We leased this car in 2024 based on Kelly’s rec. It has been a comfortable albeit glitchy vehicle that has easily grown with our family.
My favorite feature is the spacious second row. We have the bench seat, and I can fit an infant rear-facing in the middle seat and a toddler rear-facing behind the passenger seat, while still sitting comfortably behind the driver’s seat myself. We usually keep the third row folded down for extra cargo space. On the rare occasions we’ve needed the third row, it’s difficult to access and set up. Pushing the second row all the way back to maximize legroom naturally squeezes third-row legroom, and the third-row headrests get caught on the tilted second row when trying to raise them. To use the third row, you have to move the second row all the way forward, manually pull up the third row, and then push the second row back again.
The main drawback is the technology. While driving on the highway, the screens will occasionally shut off, and the second-row USB-C ports stopped working three months after we got the car. Apple CarPlay is also glitchy—the volume will randomly drop out completely during phone calls. The person on the other end can hear me, but I can't hear them at all. It has actually put me in some dangerous situations on the highway where my only option was to pull off into a safe area, turn off the car, wait about 10 minutes, restart my phone, and restart the car to reset everything. Given Volkswagen’s lower reliability scores, tech issues weren't a total surprise, but as low-mileage lease drivers, it was a risk we were comfortable taking.
I have the R-Line trim and love how it looks inside, especially the tan leather and the fact that a bench seat was available in the top trim level. There are no ceiling vents, so the second row can get warm with rear-facing car seats, but pre-cooling the car via the VW app easily solves that. Overall, good choice, but potentially looking at other options for our next lease.