Volkswagen Passat W8 sedan or wagon packs innovative engine
Bob Plunkett
Date Posted: 5/10/2005
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SANTA CRUZ, Calif. -- Grip that grab handle and tie the seatbelt tighter as we put the pedal down on an innovative new eight-cylinder engine out of Germany and steer the first luxury sedan from Volkswagen through so many curves on rambunctious Skyline Boulevard.
This serpentine route, California 35, slithers along a spiny ridge of the Santa Cruz Mountains that stands between southern reaches of San Francisco Bay and the Pacific Ocean.
Fleeting glimpses of either sea or bay appear from time to time when there's a break in the groves of redwoods that cover the ridge, but we find no time for sightseeing because we're flying through the wiggles with eyes strictly fixed on the next in a series of swoops and dips and serpentine kinks of a tricky road.
Of course, we're pushing this new Volkswagen -- dubbed Passat W8 -- to the limit to explore its agile nature and unlock the muscle in its unusual powertrain.
And, believe us, it delivers all we can handle with strong surges on the rare straightaway, precisely drawn zigzag lines through slalom esses and quickly cut reins when our momentum threatens to overwhelm the tightness of some of the mountain turns.
After winding down the slopes to Santa Cruz, we pick up the Pacific Coast Highway on a divided four-lane slab where we can move into the inside lane for a smooth and quiet run at higher speed bumping against the legal limit.
Here, our W8 behaves like a taut German touring car honed for fast work at autobahn pace.
It's impressive in the power department, stable at the higher speeds, yet insulated fully to muffle all noisy vibrations and trimmed extensively in the refined trappings of luxury.
W8 is also a car quite rare among luxurious German touring sedans rigged with eight-cylinder fire power: It's a downright bargain due to the MSRP tag at $37,900, which runs at least $11,000 less than the rest.
This marks the first luxury car for Volkswagen and it's also the first VW rigged with an eight-cylinder engine.
Foundation for the W8 is a mid-size Passat, where elegant exterior styling blends into a comfortable but functional machine possessing the Teutonic hallmark of precision engineering yet without attaching the high-dollar figures usually associated with German touring cars.
In the new design, W8 carries specific deluxe exterior elements that vary from all other Passats.
Elements include high-intensity xenon headlamps with power washers, subtle monochromatic body treatment with accents in chrome plus chrome-tipped dual exhaust tips and special 16-inch alloy wheels.
Volkswagen divides the W8 into two configurations as a four-door sedan and five-door station wagon, each outfitted with the eight-pack engine and a five-speed electronic automatic transmission, plus VW's 4Motion all-wheel-drive system coupled to an Electronic Stabilization Program (ESP).
The powertrain is unlike any other, the result of Volkswagen's inventive VR cylinder geometry which originally combined two V-6 engines in parallel arrangement with cylinders distributed in two V-shaped banks to forge a W-shaped 12-cylinder engine.
W8's eight-cylinder variation, derived from the W12, has the two banks of cylinders aligned in a V-shaped angle of 72 degrees. Cylinders contained within each bank are then set at a 15-degree V-angled pattern.
Four adjustable camshafts control intake and exhaust valves over cylinder banks in independent action, with two separate balancing shafts added to ensure smoothness in cylinder action and shafts moving in opposing rotation, one to the next, at double the speed of the crankshaft.
The unique arrangement produces high power and high torque, yet also high fuel efficiency and minimal emissions.
Displacing 4.0-liters, the W8 generates 270 hp at 6000 rpm and 273 lb-ft of torque at 2750 rpm.
Fuel economy numbers climb up to 25 miles per gallon at highway speed.
The automatic five-speed performs quiet shift sequences in a sporty manner, thanks to the addition of Porsche's Tiptronic clutch-less manual shifting feature.
Also, Volkswagen's 4Motion all-wheel-drive system enhances wheel traction by continuously distributing the engine's power to all wheels.
The operation is completely automatic.
Normally, the system splits the torque, sending half to the front wheels and half to the rear. When wheels begin to spin on slippery pavement, though, the 4Motion device can instantly determine which wheels maintain traction and thus merit more of the engine's power. As much as 67 percent of the torque may be shifted to the front wheels.
The device scores as an ultimate safety system for controlling traction, but Passat also adds anti-lock controls for the four-wheel-disc brakes.
Other concessions for safety range from the strong unibody structure to six air bags, including frontal and side-mounted air bags for both front seats and curtain-style air bags concealed in headliners above side windows.
Inside Passat, securely belted into the body-hugging bucket clad in supple leather hides, a driver sits surrounded by ergonomic practicality. Every item you touch -- from the four-spoke sport steering wheel to a console-mounted gear shift knob, climate control switches in the center dash or power window buttons on the left door armrest -- seems like it was strategically placed to become an extension of the self.
Round analog gauges -- large ones for speedometer and tachometer and smaller ones for coolant temperature and oil pressure -- have been arranged in a simple display that optimizes legibility by using bold graphics. At night, the gauges light up in dazzling blue numbers and red needles on black faces in designs inspired from international air traffic controls for superior viewing in the dark.
Both sedan and wagon versions of W8 contain a comprehensive assortment of standard equipment skewed toward luxurious motoring. Gear includes the leather upholstery with glossy wood trimming dashboard, console and doors. Both driver's bucket and the front passenger's seat move in eight directions with power controls. The climate system operates automatically for managing cabin temperature, a glass sunroof overhead also moves under power, as windshield wipers have rain sensors and heated washer nozzles and a rearview mirror is self-dimming. Further, there's a premium audio system aboard with eight speakers and an integrated CD player.
W8 in sedan style goes for $37,900, while the wagon version tallies to $38,700.
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| 2002 VOLKSWAGEN W8 VEHICLE SPECIFICATIONS |
| Description: |
Mid-size luxury sedan, Mid-size luxury wagon
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| Model Options: |
Mid-size luxury sedan, Mid-size luxury wagon
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| Wheelbase: |
Sedan: 106.4 inches
Wagon: 106.4 inches
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| Overall Length: |
Sedan: 185.2 inches
Wagon: 184.3 inches
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| Engine Size: |
DOHC 4.0-L W8
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| Transmission: |
Auto/5 Tiptronic
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| Drive: |
AWD 4Motion
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| Braking: |
Power 4-disc/
ABS/ASR/ESP
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| Airbags: |
2 (front) + 2 (side)
+ 2 (side curtain)
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| Gas Mileage: |
18/25 mpg
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| MSRP Price: |
Sedan: $ 37,900
Wagon: $ 38,700 |
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