Rare Rides: A 2003 Volkswagen Passat W8 4MOTION Wagon, for Low-cost Motoring

Corey Lewis
by Corey Lewis

The Rare Rides series featured a Passat wagon once before, in the long ago time of 2018. It was a 1992 G60 with all-wheel drive, a manual transmission, and supercharged engine. Staying true to quirky form, today’s newer and more luxury-oriented Passat pairs its all-wheel drive grip with an eight-cylinder engine.

The B5 generation Passat debuted for the 1997 model year in Europe but did not appear in North America until 1998. Larger and more rounded than its B4 predecessor, it was also more upscale. Available with four doors as a sedan and wagon, the Passat shared its platform with the original Audi A4 Americans were offered since 1996. The Audi platform sharing was a return to form for Volkswagen, which used the Audi 80 as the basis for its B2 Passat, a car North America received as the Quantum.

There were many different engines used in Passats globally, which ranged from 1.6 to 4.0 liters in displacement. The majority sold were inline-four configuration, but there were also five- and eight-cylinder options, as well as V6 power. Initially, all examples were front-wheel drive, but all-wheel drive arrived by 1997 in Europe as 4MOTION. Transmissions were offered in five- and six-speed guises if manual, and four- or five-speeds if automatic. The majority of North American Passats were equipped with an automatic transmission.

The smaller and more basic Passat trims were not available in the North American market, as Volkswagen positioned the Passat as a premium family sedan a cut above the likes of Camry and Accord. Volkswagen took another step toward premium in 2001 when it facelifted the Passat into the B5.5 generation. Reworked styling brought more modern looks, especially with regard to front and rear lighting. More chrome trim was added, while other trim became body-colored instead of black.

The update also brought with it the ultimate luxury Passat. It used a new 4.0-liter eight-cylinder engine, in W configuration. To create such unusual power, VW took two complicated narrow-angle VR6 engines and removed two cylinders, making them VR4s. Then they mounted them next to one another at a 72-degree angle and put them on a single crankshaft. Boom, W8! The new engine produced 271 horsepower and 273 lb-ft of torque and was the only W8 configuration engine ever to reach production. An offering exclusive to Passat, the engine was entirely different to eight-cylinder power in any other VAG product. Though it was less powerful than a traditional V8, the W8 was notable for its smoothness, complexity, and generally high running costs. It was Volkswagen’s first W-type engine, and the company used the engineering experience with the Passat and applied it later to the W12 made for the Audi A8 and VW Phaeton, and the eventual W16 in the Bugatti Veyron. All cars equipped with the W8 engine had 4MOTION as standard, and the engine was fitted into sedan and wagon versions of the Passat, and with manual and automatic transmissions.

The new ultimate Passat was really expensive though and sold poorly. Just 11,000 W8 Passats were manufactured in total between 2001 and late 2004. After the 2005 model year, Passat began its fall from premium grace. De-contenting occurred, and its platform switched from longitudinal to transverse engine layout. You know the rest. The most exclusive W8 variant in North America by a mile is the wagon with manual transmission, but this automatic will have to do for today. It’s for sale presently outside the quaint blue-collar city of Vancouver, for $8,795 CAD.

[Image: Volkswagen]

Corey Lewis
Corey Lewis

Interested in lots of cars and their various historical contexts. Started writing articles for TTAC in late 2016, when my first posts were QOTDs. From there I started a few new series like Rare Rides, Buy/Drive/Burn, Abandoned History, and most recently Rare Rides Icons. Operating from a home base in Cincinnati, Ohio, a relative auto journalist dead zone. Many of my articles are prompted by something I'll see on social media that sparks my interest and causes me to research. Finding articles and information from the early days of the internet and beyond that covers the little details lost to time: trim packages, color and wheel choices, interior fabrics. Beyond those, I'm fascinated by automotive industry experiments, both failures and successes. Lately I've taken an interest in AI, and generating "what if" type images for car models long dead. Reincarnating a modern Toyota Paseo, Lincoln Mark IX, or Isuzu Trooper through a text prompt is fun. Fun to post them on Twitter too, and watch people overreact. To that end, the social media I use most is Twitter, @CoreyLewis86. I also contribute pieces for Forbes Wheels and Forbes Home.

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  • S4vageB8 S4vageB8 on Jan 12, 2021

    As the owner of several W8's, my opinion might be slightly different than those posted here already. C'mon....most cars with any sort of performance pedigree require higher maintenance costs than the average car. Granted a "Passat" may not be as exotic as a Ferrari needing a $20,000 "annual service" or an Audi R8 needing a $10,000 brake service, but it still full of unique and technically advanced (for its age) parts. But if you get a "good one", they are a blast to drive. My daily ride is usually a 525 hp. 2012 Audi S4 (fast and fun) and I am always amazed at how satisfying driving my W8 can be. It's comfortable, is fast (enough), stops incredibly well and most of all? It is unique and rare. I can sneak up on a lot of sports cars and blow them away....and I am in a Passat! It's a real treat indeed. As far as my W8 obsession, I have a 2002 Variant (auto) with 177k, a 2003 Variant (auto- 200k - one of four in Indigo Blue), 2003 Sedan (auto - parts car), 2004 Variant 6-speed (one of 6 in Silverstone Gray with 114k) and (whew) a 2004 Sedan (6-speed with 183k). BTW- none have an check engine lights. I do all my own maintenance which definitely helps. I am no stranger to financial and psychological pain - I own two Merkur Scorpios and one XR4Ti.

  • Dantes_inferno Dantes_inferno on Jan 13, 2021

    10% of car/truck owners on the road today actually know a thing or two about proper maintenance. Those individuals tend to be quite reliable in that regard. The majority of car problems tend to happen to the other 90% who treat cars/trucks like appliances. Those individuals tend to have little-to-no idea about even the basics of vehicle maintenance. Just get in and drive. I've observed this time and again over the years. Rinse and repeat.

  • EBFlex China can F right off.
  • MrIcky And tbh, this is why I don't mind a little subsidization of our battery industry. If the American or at least free trade companies don't get some sort of good start, they'll never be able to float long enough to become competitive.
  • SCE to AUX Does the WTO have any teeth? Seems like countries just flail it at each other like a soft rubber stick for internal political purposes.
  • Peter You know we’ve entered the age of self driving vehicles When KIAs go from being stolen to rolling away by themselves.
  • Analoggrotto TTAC is full of drug addicts with short memories. Just beside this article is another very beautiful article about how the EV9 was internationally voted by a renowned board of automotive experts who are no doubt highly educated, wealthy and affluent; the best vehicle in entire world. That's planet earth for you numbskulls. Let me repeat: the best vehicle in the world is the Kia EV9. Voted, and sealed, and if you try to deny it Fanny Willis is ready to prosecute you; but she will send her boyfriend instead because she is busy.
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