Passat Review Passat Variant 3.2 V6 DSG 4Motion SEL (UK)

[phaeton]

Volkswagen Passat 3.2 SEL FSI V6 4Motion DSG
by Graham Whyte 5/12/2006

More sophisticated than ever, the sixth-generation Passat is a smart-money alternative to high-profile premium brands.

"What's the longest-running model made by Volkswagen in Germany?" asked the quizmaster. "Passat!" I yelled at the TV. "Golf," answered the smug contestant. "Congratulations," said the quizmaster, "you have just won £60 million."

It's one of those facts that people find difficult to believe. The landlord of our local pub fell off his stool earlier than usual when I told him, and even the Volkswagen press office had to go away and check. Take it from me, the Passat is the longest running model made by Volkswagen in Germany, bar none. It beats the Beetle, and it beats the Golf, and the Polo. As of right now, Passats have been rolling off the production line since August 1973, ten months before the first Golf appeared. Both exceed the tenure of the Beetle, which, even if you allow for the small number produced by Ivan Hirst and his REME team in 1946, and a few long-nose cabriolets at the very end of the German production run, lasted no more than 32 years.

http://www.newcarnet.co.uk/Volkswagen_Passat_roadtest.html?id=954


Note: The oldest VW produced in Germany is infact the 56 year old Transporter/Multivan range

Beetle (Type 1) was produced during war in Germany so if you take that into account Beetle production was from 1938 to 1978 for sedan & 1980 for(cabriolet) = 50-52years

 

[Mr. M]

It's an excellent review phaeton.

I have a question though. Is VW the only company still using VR6s? I read somewhere that VW invented the VR6 and benefits include using a smaller engine bay than comparable V6 engines. Are there any other benefits?

Also, I heard that the disadvantage is that VR6s accumulate a lot of heat very quickly because of its compact size. How does VW counter this?

Sorry for all the questions.

 

[phaeton]

I read somewhere that VW invented the VR6 and benefits include using a smaller engine bay than comparable V6 engines. Are there any other benefits?

I'll let wiki answer this http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VR6_engine

Also, I heard that the disadvantage is that VR6s accumulate a lot of heat very quickly because of its compact size. How does VW counter this?

From what I gathered on the VWvortex forums VW counter the heating with a thermostat & cooling fan.