Going from a general manufacturer to a premium firm is the wet dream of many car brands, and that is why in the history of the automobile we find many projects in which it has been tried, although with very, very few success stories. The VW Passat W8 was one of those attempts, a delusion of grandeur that gave rise to what for many it has been the best Passat that has been manufactured to this day.
To understand the Passat W8, the first thing we must do is understand its peculiar engine in W. This mechanical configuration has managed to become a symbol of the Volkswagen group, a display of power and pride in engineering that has allowed the creation of the legend of the modern Bugatti. But until reaching the almighty W16 Quad Turbo of the Veyron and Chiron, first it was necessary to experiment and the 4.0 atmospheric W8 of the Passat was in charge of assuming that role. The W8 was born as a result of joining, through a crankshaft, two narrow Vs of 4 cylinders at 15º, giving life to the W with an angle of 72º between each block of 4 cylinders. Despite such a peculiar configuration, each V had a single cylinder head with 4 valves per cylinder.
The origin of the most exotic engines of the Volkswagen group, a unique and unrepeatable Passat
This propellant offered a maximum power of 275 hp at 6,000 rpm and a maximum torque of 370 Nm at 2,750 rpm. They were not very buoyant figures, but the W8 had as strengths a very compact design – much more than any V8 -, a contained development cost starting from the group’s VR architecture and it was also a really smooth running engine thanks to a very flat torque curve. Volkswagen’s goal was to compete with premium sedans powered by V8 mechanics, turning the Passat W8 into an exotic alternative in its class since it was also dMandatory available with 4Motion all-wheel drive with Torsen center differential.
The only mechanical option was the transmission, which could either be a 6-speed manual transmission or a 5-speed Tiptronic automatic. Although in the manual version he signed a 0-100 km/h in 6.5 secondsIn the case of the automatic version, this registration was made in 7.8 seconds. The maximum speed in both cases was 250 km/h.
The recipe for this Volkswagen Passat with an 8-cylinder engine, the first in its history, promised on paper. Nevertheless the market did not quite fit such an exotic bet for three main reasons: first the passat w8 price was as high as that of its theoretical rivals from Audi, Mercedes, BMW or Jaguar, secondly because the consumption of the W8 was quite high (seeing it below 12 l/100 km was difficult) and third, and perhaps most important, fighting in brand image it’s a long-distance race that requires much more than bigger engines.
Very smooth and with a beautiful sound, but the consumption of the W8 is not suitable for any pocket
Despite this, those responsible for Volkswagen were aware that this bet was not going to translate into commercial success, selling very few units of the two bodies in which it was available (saloon and estate). But the real objective had been achieved, because thanks to the W8 the Volkswagen Passat managed to distance itself from its generalist alternativesgiving a fist on the table taking advantage of the update of the Passat B5 and inaugurating the saga of W12 engines that would later allow the creation of the most exclusive versions of brands such as Audi, Bentley or even Volkswagen itself.
Currently it is possible to find second-hand units of the Passat W8, being a rather exotic car due to its engine and the few units that were sold. In addition, this model can be found by prices below 6,000-7,000 eurosAlthough we are talking about a car that is around 20 years old, with an engine not suitable for beginners in mechanics and with a voracious appetite for gasoline.