Europe’s most successful automobile manufacturer has opened a new chapter in the seventh decade since its foundation. With the Passat W8, Volkswagen’s first eight-cylinder model, the brand launched a broadly based product offensive in the luxury class and C segment. The Passat W8 with a power output of 202 kW/275 bhp fulfils two tasks. On the one hand it bridges the gap to luxury class saloon, the Volkswagen Phaeton. Secondly, the Passat W8 extends the range of products above the successful V6 models.
The V6 Passat has been successful for many years in the premium end of the B segment. However, the new Passat W8, with its completely re-designed engine and drive system, is positioned in the C segment. Another exclusive feature which contributes to its special status is four-wheel drive fitted as standard.
The relationship between comfort, drive technology and price has secured the new Passat W8 a unique position in the luxury class. This alone makes it superior to its competitors’ six-cylinder engines. In addition, their eight-cylinder models are some twenty per cent more expensive than the Passat W8.
As with all Passats, the Passat W8 is also available as an estate car, and Volkswagen expects the estate to be a popular choice.
The W8 tops the V6 and enters a new class
Volkswagen traditionally enjoys a strong market position in the premium mid-class - last year, the brand sold over 75 000 Passats with the V6 engine. The new Passat W8 will satisfy the wishes of particularly discerning Volkswagen customers. Surveys of the US market have demonstrated that interest in the eight-cylinder model, as an extension of the range, is particularly strong.
Some 710 000 vehicles were sold in the C segment in Europe in 2000, of these over 282 000 in Germany. The Passat W8 is set to conquer new shares in this market. Volkswagen expects a conquest rate of up to 70 percent and is convinced that the new model will particularly appeal to the progressive, independently thinking customer. Sales for 2002 are expected to total 10 000 units, with an equal split between saloons and estates.
According to Volkswagen analysts, some fifty per cent of Passat W8 drivers will be recruited from existing luxury class customers, and over one third will be going upmarket from the upper mid-class. The primary target group comprises managers of medium-sized and large companies, self-employed people, owners of companies, and discerning private customers.
Powerful acceleration, high top speed and smooth running
Details of the new engine: the brand’s current top model has a redesigned eight-cylinder engine. From its 4.0 litre capacity, the W8 develops a power output of 202 kW/275 bhp at 6 000 rpm and a torque of 370 newton metres at 2 750 rpm. The 32-valve engine combines its confident power development with an absolutely smooth engine. This basic feature enables it to be both a dynamic sporty engine and give a comfortable ride.
Volkswagen engineers have limited the maximum speed of the new high-end model to 250 km/h (155 mph). The saloon with manual gearbox completes the zero to 100 km/h dash in 6.5 seconds, the estate in 6.8 seconds. With Tiptronic, the same sprint takes 7.8 / 8.1 seconds.
EU standardised consumption for the saloon - for both the manual gearbox and for the Tiptronic - is 13.1 litres of premium petrol over 100 kilometres. The different aerodynamics of the estate give it a fuel consumption of 13.2 litres / 100 kilometres.
Volkswagen high-tech: W-layout and four balancer shafts
The W8 engine basically comprises two V4 modules offset at an angle of 72 degrees. Their internal cylinder angle is a narrow 15 degrees. This double V results in a W layout.
In addition to the crankshaft with five main bearings, the W8 has six other shafts. Four of them are the overhead camshafts manufactured by internal high-pressure forming which are driven from the intermediate shaft via simplex chains. There is one inlet camshaft and one exhaust camshaft for each cylinder head. The valves are actuated by roller rocker fingers to reduce friction. The engine’s unusually full torque is partly due to continuous adjustment of the inlet camshafts through 52 degrees and the exhaust camshafts through 22 degrees. An aluminium resonance intake manifold further enhances acceleration and power development.
The extreme smoothness of the engine up to its maximum engine speed of 6 400 rpm can be partly attributed to the two Lancaster principle balancer shafts which improve mass compensation. They are fitted one above the other, and are symmetric to the middle of the crankshaft. The two balancer shafts counter-rotate at twice the crankshaft speed, the upper one is driven by a maintenance-free toothed belt.
The crankshaft is made of tempered steel. The “flat” crankshaft design has a crank pin offset of 180 degrees and a firing order of 1-5-2-6-4-8-3-7, a typical feature of high-performance engines.
Compact aluminium engine construction
The crankcase is also made of aluminium, making the W8 with a weight of just 190 kilograms one of the lightest eight-cylinder engines. With a length of just 420 millimetres, a width of 710 millimetres and a height of 683 millimetres, it is also unusually compact. It is fitted longitudinally in front of the front axle; this position enables power transmission to the front axle without a side drive shaft which would encroach on the spaciousness of the footwells.
Six-speed manual or five-speed Tiptronic automatic
The C90 manual gearbox with sporty ratios is fitted as standard to the Passat W8. This gearbox has been designed for power transmission of up to 400 newton metres, and thus has excess capacity for this powerful eight-cylinder engine. The shift mechanism is designed for easy, positive gear selection.
The optional five-speed Tiptronic has slightly longer gear ratios than the manual gearbox. It works with a hydraulic torque converter lock-up clutch and an additional plus/minus gate for manual intervention.
The Passat W8 has four-wheel drive as standard
Superior power needs superior transmission to the road. For this reason, the decision to fit the vehicle with permanent four-wheel drive was taken even before the start of development of the Passat W8.
The system is called 4MOTION, but is not identical to the 4MOTION system with the Haldex coupling used in the Golf, Bora and Sharan. This permanent four-wheel drive works with automatic Torsen centre differential. In normal driving conditions it distributes power evenly to the front and rear wheels. This has the advantage over rear-wheel drive that the power that has to be transmitted by each wheel is halved. This has a positive effect on the lateral guiding forces. The consequence is: the Passat W8 gives the impression of being on rails.
However, the full potential of the four-wheel drive comes into play when the vehicle is accelerated at full load or driven on slippery surfaces. In this event, the Torsen differential distributes the power to the wheels which have the best traction. At speeds under 40 km/h (25 mph), the four electronic differential locks (EDL) brake individual wheels to prevent them spinning.
Control systems perfect comfortable and dynamic running gear
The active safety system in the Passat is completed by ABS and the electronic stability programme (ESP) including the integrated traction control system ASR. If necessary, ESP does not only apply the brakes, it also intervenes in the engine management system. The brake assist system, also fitted as standard, is another new development. Its sensors detect emergency situations in which the driver steps on the brake pedal more quickly than usual - it then intervenes, causing a full emergency stop. In comparison to human drivers, who generally brake too hesitantly, this system can reduce stopping distances by several potentially critical metres. The wheel brake system has been matched to the high-performance engine and has four vented, extra large disc brakes.
The Passat W8 has running gear which forms the basis of safe, dynamic, and comfortable motoring, and which is tuned for high performance. The front axle has four-link suspension with a spring/shock absorber unit. The rear has double wishbones with coil springs and shock absorbers.
The running gear comes into its own at high speeds: the Passat W8’s road holding remains impeccable in long motorway bends. Power assisted steering plays an important role here. It is especially direct in the straight-ahead position, but does not feel nervous. The vehicle also has excellent rolling comfort - long and short ruts along the road and across the road surface are no problem for the running gear. Longer journeys are more relaxed thanks to advanced aero-acoustics to reduce wind noises and comprehensive noise insulation.
Body rigidity at highest level; six airbags as standard
The quality of the Passat W8 body is totally convincing. It not only determines comfort and safety levels, but is also the foundation stone for the superior motoring characteristics. In view of the enhanced engine power, the developers gave the already very rigid, fully galvanised body shell reinforcement in critical areas. These are the sills, the B-pillars including the connecting roof members, the central tunnel, the side impact protection elements in the doors, the upper longitudinal members, and the interiors of the wings. The torsional rigidity of the Passat W8 has top values of some 24 000 newton metres per degree, its torsion natural frequency value is an impressive 49 Hertz. What this actually means is immediately evident to the driver on bad roads.
Perfect, all round protection from a perfectly balanced airbag system
Driven by this philosophy, Volkswagen has fitted the Passat W8 with a comprehensive package of passive safety devices. It has two front airbags, two side airbags and two window airbags fitted as standard. An active seatbelt system with tensioners in the front and the rear supplements the action of the airbags. In the event of an accident, the on-board management system, controlled by the data bus, switches off the fuel supply and opens the central locking.
Leather, wood and chrome characterise the interior
An atmosphere of safety and comfort is also generated by a generous amount of interior space. The concept of the Passat W8 shows no compromises in this respect. Its length (4.70 metres) and width (1.75 metres) make it as spacious as a luxury class car. Its height of 1.46 metres provides generous headroom, and the long wheelbase (2.70 metres) and efficient body packaging make the interior generally spacious.
The following figures support these statements. The legroom in the front is 1 136 millimetres. The seating area in the rear has a length of 903 millimetres, and 900 millimetres in the estate version. Elbow width at the front is 1 466 mm and 1 440 mm in the rear, the headroom in the saloon (measured from the surface of the seat) is 1 006 mm in the front and 955 millimetres in the rear.
Children too have safe and comfortable seats in the Passat W8. The large Volkswagen can be ordered with two optional child safety seats integrated in the rear seat bench. Isofix child seat fittings for securing commercially available child safety seats are included as standard. If they are not required, they can be stored in the large luggage compartments of the Passat W8 models.
The luggage compartment of the saloon has a capacity of 400 litres; the Passat W8 estate has a capacity of 450 litres (to the lower edge of the side windows). If the 1/3:2/3 split rear seat bench in the estate is folded down, this capacity grows to 1545 litres, the maximum storage length is then 1744 mm. A partition net between the roof and the rear seat bench back is fitted as standard in the estate. The boot lid in the saloon and tailgate in the estate version can both be opened using the remote control.
Speedometer to 300 km/h, seats with leather/fabric upholstery
Volkswagen upgraded the interior of the current Passat line-up when it was launched in late autumn 2000. The leather style grain in the cockpit area, the new door trims and the new central tunnel console are worth a mention in this context. It includes a handbrake lever which has been moved to the side, an adjustable centre armrest and a large storage compartment.
The Passat W8 is now even more stylish and exclusive. The instruments have new ranges, the speedometer now displays up to 300 km/h. Subtle chrome strips in the cockpit and door trims divide the black upper area from the lower area which is matched to the seat colour. The central console and trims on the window lifters and door pullers are made of genuine burnished walnut.
The upholstery of the de-luxe seats underlines the premium quality of the Passat W8: The central cushion is upholstered in fabric, and the side cushions in leather. The handbrake, gearshift gaiter and steering wheel rim all have leather trims. The glove compartment flap opening mechanism is silicone-damped, the velvet pile mats and seatbelts are colour-coded with the seats.
Some special elements on the exterior of the Passat W8 bear witness to its special position. It has additional chrome strips on the radiator grille, on the side strips, on the windows and under the rear lights. In addition it has two chrome twin tailpipes, bi-xenon headlights fitted as standard and “Madras” 17-inch alloy wheels with sporty 225/45 R 17 tyres.
Bi-xenon headlights and Climatronic at no extra charge
The Passat W8’s basic equipment package arguably includes a fuller range of extras than any other vehicle in its class. A special feature of the standard package are the bi-xenon headlights. The world’s most modern light sources used in the automotive industry have a xenon bulb main beam. A moveable light guide switches the lamp to dipped beam headlights. The bi-xenon headlights illuminate the way ahead perfectly and consume a third less energy than conventional lamps.
A comprehensive range of functional equipment is also installed. The standard package includes Climatronic air conditioning which holds the desired temperature constant, the multifunction display which provides information on data such as range and average consumption, an anti-theft alarm which monitors the interior and, in the estate, a partition net which protects passengers from loose objects in the luggage compartment. Naturally, the basic equipment package includes safety features such as side airbags and window airbags, and radio wave remote control locking of the luggage compartment.
There is a range of options which can be selected to customise the Passat W8. If you prefer not to change gear manually, you can select the five-speed Tiptronic automatic gearbox. If you enjoy the atmosphere of a concert hall, you can choose 
between three different CD players, a variety of different radios and a digital sound package; two of the radios are integrated in the Passat W8 navigation systems, one of which has a colour display and can be enhanced with a television module. If you wish to improve comfort, your can choose the solar sliding roof with automatic ventilation activation which can reduce the temperature of the interior of the car by up to 20 degrees Celsius even when the car is parked - or you can add on a sun blind for the rear window in the saloon version. In addition, de-luxe seats can be ordered in nappa leather, and Recaro sports seats are available in leather / Alcantara and nappa leather. An electrical 8-way seat adjustment system with memory function is also available.
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