The Passat has been Volkswagen’s large family sedan option for many years and it is typically been based on a platform shared with the Golf and built in Mexico, but the B5 generation Volkswagen Passat was built on a Germany built platform shared with the Audi A4/A6 from 1997 through 2005. This means that it […]
The B5 generation Passat was launched in the 1997 model year with a product that looked/drove/smelled a lot more like an Audi than the previous generation Passat. In 2001 Volkswagen introduced the B5.5, a cosmetically refreshed version of the platform that added more chrome trim (inside and out) some fancy taillights and a unique W8 […]
Volkswagen went a bit off the rails with their B5.5 generation Passat. For some reason (dreams of unfulfilled world domination, perhaps?) the Germans decided that they wouldn’t split the market with different models (like everybody else in the car world) and instead offered 1.8T powered Passats starting in the low $20k range, Buick-esque mid range […]
The B5 generation Volkswagen Passat was launched in 1997 for the US market but was restyled midway through the 2001 model year and re-released as the B5.5. Regardless of generation, it seems that the Passat generates a love-it/hate-it reaction in former and current owners alike. Some despise it for seemingly endless eletro-mechanical gremlins while others […]
The B5 generation Volkswagen Passat was built at a time when VW and Audi shared many components between their mid-sized sedan families. It was also built at a time when VW received abysmal quality scores from the lopsided yardsticks of survey companies like JD Power. Rumor has it that the Passat did not suffer from […]
The friendly, fat-cheeked Wisconsinite B5.5 Passat you’re looking at has an unusual yet desirable combination of drivetrain options. And it’s here to rob you of everything you own. Volkswagen decided to fit an experimental W8 engine in an already crowded engine bay, leaving little room for anything but your checkbook. Find this 2002 Volkswagen Passat […]
The B5.5 Passat was introduced mid-year in 2001 as a 2001.5 model year with a new look but most of the same chassis/engine/suspension it shares with the Audi A4/A6. In the lower spec’d 1.8T form the Passat looked like a bargain version of the A4 but by the time a buyer checked off a few […]