Fuel Passat VR6

I think the salesman meant was that in a pinch you can use reg, but you should be using High test, that is what is recommended for your car. So in a pinch you can use reg, I wouldn't use it all the time, as it might hurt your warranty and you will notice some "preformance" will drop. With this car comes the "drain your wallet at the pumps" sorry about the bad news

I have used reg in my 07, however I can really tell a difference the time or two I did use reg instead of premium. It just doesn't run as well.

Yes you should always use premium gas in that vdub, the ignition system is setup for the higher octane and using lower rated gas will prematurely burn out your plugs causing a repair bill sooner than you should not too mention lower gas mileage

Your Dub uses a fully mapped intelligent ignition system. By using regular gas, the lower octane rating will retard the ignition to avoid detonation. Retarded ignition gives you slightly lower performance and slightly worse fuel consumption. On a non-turbo car you will probably not even notice the difference.

Rene, Thank you for your intelligent response to the fuel question. You are correct. Premium is recommended for my 08 2.0TFSI engine but not necessary for slower driving habits with less demand on the engine. I usually burn mid grade for my usual driving but will go to premium in more demanding conditions, such as a planned trip to the hill country of western NC this fall.