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VWVortex.com Reviews and Road Tests The fifth-generation (B5) Passat in many ways was a landmark car for Volkswagen. It was the first of the "new" Volkswagen products launched (beginning in 1997) that helped redefine the expectations of both consumers and competitors when it came to ride, handling, interior materials, fit and finish, and more. It was named Consumer Reports' number one family sedan pick in 1999, upsetting a pedestal the Camry and Accord had held onto for more than 10 years. The B5 Passat still holds its own against the competition's all-new platforms when it comes to the details, but the competition has long since passed the outgoing Passat when it comes to power, ride and handling - a direct result of the B5 Passat's excrutiatingly long product lifecycle. So enter the all-new sixth-generation Passat with more power, infinitely improved ride and handling and even more features than the outgoing model.
The fifth-generation Passat sold an average 75,000 units per year, making the Passat the second-best selling model behind the Jetta here in the U.S. In Germany the Passat remains the number one selling mid-size car, so pressure on the new model to succeed is intense. Outwardly, the B6 Passat sits 2.5 inches longer overall and a full 3 inches wider than the B5, giving the new car an improved presence in the metal and vast improvements in shoulder and hip room. The additional width also yields big improvements in track, making the new Passat feel very planted and stable in corners with very little body roll - more on that in a moment. Outside the new Passat gets Volkswagen's new corporate "face" similar to the Concept C with pleasing curves, high quality shut lines, very clean sheetmetal, new "tear-drop" headlamps and Volkswagen's controversial chrome front grill. Overall the look is both sporty and elegant, and it pulls off the new corporate face far better than the new Jetta. Whether all this new design language translates into what a Volkswagen, or indeed any German car, should look like is up for debate in our minds - then again, many of the new designs coming out of Germany are controversial these days. Like a bad Tammy Faye Bakker makeup job, someone needs to take the crayons and makeup away from the designers and remind them of the KISS principal (Keep It Simple Stupid!). Perhaps a re-education on Bauhaus design theory is in order… but I digress.
Dynamically, the new car really shines over the outgoing version. Volkswagen has revised the front MacPherson strut setup and implemented the all-new multi-link fully independent rear suspension similar to the new Golf/Jetta V, giving the new Passat a much-needed improvement in handling and ride quality. While the Golf/Jetta V and new B6 Passat share suspension components, the B6 Passat utilizes a single-piece subframe design (as opposed to the Golf/Jetta V three-piece design), quite a bit more aluminum and different bushing characteristics. Volkswagen also incorporated a vast number of weight saving measures in the suspension components utilizing aluminum to reduce unsprung weight - more than 29 pounds were shaved from the front suspension setup alone. The B6 Passat also sports a 57% improvement in torsional rigidity, resulting in a very solid chassis which enables the handling gurus to tune the suspension to not only handle well - utilizing the chassis as a rigid member - but to also improve general ride characteristics. Dive, squat and body roll are night-and-day better compared to the outgoing B5 Passat model and right up there with the best of the current market offerings.
The models we drove were equipped with an optional 18-inch wheel and tire package with the standard suspension setup (a sport suspension will also be available optionally with 15mm lower and stiffer springs and shocks) but unfortunately our drive route didn't offer us the ability to really push the car past its limits much. We do know from throwing it into a few deep bends that it hangs in there quite a bit longer than we expected for a largish mid-size car and while understeer is naturally present past the limit, it isn't excessive or cumbersome. Feedback through the electro-mechanical steering is very good for this type of system, with crisp turn-in on the 18" wheel setup. Overall the chassis is quite communicative, giving the driver a good feel for what is going on under the tires and instilling a confidence that makes you want to push the car harder and harder. On the autobahn at high speeds the car remains very stable with the steering wheel weighting up nicely (more so than in the new Golf or Jetta), though wind noise was more intrusive than we expected from what appears to be such a slick shape. Overall, Volkswagen has struck a nice balance in ride and handling that is far, far better than the outgoing car and a refreshing change of the tide lately with newly introduced VW models.
Powertrain improvements are another major plus for the new Passat. The base engine for North America is the all-new 16v 200-hp 2.0-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder with direct injection (FSI in VW-speak) also found in the new GTI. If you were a fan of the discontinued 1.8T you will be very impressed with the new 2.0T FSI as it makes the old 1.8T seem like a geriatric patient put out to pasture at the wrinkle ranch. Turbo lag is nearly non-existent and power comes on immediately with a torque peak of 205 lb-ft available at a low 1750 RPM. In essence the 2.0T has all the torque characteristics of the old 2.8-liter VR6 combined with the upper horsepower pull of the old 16v engine. Even in the dimensionally larger Passat, the 2.0T performs like a larger engine. Good as the 2.0T may be though, the brand new 280-hp 3.6-liter VR6 FSI engine is what this trip to Germany was really all about. The Passat has been lagging behind for quite some time in the V6 power department and Volkswagen has decided for the U.S. market specifically to skip the 3.2-liter VR6 that Germany is getting in this model and move right to the 280-hp 3.6-liter version, putting the Passat near the top of the heap in this class. The new 3.6-liter VR6 is a narrow angle V6 similar to the older 2.8 and 3.2-liter versions. However, the new 3.6 utilizes a 10.6 degree cylinder offset - as opposed to the previous 15 degree offset - and bore has increased to 89mm and stroke to 96.4mm. The new engine is also 17.5 lbs. lighter than the previous Passat's 2.8-liter 90-degree V6. Power is now up to 280-hp and 265 lb-ft of torque (that’s 90-hp more and 58 lb-ft of additional torque over the old V6!) providing more than adequate power to propel the new Passat down the road with real authority.
The real impression is made when the pedal meets the floor - the new 3.6 VR6 makes a great low-end growl that grows into a wonderfully frenetic VR6 shriek at upper RPMs, giving this new V6 a soul that the old 2.8 never had. Keep it pinned to the floor and the car will keep you pushed back in your seat all the way to the 135 mph rev-limited top speed on the Autobahn (damn U.S. spec electronics). You'll never find yourself lacking in torque or power, regardless of when you ask for it, particularly with it coupled to the Aisin built six-speed Tiptronic giving you buttery upshifts. Sport mode in the Tiptronic transmission has significantly different programming than the regular "D" mode, shifting at redline, holding revs and even downshifting as speeds and RPMs reduce. The test cars we drove were front-wheel-drive only, yet surprisingly capable of putting the power to the ground with little wheel spin and no torque-steer antics. VW's 4motion all-wheeel-drive system will also be available with the 3.6 VR6 and would be a worthwhile addition to ensure getting power down effectively, particularly if you live in a snowbelt region. The only thing missing is a six-speed manual transmisssion for those that want to row their own gears- but alas, there are no current plans for one. Inside the new Passat you'll find more radical changes - most good, but a few that might raise an eyebrow. The European press has been back and forth over the debate on interior material quality not being up to the standards of the old car and we'd have to agree that a few of the materials are not up to the high water mark set by the B5 generation car. However, whereas the overall interior design on the last generation car was very conservative, the new car is fairly progressive in comparison and gives the impression that it is more upscale with nice detailing, more of a flowing design to the center console and a "floating" dash motif that looks pretty slick in person.
Volkswagen has designed an all-new "key" for the new Passat that is a slick looking radio/infrared unit that you push into a slot on the dashboard that nearly swallows the entire key. Simply push the key into the slot, hold it down for a couple of seconds and the car starts right up. Since there is no actual key sticking out of the steering column or dash there is less clutter and little possibility of getting injured by a key in the traditional location in a crash. The sport seats (optional) are plenty supportive in all the right areas and look great. The standard seats are a little flat to accomodate a wide variety of posterior surfaces, but comfortable over the long haul. Controls are nicely laid out with easy to read gauges illuminated by VW's signature and often-copied blue-backlighting, decent outward visibility and a wide range of adjustments to the steering wheel position, seat position and more. The new Passat also has a number of new available features including dual-zone climate control, a fantastic sounding Dynaudio premium sound system, bi-xenon headlamps (including "steerable" units that change direction as you turn to illuminate the direction you are headed), DVD-based navigation and more. VW even included a built-in self-draining umbrella pocket (with umbrella) in the driver's door.
The B6 Passat will offer two option paths with the 3.6 - sport and luxury. The sport package gets you aluminum interior trim (as opposed to wood trim on the luxury option), leather 12-way power sport seats, sport suspension, 3-spoke steering wheel, dual-zone Climatronic, heated seats and more. Eighteen-inch alloys ($800), DVD-based navigation ($1,800) and the Dynaudio Premium Sound System ($1000) are available as stand-alone options or as part of a Sport-plus-Tech option package. Pricing on the V6 model starts at $29,950 with FWD and $31,900 with 4motion. Checking all the options boxes brings the price to just under $40k. Safety systems available on the new model include electronic stability program (ESP), driver and front-passenger airbags, side head curtain airbags front and rear, side seat airbags front and rear, new brake disc water wipers that remove moisture from the brake surface and five-star side impact crash protection - another first in the mid-size class.
Overall we're impressed with the new Passat 3.6. VW has built a far superior car dynamically with better handling, more power, more features and more room. Unfortunately, the ride can be a bit choppy with 18-inch wheels (subjective), wind noise is a bit more than we expected and a few interior materials seem to not be up to VW's usually high standards. Those complaints are reaching a bit, though - as a whole package, the new Passat is very good. We give the new Passat a big thumbs-up for its improved (or finally returned?) German driving dynamics, big torque and horsepower characteristics, improved features and space and overall fun-to-drive character.
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