapped for over 2 years so it seems an appropriate time to write a long term review of how it is performing.

The remap was applied to our VW Passat TDI Sport by Angel Tuning at a mileage of 122,000 and we have now covered 132,000 so over 10k miles with the remap fitted. Some advise that remaps should not be fitted to high mileage cars but we have not experienced any problems although we are very careful to service regularly with oil changes every 10,000 miles. Any issues at the current mileage of 132,000 could be equally attributed to normal wear and tear than any negative impact from the remap. Since the remap VW have issued a recall for the Passat Injectors so all 4 injectors have been replaced under this meaning that we have brand new injectors although the car had covered 125,000 miles at the time!

VW Passat TDI140 Sport Remap Long Term review

Probably the best thing about remapping the Passat TDI is how much more fun it makes the car to drive. The overtaking on motorways and A roads is effortless; pulling out from junctions to major roads requiring rapid acceleration is great and the whole driving experience is improved. The VW Passat TDI140 Sport is one of the most comfortable cars as a driver or passenger and the remap complements this comfort with impressive acceleration.

The fuel consumption is improved following the remapping of the Passat TDI 140. The long term average is approx 48mpg which is around 1-2 mpg more than before the remap. The consumption on long journeys is the most impressive and can exceed 60 mpg. Interestingly the higher MPG figures are not really dependent on moderating speed, the 60MPG is actually achieved doing 70 mph on the motorway with marginally lower MPG at 60-65mph.

The only real negative that I have found is from increased tyre wear. The front tyres are now wearing in under 20,000 miles and with the low profile 17" alloys these are not cheap to replace. At £125 a tyre this is a lot more than our Golf but is a small price to pay for the improved experience and performance. The remap does encourage more spirited driving which could explain the faster wear as the engine pushes the increased torque through the wheels.