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What was lost from the B6 to the B7?

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gwernerjr

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Discussion starter · #1 ·
So I "ordered" a 2012 black/black Passat 3.6 SEL Premium with spoiler a couple days ago and being the car nut that I am instantly started nit-picking just how much was actually deleted from the B6 model. I'll list what i noticed and anyone else please do add to the list.

No LED tails
No Xenons/AFS
No mirror puddle lights
No electronic parking brake
No rear side airbag option
No rear vents
No Park sensors
No rear or door shades
No CC/B6 key (cheaper flip remote now)
No cool VW trunk button/high quality trunk struts
No 4motion
No Dynaudio (is fender really better if they kept Dynaudio on the more expensive CC?)
No auto hold/ ESP buttons
No 4 way lumbar (2 way now)
No storage compartment next to steering wheel
No nappa leather
No headlight washers (they were dropped in what 08? when the VR6 was the only one to get xenons versus being part of the lux2/sport2 pkg with the xenons AFS PDC and washers?)
No separate cruise stalk (part of blinker stalk now)
No umbrella holder
No rain sensor activated from factory
No electronic gas cap release (i'm not sure on this one)

Anything that I missed?
 
Discussion starter · #4 ·
I stand corrected on the storage box, and i am right on with the non electric gas cap release; Also the seat fold down levers are cheaper and in the trunk like on an accord versus on the seat top and lockable like on the B6; And there is no more grocery bag holder standard; it is now only an accessory; there are reasons this car is significantly cheaper...
 
#6 · (Edited)
Headlight washers dropped in '08 (not really missed here - fancy but I wonder if they actually work..?). Trunk struts in B6 are nothing special; they just disappear into the sheet metal instead of impinging into the compartment. The strut that changed in the B7 is the hood prop vs gas one in the B6.

Guess you could also add sport seats and larger front brakes, but then you're reaally comparing the B7 with a "sport" model that was dropped in '09 anyway.
 
#7 ·
Not sure about the B6 but my B5 had these nice, chrome and spring loaded tie down "loops" in the trunk where you could string a bungee cord or cargo net between them.

The B7 has just these painted metal tie downs that are fixed in place.
 
Discussion starter · #8 ·
"I owned a 2008 B6 and the storage compartment next to the steering wheel is a driver-side glove box with a coin holder. Both glove boxes on the B6 were also felt lined but this feature was eliminated on the 2012 - just exposed plastic now. I am pretty sure that the armrest storage bin on the B6 was lined with felt but I am unsure as to the 2012.

The B6 passenger glove box was air conditioned.

The B6 had a full-size spare (but may have been changed to a mini by 2010).

The B6 had body color side moldings - usually an expensive option nowadays.

The B6 had two storage cubbies in the trunk on each side but have been deleted.

The B6 had a solid plastic battery compartment with a lid. The 2012 battery is wrapped with an insulating material.

The B6 had heated seats with 6 levels of adjustment. The 2012 has heated seats with 3 levels of adjustment.

The B6 armrest was adjustable with a ratcheting mechanism.

The B6 had cloth covered "B" and "C" pillars. These have now been replaced with plastic.

The B6 had a more sophisticated front suspension system (McPherson concept with triangular wishbones). The 2012 appears to be your garden variety McPherson setup that you would find on most other cars typical to the segment.

The B6 had a Disc-wiping feature: automatically taps brake discs to remain dryer, cleaner and responsive."

These are all compliments of DASVWLOVER
 
#10 ·
jsmyle1%... said:
Not to "thread jack"...but,


  • torque converter
  • less rear-seating space
  • quirky styling
  • leather inserts in the middle of seats
  • phone button that didn't work
  • antiquated nav system
  • tempermental auto hold


My glass is half full....:p
Click to expand...
Less trunk space ? I will drive to IKEA next weekend and will post the fully loaded B7 sedan with furnish for 3 rooms :D
 
#11 ·
gwernerjr said:
So I "ordered" a 2012 black/black Passat 3.6 SEL Premium with spoiler a couple days ago and being the car nut that I am instantly started nit-picking just how much was actually deleted from the B6 model. I'll list what i noticed and anyone else please do add to the list.

No LED tails
No Xenons/AFS
No mirror puddle lights
No electronic parking brake
No rear side airbag option
No rear vents
No Park sensors
No rear or door shades
No CC/B6 key (cheaper flip remote now)
No cool VW trunk button/high quality trunk struts
No 4motion
No Dynaudio (is fender really better if they kept Dynaudio on the more expensive CC?)
No auto hold/ ESP buttons
No 4 way lumbar (2 way now)
No storage compartment next to steering wheel
No nappa leather
No headlight washers (they were dropped in what 08? when the VR6 was the only one to get xenons versus being part of the lux2/sport2 pkg with the xenons AFS PDC and washers?)
No separate cruise stalk (part of blinker stalk now)
No umbrella holder
No rain sensor activated from factory
No electronic gas cap release (i'm not sure on this one)

Anything that I missed?
Click to expand...
Don't worry. It's a GREAT car, I love mine and I came back to VW after many years. When the B8 comes out in 8 years everyone will be blasting it on this blog...
 
#12 ·
gwernerjr said:
The B6 had a solid plastic battery compartment with a lid. The 2012 battery is wrapped with an insulating material.
Click to expand...
Slight correction here. The battery is different and in different locations depending on what engine is in the 2012 Passat. The battery for the V6 Passat is in the trunk and is not wrapped with any insulating material.
 
#14 ·
Quickfry said:
That's the deal-breaker for me.
The separate stalk was the best way of setting cruise control that I've ever used.
Click to expand...
You obviously didn't want a new Passat if this was the only deal breaker. Different strokes, I hate the separate stalk on my MK V Jetta. An ergonomic abomination, I've had the car 6 years and still at times hit the brights instead of the cruise. It certainly was not a deal breaker considering the rest of the car.
 
Discussion starter · #15 ·
I travel between NY and VA every two weeks or so, and the cruise stalk is my best friend. Now that it is on the blinker stalk I foresee quite a few accidental lane change taps while trying to cancel/resume/reset the cruise (which with traffic through 400 miles it happens frequently), so it may not seem like much, but to me it is..
 
#16 ·
gwernerjr said:
I travel between NY and VA every two weeks or so, and the cruise stalk is my best friend. Now that it is on the blinker stalk I foresee quite a few accidental lane change taps while trying to cancel/resume/reset the cruise (which with traffic through 400 miles it happens frequently), so it may not seem like much, but to me it is..
Click to expand...
My old car was a BMW with a separate cruise stalk. I admit, it was better ergonomically. You could practically just think the words "set/resume/cancel" and it would work. But the Passat cruise control is not so bad. You get used to it. I certainly wouldn't discount the car just based on that.

Besides, that's not even the worst part of the cruise control compared to the BMW. On the BMW, it will accelerate andbrake for you. Since much of my driving is not on flat roads, this was a really nice feature. In fact it is probably in the top 3 things I miss about the BMW. (And by the way, I prefer the Passat overall).
 
#17 ·
I love the cruise controle about this precise function. Yes, it is not the best shot where it is placed. But I comprehension to let me say the chevy kind of implementing a cruise ctrl than you know what real german engineering means. The chevy controle sample rate lacks so that in hilly environments you will get very often over the sped limit about 5-10 mph. This problem did not happens with the vw cruise. So this is a good feature demonstrating, that quality is not just real wood interior or electronic parking brake... Think about it.
 
#18 · (Edited)
lugubre3645 said:
Quality.
Click to expand...
As far as quality goes, here are some 2006 Passat 'features' that I hope have been lost the 2012:

Defective steering column lock modules
Defective crankcase breather valves
Carbon-fouled intake valves
High rate of oil consumption
Defective fuel pressure sensors
Worn/scored intake camshafts and damaged fuel pumps
Faulty intake manifold motors
Seized A/C compressors
Faulty valve bodies
Leaking purge valves
Oil pump/timing chain sprocket bolts that come loose
Squeaky front control arm front bushings
Knocking/clunking subframes
Air bag lights due to seat wiring
Cracked/rattling catalytic converters
Wipers that stop working in the rain
Leaking brake booster vacuum hoses
Peeling radio buttons, lock buttons, etc
Parking sensors that cause false signals in the rain

:D
 
#19 ·
gwernerjr said:
The B6 had a more sophisticated front suspension system (McPherson concept with triangular wishbones). The 2012 appears to be your garden variety McPherson setup that you would find on most other cars typical to the segment.
Click to expand...
The basic design of the suspension has not changed and is pretty much a standard MacPherson strut design. You could call the B6 components the 'deluxe' version and the NMS components the 'standard' version. For example, the B6 had a cast aluminum subframe while the NMS is welded steel. In fact, I think I saw that the the Skoda Suberb (Czech cousin to the Euro and NA Passat) switched over to the NMS style components, which I guess is an example of their interchangeability. The Golf/Jetta mk5 and mk6 components are very similar, too.

The Buick Regal GS, of all things, features a new, more sophisticated version of MacPherson struts called HiPerStruts. Info is here. It only comes on the GS, which IIRC starts around $35k.
 
#20 ·
ChrisM said:
As far as quality goes, here are some 2006 Passat 'features' that I hope have been lost the 2012:

Defective steering column lock modules
Defective crankcase breather valves
Carbon-fouled intake valves
High rate of oil consumption
Defective fuel pressure sensors
Worn/scored intake camshafts and damaged fuel pumps
Faulty intake manifold motors
Seized A/C compressors
Faulty valve bodies
Leaking purge valves
Oil pump/timing chain sprocket bolts that come loose
Squeaky front control arm front bushings
Knocking/clunking subframes
Air bag lights due to seat wiring
Cracked/rattling catalytic converters
Wipers that stop working in the rain
Leaking brake booster vacuum hoses
Peeling radio buttons, lock buttons, etc
Parking sensors that cause false signals in the rain

:D
Click to expand...
Let's talk in 5 years. You'll have a laundry list of issues on this first MY B7. :D


Typos courtesy of iPhone 4 using Tapatalk
 
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gwernerjr
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