One important fact not mentioned: The Passat requires more costly premium fuel; the Honda's mpg is based off regular fuel.

One important fact, the Passat with the 2.0t is WAY faster than Accord in the real world. (and if you really had to pinch pennies, you can run mid-grade)

The Accord does not even engage VTEC until 5000rpm.
The HO Accord 2.4 (190hp model) only makes about 150hp@5000rpm.
The Passat makes roughly 197hp@5000

and the Accord automatic has terrible controls. D5 D3 2 1. You can't really drive in D3 because the revs are too high (Try it, see if you can drive at 50mph in 3rd gear for 1 minute)

and Honda even shortened the gear ratios of 2nd, 3rd, & 4th gear in the 190hp model. 3rd gear is 4% shorter than the 177hp model, so you probably can make it 30 seconds @ 50mph in 3rd gear before you move the selector back to D5.

The question posed was in regard to fuel economy, not how fast the car would be. If horsepower and quickness were all that mattered, the VW would outsell the Honda. If "fast" is the criteria, perhaps other matters could be mentioned: resale value, reliability, cost, etc. No doubt about it, the Honda wins and easily sells, in only a few months, what it takes VW to sell in an entire year.

Mileage at what cost?

If you believe in 'Grade Logic' we trust, then the Accord is your car.

If you know how to move the selector fore/aft to downshift from 6th gear, then the Passat if for you.

Who gives a f--- about how fast they are when they are asking about mileage, and the Passat still takes PREMIUM!

The word "Passat" means Piece of Crap in German !

George,
VWs is European Chevy. Honda is a world leader in technology.
I am sure that if Honda management would think that Accord needs more horses and acceleration their engeneers would easily produce a car with those specs. But in Accord they are looking to sell it to the average consumer, who careless about gear ratios, etc. All they care is safety, reliability, comfort, resale value and fuel economy for the $$$. This is why Camry is actual best seller.
If at VW they not getting it, they can continue to sell their few thousends of Passats per year compare to 100 thousends of Accords.
One thing I can say is - if I had a good friend I would never recommend him/her to buy a Passat.

I'm thinking of purchasing a honda accord coupe i own a 99, undecided which one to buy a four or a six cylinder. do you think the mileage would be that much different?

Why is it we use to have cars in the 60's we could get 40 mpg with, and can't find them now...unless they're hybrid? I remember GREAT mileage like this with my VW bug and VW Squareback. When Honda first came out, we got the same sort of high mileage (45+)...NOT a hybrid.

I have a 97' Buick Park Avenue now that gets as good a mileage as most of these so called efficient cars. I average 22 in town and get 30 on the highway! Why would I want to trade it in for a spendy 'fuel efficient' car.

Sounds odd, eh? Somebody, somewhere, is getting away with screwing the people. Our gas prices are up and our cars get less fuel efficiency than they are able to.

"One important fact, the Passat with the 2.0t is WAY faster than Accord in the real world. (and if you really had to pinch pennies, you can run mid-grade)"

So a better comparison here would be the V6 Accord vs. that Passat in terms of fuel economy as they have identical highway mileage. So let's see, 268 horses versus 197.

If you like a boring 'disconnected' ride that my 80 year old grandmother drives then by all means, go with the Honda product. They should've stuck to making lawnmowers, their cars are dogs. I don't know about the rest of you, but I drive cars that I LIKE TO DRIVE. Unless you want to drive a car marketed to single mothers who work at fast food chains, go with the German product. It's superior in performance, handling and ride quality. Just because something gets 40mpg doesn't make it the best car on the road. There is no 'feel' for the road with Japanese cars, which is why they can never compete with the luxury and handling of German cars.

You get what you pay for. In this case, you get a shitty ride quality and great gas mileage.

I own a 2007 Honda Accord 4 cylinder automatic....I was astounded to get 40.17 mpg last weekend: cruise control on with A/C in hot Texas!!!! 141 miles and 3.51 gallons of $3.839 CITGO gas!!!! HappyGuy

I got a 2005 V6 Accord, now with 76K on it - no troubles whatsoever, get 28-30 combined mpg (mostly highway miles), its no doubt one of the best value for money car.

I bought an 07 Honda Accord EX 4cyl with 5spManual. Have kept running records of my gas mileage doing about 75% highway driving. I'm getting an honest 30mpg combined! Powerful acceleration, good handling and ride, roomy, tight, and great gas mileage - who can beat this in a quality auto with longevity in mind??

hi I had several cars in the past an I've bought a honda accord ex 2.4l 190hp auto few months ago. it's a great car. I agree on the 21mpg in city but on highway, it's all about how you are driving your car. it's more like 26 to 30 depends how fast you drive, traffic etc. but I've got an average of 29. now back to grade logic you can feel it and it's working great. the VSA, it's a great plus compare to my wife camry. about the hp. it's ok. I don't need more but when really need to pass other cars, it was there. as for the speed, do you need to go faster than 120mph? the only thing that I think Passat is better than the accord is the road noise level(even if the car is equipped with 4 michelin primacy tires). It's lower than average in the honda. but the good point is that there is an integrated noise cancelling in the audio system. if you need more power take a V6 ( but a accord 07 v6).