The Passat W8: How VW's WORST Car Was a Secret Mule For The Greatest Car of Our Time

[@tuscan666]

The ultimate sleeper - doesn't look fast and isn't.

[@krane15]

VWs have never built fast cars. At least until now, with the current R versions.

[@realeyes4734]

@@krane15 Most vws are actually somewhat quick for stock family cars. Specifically because they're meant for the Autobahn. My 1999 vw Jetta vr6 has a 6.9 0-60 that's pretty quick for a 99 family car.

[@mrnicktoyou]

Lol

[@skylined5534]

@@krane15 Hmm, I can name at least half a dozen right now that qualify as fast...

[@MisoElEven]

@@skylined5534 Does that make it any less fast?

[@jasonk7072]

This generation of Passat is great. The best thing about them is that they are practically invisible, not everyone wants a shouty ‘Look at me’ car.

[@vinylwasp9429]

Precisely why I love mine.

[@Dkcode]

They still look great. Also have nice thick paint and body panels.

[@racer4ever30]

owned my 1.8T for 22 years, in 200,000 miles no big problems

[@robertperillo8738]

It’s a shame they had such a bad rep stateside, they started selling so cheap that finding a good example now is impossible. I had a mint one 2.0T/manual 5 years ago on coilovers and rare 17” factory wheels but basically gave it away when I was through with it. Great driving car

[@JayMaverick]

The W8 Passat even more so because they were mostly at garages being fixed or parking lots being broken. 😜😂

[@lelmaahn5131]

B5 Passats are still hugely popular in Denmark, especially amongst tuners. Lots of people are driving really fast modified 1.8t and 1.9 TDI.

[@nicholas_29132]

Exact same in ireland, but mostly 1.9tdi I've had 2 130bhp ones, probably the most comfortable pd of them all.

[@tonyjas]

All over in Europe.

[@AllexGTD]

Guilty. I have a 1.9 tdi 4motion bought new. With front mounted intercooler,bigger turbo,bigger injectors,egr delete it has aprox 240hp. I've been running this setup for about 4 years without any issues. I love it

[@WarriorsPhoto]

What about the VR6/V6 engines?

[@CL4SSiCS]

@@nicholas_29132 yeah but most of them here are rice out

[@kevinbarry71]

This was produced back when Volkswagen was going upscale. And we all know how that worked out. This engine was a bit of a disaster. Complicated, and of course not many mechanics knew how to work on them. On top of that, Volkswagen very soon came out with their 3.6 L V6. Which was more powerful, more efficient and weighed less. Most often seen in the Porsche Cayenne

[@krane15]

When they were entertaining going more upscale. As I recall, it only lasted one year of production. I saw a total on one ever. It has a single W8 badge one the tail. The simplicity I've always loved about VW.

[@TheKenjoje]

this thing and phaeton were deliberately irrational mad decisions. the pheaton was the retirement project of pich (I think pich was his name) and this passat was also made just to have something different. I am afraid we will have less and less interesting madness in car industry in near future, we all gonna be electrified with characterless sheds with lots of batteries....

[@my1vice]

I took it differently.... I think he meant VW the company at the time... Which was purchasing Bentley and developing the Veyron. As a company, they were going upscale. And would later come out with the VW Phaeton, which IS upscale and a test bed for a lot if things that ended up in Bentley products.

[@xGxPhantomZzz]

@@TheKenjoje I personally really like phaetons, the early ones have better interieur quality than even most s-classes (used car dealer apprentice here, we got both and the VWs are way more comfy)

[@TheKenjoje]

@@my1vice that' 'test bad' phrase is a bit overrated....

[@energymc22]

VW really did go over the top under Ferdinand Piech's rule. The staggering number of engines available (when you include all variations, TUs and outputs) was unbelievable. Off the top of my head I can list probably 15 or more engine combos for the mk4 Golf...

[@chetanrajanwal]

In not sure if this is correct, if I'm not mistaken, a combination of these engines/technologies have benefited the whole VAG group, i.e this engine has ended up with lineage in the Bentley's and the Buggatis. The diesels across the whole range, and I wouldn't be surprised if the turbo 1.8t have received upgrades and improvements to evolve into the GolfR, Cupra FR and S3's..etc

[@juniperburton7693]

They should go back to that.

[@TorpedoStudios]

@@bielmelichartes2167you miss the 1.6 FSI

[@hexgraphica]

To me this generation is the best looking Passat ever, in the best looking VW styling code ever. No wonder the Nardò came from this era.

[@chrisslater3174]

If you like Passats, the R36 was - and still is - a much more handsome car imho.

[@heikkiremes5661]

The W8 sound is absolutely gorgeous! One of the greatest noises on earth, up there with the Busso V6, BMW V10 and the 426 HEMI.

[@yungboicontigo9278]

LFA V10 and Aventador SVJ

[@mihaiserbanescu8676]

Porsche CGT V10

[@richardp3350]

Mercedes M156 as well

[@Veketi_]

You forgot the base engine for the W8/12/16 the VR6, imo sounds better than The Busso V6

[@skylined5534]

@@Veketi_ A VR6 motor on fairly open pipes sounds godly!

[@GryphLane]

I used to have one of those in 2.0 petrol form. It was an absolute trooper, helped me move from Bristol to Nottingham, and lasted to 196,000 miles. I have a B7 Passat these days because of that car

[@RWL2012]

basically half this engine then haha

[@lesrogers7310]

Gryph Lane - the exact same story here. Had the B5.5 2.0 petrol but now have a B7 2.0 diesel. While the B7 is a great performer, the build quality is nowhere near as good, nor is the ride comfort.

[@GryphLane]

@@lesrogers7310 I agree. It was smoother than my current car seems to be. If it wasn't too expensive to get through the MOT I'd have kept it on for longer. The styling wasn't all that exciting but that had a charm of its own, I think.

[@lesrogers7310]

@@GryphLane My old Passat never failed the MOT in the 10+ years of my ownership. I never did anything to it except the usual servicing and a replacement flexible exhaust pipe. The B7 i have now had two rear wheel speed sensors after throwing up multiple lights on the dash. I'm retired now and don't do much mileage but i would have to say i don't have the same level of confidence in this car that i had in the old(er) one.

[@Grover91]

You'd be glad you skipped the B6 generation. 😂 Trust me.

[@red9zero]

There is an estate version of this in our village. It's a proper sleeper that sounds glorious when it drives past.

[@Youchubeswindon]

I've just found this engine and metal round it, and been looking on Autotrader for one in estate form. Mate had the diesel which he used for his construction business, super practical. Always wanted a fast estate, lusted after a 65 purely to scare the shit out of a Labrador. Manual, silver, unmolested, estate, yup, yup, yup. Might do the suspension, standard looks a bit wallowy.

[@AStick3Pedals]

These cars with the 1.9 tdi are legendary in Eastern Europe and still very popular

[@energymc22]

And also the the Octavia with the same engine. Most 3 driver Octavia taxis in Athens Greece seem to reach a million km by their 4th birthday!

[@AStick3Pedals]

@@energymc22 yeah I was in one of those taxis in Athens. The drivers are NUTS!!!!!

[@Rhowhat]

I really liked the original BBS split rim alloys, my father's car has aftermarket as the bolts corroded to much. His W8 has been reliable over the 17 years he's owned it, but he always kept to maintenance and had the gearbox rebuilt before it developed any issues out of pure caution. It's getting new discs and pads in January but is otherwise completely stock. A blue auto estate with a light interior, I have great memories of that car. Edit: My early 20s brother is going to run it for a while to see what it's like to live with sub 20mpg as he fancies a V8 in the next few years. I think he may be in for a shock! Bit of a nasty title there James, you're actually relatively complimentary in the video.

[@wanka8203]

Yeah the one I have bought it off a owner who was gonna sell it for parts destroy the poor thing basically so I bought the whole car been a fucking Rollercoaster to get her running again got her to run and the coolant regulator broke and i can't find any of the parts in this country so im going to have to redneck hillbilly fix it but she will run and will be back on the road I absolutely fell inlove with the car it was great reading your comment thank you for commenting!

[@theillusionist8407]

you say that, however im averaging 17mpg in my vr6 gti. (city)

[@morgman43]

Cars like this were why I loved buying the magazines each month and pouring over the details of each weird and wonderful new model, and why I find the motoring world today insipid, samey, and utterly uninspiring.

[@valiantdiesel1332]

"This one's got a 2 litre 4 cylinder, and this one... has a 2 litre 4 cylinder with an electric motor".

[@MarkHK66]

Regulations regulation regulations... very hard to manufactures to experiment now. The EU and UK gov only want the kind of cars we see commonplace today. Nothing exciting. Nothing interesting, and if you do happen to branch out from the norm then enjoy the extraordinary insurance and road tax costs... never mind ridiculous fuel prices here

[@valiantdiesel1332]

@MarkHK Exactly, having just had the experience of paying £675 (!) for road tax on one of the cars, I couldn't agree more. My advice for everyone is if you've not owned a V6, V8, or something similarly outlandish, now is the last time you'll get to.

[@MarkHK66]

@@valiantdiesel1332 I'm looking into owning one but not really sure if I can afford it. When I started looking tax for them was around £500 and I thought damn thats pricey but now its only worse. Torn between the 4.2l V8 audi s5 manual or the 3.0 supercharged audi s4 manual 2010 onwards. Think the 3.0 is a better choice for tax savings alone never mind maintenance and fuel savings.

[@valiantdiesel1332]

@MarkHK In that particular case, I would definitely say go with the V6. That 4.2 has some timing chain issues and because the chain is at the back of the engine, it's a very expensive job. That said it's a wonderful engine and is quite reliable in normal conditions, but the V6 with a smaller pulley and a map will still be a faster car overall

[@jefferysmith3930]

One of the largest $$ repair orders I ever wrote as a VW service advisor was to replace an engine under warranty on a W8 wagon: $23,000. As I recall it came as a complete engine with all the accessories attached just like it had been pulled from the assembly line and packed into a crate. We were amazed. These things suffered from meteoric depreciation as well. $40,000 W8 that looks just like the $24,000 1.8T parked next to it..... no thanks!

[@keaujibaha2594]

It will give a Ford mustang run for its money in a straight line

[@basmca1]

These were only $40k in the USA? My god cars are cheap over there....

[@krane15]

The engine is the main component, bu there's more that makes a good car than just the engine. What about the interior materials, fit and finish? The ride, ergonomics, features, etc.? Did everything fail?

[@keltechindustries20901]

I was just saying that to myself how expensive they were when they were new and I looked one up online just now and found one for $2300US. and is in good awesome condition as what the owner states lol.

[@banovsky]

LOL wild. A family member of mine had a 6-speed quattro manual replaced under warranty ~$10,500 Cdn. dealer cost for just the transmission. yeesh.

[@ShedLifeUK]

That W8 sounds absolutely fantastic and has such a unique sound!

[@TheAvfcman1874]

Weirdly enough, I had one of these as my first car in a 1.9TDI Highline b5.5 spec. They are a decent car, but the thing that most people never realise is these cars are extremely prone to rain water leaks through the pollen filter housing straight into the passenger footwell. Just check for water on the carpets and rusty runners on the seats before you buy, because otherwise you’re going to be enjoying loads of electrical gremlins and delicious black mould in the air conditioning. Drove it 50k and sold it on with near 200k on her. Great wagons.

[@tommorides8086]

A nice easy fix though if caught early enough, also remove the plugs in the plenum, never happens again....

[@TheAvfcman1874]

@@tommorides8086 yeah, except once the frost comes you’ve got it again Could never get it sealed correctly again, thinking someone bodged it before me.

[@tommorides8086]

@@TheAvfcman1874 All my B5.5s were fine, i sorted them myself. Bought them leaking, fixed them with mastic.

[@Matt-go7ss]

Didn't VW helpfully stick all the ECUs in the passenger footwell? Just waiting to get soaked?

[@tommorides8086]

@@Matt-go7ss Vw arent the only ones who do this. And it wasnt all, it was comfort modules etc.

[@timcollins380]

A business partner had a B5 Passat 4 cylinder Turbo in Nigeria in the early 2000s. It was always driven by the company driver, made numerous runs to and from the airport and to business meetings. In spite of the dreadful roads in places, questionable fuel quality and everything else Nigeria throws at a vehicle, it was totally reliable for a number of years and anonymous enough not to attract attention of kidnappers.

[@rkan2]

Nice story :P Though I imagine the front suspension did need some work more often than in most countries :D

[@dsphyochomantis5971]

I had a W8 for abput 3 years,never had a problem,ot had every extra available (i think) TV,solar sun roof,full wood pack including steering wheel,cream leather.Loved it,but replaced it with an S4 avant,big mistake.

[@callytheblueparakeet]

W12 and W16 aside, I didn’t know the W8 configuration existed before watching this… fascinating oddity.

[@w7mcgrath574]

W8 Estate been my daily for the last 6 years and 40000 miles, cost less than £2000, 5k oil changes has kept it running sweetly, it's an intriguing car that no-one notices...Love it!

[@skylined5534]

W8 estate?! Want want want!

[@defenda1]

Sick

[@BSABD315]

You dont know what people notice man not every person that knows what it is going to beep or stare at you doesnt mean they dont know what car, model, even trim you have. Youd be suprised!

[@jimparry3499]

Can completely see why the owner wanted it. It might be flawed and needlessly complex but this is what made it cool! That general of Passat was without doubt the best, very solid bar a few water leaking issues etc and they drive very nicely. The exclusivity of this one just makes it lovable now!

[@kevinroberts361]

Well said !!

[@kevinhayes7]

Thank you

[@-BuddyGuy]

I had B5 and it was a pile but I still enjoyed it. It was a really solid car with some horrific electrics and odd design issues like that fish pond in front of the bulkhead if you didn't keep the drain hole clear

[@dennishabets3613]

@@-BuddyGuy that was a recall from Vw delete the drainage tubes , lots of Owners didnt react , now lots of problems

[@thedetailingdoctor5746]

Finally some proper vag group stuff ! This is the BEST generation of vag late 90s to mid 00s some of the finest cars ever made!

[@Taylor40667]

These are the videos i Love Unusual Rare cars The level of research you do on each car is worthy of your success

[@gavinsuman7935]

My brother bought a 2003 Passat with the 1.8T and had it for about a year and a half. Over the last few months he put about 2k in to his baby including a clutch, a tune, and some other maintenance points. The week before Thanksgiving he moved to Orlando, FL for motorcycle mechanic school and within 2.5 weeks of living down there someone lost control of their vehicle on a rainy morning and totalled his car. Send prayers for my man 🙏

[@nuu-age1118]

Good vibes sent. Sorry to hesr that, but yeah. Florida is the worse for drivers. Old and young stupid and impatient. I'm a native and rose motorcycles for 6 years and 7 different bikes. Never owned a car. I swear, it was the most dangerous thing to drive as a daily. Finally got a car 2 years ago. It's a miata lol

[@MrTheHillfolk]

Yep I miss my 04 Passat TDI ,and so does the wife. Some A-hole ran into her and it was totaled. That was 5-6yrs ago, and if that didn't happen I wager it would still be in my driveway.

[@dennishabets3613]

​@@MrTheHillfolkexactly this happened to my wife and daughter in our totally rebuild and tricked out v6 4 Motion... Lucky they just walked away, Thanks to the car, but i really miss it, now i am looking for a replacement, Insurance paid out and i kept the wreck with al its special parts, have to build the next one 😅

[@MrTheHillfolk]

@@dennishabets3613 hers was stock for the most part, but what a great driving car! I'm usually into the mk1/2 cars for fun , but I could do a 500mi trip in that car standing on my head🤣 Alas, the 2014 Jetta that replaced it ,slam the door it sounds like a tin can, it's an ok car but it's just a car,the Passat was better. Maybe it's 2.0pd heart will live on in my mk1 someday,as I bought it back for 100$ (worth it for the new tires alone) and the fact that I got robbed for about 3-3200 by the insurance company when the nearest example was like 4600 and was a POS.

[@dennishabets3613]

@@MrTheHillfolk really,,mk1 the story of my life in about 50 years old, i started with a mk 1 golf with a kr 16v from a Scirocco i was 17 years old when i build it, after a couple of mk1 started the mk2 madness, then also bought a corrado which is now a showcar ,and still in my possession,, Vw is my hobby, and when your beautiful passat gets rearended its like you got robbed,,, So many hours blood sweat and tears f,,,up by an 80 year old guy who refuses to give up his driverlicense ...

[@vBrolin]

This was my first car. A Indigo blue W8 Sedan with an automatic. From a reasonable view, it was of course the worst first car you could own, but boy do I miss it sometimes. BTW, speaking of it being understated. Beside the emblems, the 4 exhaust pipes just like on a Audi S-model, The Madras wheels if it was bought with a sport packages, there were actually one more thing special with the W8. It's standard fitted HID headlights where slightly tinted, so slightly they you only could spot it if you parked it next to a normal V6 or something else with HIDs fitted.

[@lurk7967]

Wow someone else who had a W8 as a first car that's pretty rare.

[@johnsterfer5906]

@@lurk7967 Me to haha. Love it but I might get rid of it before it explodes.

[@refusist]

"nothing to remember about it" .. except for being on of the best designed cars of all time

[@benzinapaul7416]

I remember a fellow motor trader buying one out of BCA in Preston around 10 years ago. Driving up the M6 on the way back to work the EML came on and it started to misfire. After several diagnoses it turned out it needed new injectors at a cost of £4k - he paid £6k for the car. Back then I realise there was probably less knowledge of how to get round faults but I've been put off ever since. If you're going to get a daft VW just buy a Phaeton...now there's a video for you James

[@energymc22]

Volkswagens of this era do love a check engine light... sometimes it seems that the light is the only thing that works well!!!

[@EVMYT]

In 2002 almost all VWs had issues with ignition coils, it was probably that.

[@energymc22]

@@EVMYT 1.8 20v especially....

[@benzinapaul7416]

@@EVMYT yes but the W8 ones cost a bit more than the regular ones....it was an awful pointless car at the end of the day

[@harisdevedzic3167]

This generation Passats were actualy great cars, still many of them on the roads with rediculous millages

[@lenni772]

Just put mine to rest, after 360000 km

[@harisdevedzic3167]

@@lenni772 thats nothing realy, I driven ones with 500.000 in good condition, maintainence is important ofcourse

[@lenni772]

@@harisdevedzic3167 i know they can go twice as far, but mine was not worth it. Would have needed new headlights, new front frame(fuck them deers), new engine sub frame. New hood etc. Now i got an e36 320i with no rust, first hand and only 94000km

[@ghostyghost6504]

like my dad's one

[@YensR]

With the longitudinal engine, it does benefit from a proper centre-diff quattro-style drive train. I do have a soft spot for these Passats.

[@islandhopperstuart]

I bought a 1.9TDi B5.5 10 years ago for £500 and it remains my daily drive. Rock solid construction and AWX engine just keeps on rolling. Puts a smile on my face every time I use it. What more do you need in a car?

[@james011974]

Brilliant cars and the pd engine is without comparison I think 👍. I have a 22 year old golf with 250000 on it, the conventional 1.9 tdi and it's still going strong. Not powerful like the pd but it's my go to car bar none.

[@TakeoMack-o4f]

I own a 2003 PASSAT W8. ITS A BEAST IN THE SNOW. oh and i have the manual also.

[@JerS66]

As someone who owns two unmolested, fully functional W8 wagons, I can say with confidence that they are easily the most fun Ive ever had driving a car. The perfect balance of comfort and precision handling on a car that makes so little sense, it makes perfect sense.

[@NeedMoarRage]

you perception of fun must be different to mine, I guess it's what you make of it. Apart from the sound, I can't see what is exciting? But at least you got the wagon which is cool

[@JerS66]

@@NeedMoarRage Its all relative. My wife commutes in it, we get groceries, etc. Basically use it like a normal car. The power is there when you need it as is the traction and tends to win most red light show offs. But keep your foot out of it and its an incredibly comfortable, quiet, well optioned car.

[@yucannthahvitt]

@@JerS66 Who are you showing off against and winning in a car that runs to 60 in around 7 seconds? A base model civic?

[@Probe041]

Bought myself one of last produced W8 Variant with manual transmission 2 years ago and I'm not not even thinking about selling it!

[@writenamehere0000]

Also probably one of the best looking passats. This is a B5.5, or Plus (facelift) model.

[@MugatuJag]

Amazing review as always Jay, this generation Passat is actually one of my favorite designs, I think that they still look great to this day, sadly you don’t see many on the road anymore at least here in California. The W8 was always a unicorn, they didn’t look different enough from a regular Passat, but they sound amazing. My neighbor had a W8 wagon and the cold start I heard on a daily basis was music to my ears. Of course owning one of these days would be extremely unwise unless you were a certified Volkswagen mechanic lol, but kudos to any one who does own one, a young female friend of mine bought one in 2011, not knowing what a W8 was, or what she was getting into hahaha…..

[@Lot76CARS]

Difficult to believe all the effort to engineer this W8, launch it then quickly let it face away. I’ve experienced “launch and abandon”, the brands shall remain nameless but the money sunk into this will have been eye watering...

[@arnehurnik]

And for such a pointless engine too... I mean yeah it sounds pretty cool but that's it.

[@aaryeshg.6526]

Honda Legend (the mid 2000s model) comes to mind. Over engineered and discrete. I really like its styling though.

[@soundseeker63]

That was the power and scope of VAG at the time. They had such a huge brand portfolio (still do) that they could indulge in vanity projects just for the hell of it. In fact I think that's largely what the whole Phaeton project was about! Can you imagine them doing anything like that today...!?

[@nightdriver7216]

It was a mistake even Opel didn't dare make. And Opel wanted to put in a simpler Corvette engine, not the cumbersome W8!

[@duncanb1981]

I thought it was from the same stable/design family as the W12 in the phaeton and the W16 in the Bugatti Veyron.

[@jamesl5149]

I was really envious seeing these on the road, from behind the wheel of my 1.9PD. Glad to know the grass wasn't greener!

[@carsyoungtimerfreak1149]

I believe the W8 was about refinement, not speed. I had a Golf VR6, to me the engine was the best feature of the car. The VR concept is smart, I think. I also believe Lancia pioneered it back in the early 50s, VW did not invent it.

[@y0057]

I looked thoroughly into buying this around 2012, engine was complex but the main issue was the incredibly complicated and mostly unreliable suspension, their was never going to be an easy way out of the setup and was crazy expensive for those who took upgrading the suspension setup. That was the issue most people had with the car and that was what put me off. The best version was the last year production around 2005, slight upgrade and some limited edition versions sold in Germany Dakar yellow and some other stunning colours and spec, estates only with 6speed box and really fully loaded

[@markbennett9787]

Why suggest that VW should have tarted the W8 up with wider wheel arches etc.? It’s a Q car pure and simple but apparently over engineered to be somewhat unreliable !

[@DjNikGnashers]

Not really a Q car, when they are so slow.

[@VeyronBD]

Its probably about the only 8 cylinder car you can buy in the UK that would make the neighbours think you're on hard times when you turn up in what looks like a £400 old passat

[@SkeleMusic]

Dude the W8 sounds so fucking cool! It definitely sounds like 2 separate engines working in tandem.

[@simonzero3815]

I love content like this. You are up there with Harry Metcalf in my opinion. Thanks for the interesting content you have offered this year. Have a great Christmas and stay safe. Look forward to your contributions in 2022.

[@Jasa12265]

VW Group was on some strong drugs in the early 2000's. W8 Passat, W12 Phaeton, V10 TDI Touareg, V12 TDI Audi Q7, and the Bugatti Veyron.

[@johancoetzer2165]

After years of research, they figured out that after V comes W! 🤓

[@qwiklok]

I'm the proud owner of 2 W8 Estate cars, silver and grey. My daily driver has 360,000, runs gorgeous, lots of fun, power, unique. Will not sell it ever. And certainly not a mechanic nightmare as some state. Yes, needs some regular maintenance as any, but, look after it and looks after you with delightful glee.

[@highmanfilms8583]

I actually own 1 of 17 blue on grey interiors with the 6mt in America, I’ve owned it for about 7 months now , it’s amazing at the least , 114k miles with the extensive carfax , repairs are costly but that’s what you intend on when buying. Anyone looking at one I highly recommend.

[@stevenharrison9257]

I had 2 B5s; a 1.8, followed by a 1.8T. They were both great, with the turbo (probably obviously) the best. Sold them both to my brother-in-law who also loved them. A neighbour also had 2 B5s & still looks back on them with fondness. I now have a 2018 Skoda Superb 2.0T DSG 4x4 with 280bhp (0-60 in 5.2 secs & 65mph). This is as it says on the back; Superb. The boot & interior space is incredible & it's very comfortable.

[@soundseeker63]

Well that noise coming out of a Passat must surely turn some heads, even if it's looks alone don't! One would normally expect the rattle of 1.9 TDI PD to come from this car 😅 They were certainly popular fleet and family cars back in the day. You did occasionally see the V5 and V6 "Syncro" models around but I think to this day I have only ever seen one W8 on the road. A very, Very rare car! And a nice reminder of the era when VAG used to have a quirky side!

[@soundseeker63]

@@guyvanbrussel9772 HAHAH Very funny! I like it 😆

[@23hublock1]

Some may argue that the B5.5 was over engineered in some ways. I've had mine for over 14 years. It's a 54 plate with only 141k on the clock. Sure, it does eat the odd cv boot here and there, but man the 1.9 AWX TDi is formidable and bulletproof. Great engine. I know that if I put this up for sale it would go within 24 hours...but, I'm going to keep it. The Eastern Europeans love them. Like everything, it will for sure swing in the breeze one day, but until then, up yours Boris.

[@bensmithkent22]

Haha yes romanian plated b5 a4s and these aplenty a few years ago.

[@rkan2]

I advice you to try an OE OEM boot the next time they go. Might cost triple the price, but should last almost like the original ones. I have an AWX A6 C5 with 510k KM (~310k miles)

[@23hublock1]

@@rkan2 Always OEM, with fresh OEM grease and clips. Wow 310k miles, still original turbo and running strong? Does it smoke much?

[@stuffthatgoesfast2259]

I have a 2003 VW Passat W8 with the 6-speed manual. It's so much more fun to drive with the Manual trans. Planning to try to shove some twin turbos.

[@leenevin8451]

My clutch is heavy and longer and not linear

[@drewmurray2583]

I love my W8's! Working on a manual swapped fwd w8 wagon right now

[@zm321]

I've owned a W8 and have another one on the way; fuel consumption is OK, 30 mpg on runs... not that bad really. I have also found them to be reliable.

[@seant4369]

What happened to the owned one boom?! 😂😂

[@citizenfour9622]

@12:21 -- Claims a Passat is very rare. _Completely misses the Ford F-100 to his right!_ 🤣

[@mcdoodles5460]

Yeah, car reviewers should stop, every time there’s a vehicle that’s not available for them to review, so they can review it! That way all the dumb dumbs that watch the videos will be happy.

[@TheMrFishnDucks]

What an awesome car. Thanks for making a video about it. Keep up the good work.

[@eddie_r3236]

I had a W8 Manual in the dark blue green colour, was a 1 of 1 spec, I fitted KW coilers and ad08r tyres and did a road trip round the twists and turns of Scottish highlands, was a fun trip, they are special cars and only car I have owned that adults actually stopped me to talk about, another car on the should of kept list.

[@EVMYT]

I wonder if it was my old car? Turquoise colour Blue/Green. MM02XYU ?

[@v6tex]

@@EVMYT Interesting that car's been exported

[@EVMYT]

@@v6tex thats a shame. Ive always wondered what its fate was and check regularly for another manual example.

[@liampope1]

I know this car and Kev very well! Love it! I can concur they are not the fastest - it pulls away, but slowly, from my E39 530i with only 230 hp, and the same ZF 5HP19 gearbox, so must indeed be heavy. An E39 535i would be on par or maybe slightly quicker, and a 540i would spank it. But that totally misses the point of having one of these - it's all about the rarity, unusualness and confusing people with sound and pace that shouldn't come from a Passat! Most people don't know this existed. I used to be a Vauxhall Omega fanboy, and had they ever produced the planned V8 version, they would have probably sold even less than VW sold W8s, and I would have coveted one just as much as VW fans covet the W8. By the way, this one really does have Lambo front brakes, too. Sweet car.

[@joebloggs9719]

This is interesting as I have a thing for unusual engines and also e39s. I would have liked to see a v8 omega.

[@kevinhayes7]

Cheers Liam

[@soundseeker63]

@@joebloggs9719 They did the Holden Monaro VXR with the 6.0 V8 (which was basically a 3 door Omega) so in theory an engine swap would be entirely possible...

[@donauto]

The aussies did the v8 holdens based on the omega, i still want some day own a pickup of these

[@CarNitty]

Over the moon to see certain cars reviewed by James. Not many reviews of these on YT. I wish I was able to get into one before this now becomes the go to review for the W8 Passat!

[@Jonathan_Doe_]

The weird thing about this generation of Passat platform sharing with the B5 A4 is, the Passats seem more refined and better put together, probably because they started building them later, so they ironed out the issues with the original Audi design!

[@TakeoMack-o4f]

There is strangly a GM option for fixing the alternator.

[@Lastu247]

I'm glad that I own this kind of rare piece of german engineering marvelous! It had been my dream car for ten years and finally get my hands on one 😎

[@TakeoMack-o4f]

I owe a stock Passat W8. Best fucking car ever!

[@lanceboyle492]

Jay is forgetting that this was a modular design: doubling it makes the 8 litre Bugatti w16, add two more cylinders per bank and you have the Bentley W12. So it wasn’t an engineering dead-end. The cam adjuster screens clogged way too easily and the torque converter shared with the V6 was totally inadequate. Great idea but sold before it was fully developed.

[@JJsAutomotive]

What this man invented is the 1989 Top Gear presenting all over again. 😀

[@pjrebordao]

A Passat B5.5 station wagon was the most solid feeling car I ever had. Really bank vault feeling.

[@gwolks1008]

That is, for some reason, a super satisfying car to watch... Like... Dang, it's gangsta stuff. Right on, mate.

[@DonMorte2]

Absolutely brilliant cars! I had 3 all together, two like this one and one was the 2.0d estate. Now that took some punishment!

[@poovaneswaransupramaniam19]

Nice review Jay, man...i have read about this car when i was in college in the early 2000s, fancy seeing one in youtube and in your channel ..amazing

[@ldwp6395]

I know someone who has a w8 passat estate, I quite like it except the rubbish modifications he's put on it.

[@jessejesse1175]

B5,5 as a first car 1.8t to be specific, upgraded the turbo to a k04/downpipe/intake, and injection +- 215 BHP. Now looking far a recent prices and nice looking passat r36

[@petionville9359]

3inch down pipe?

[@tecdesigns8183]

I had the triptronic on my b5 tdi I liked it really wish I'd never sold it. There's a video on here of one of these with the exhaust cut out valve it does sound awesome. The b5 was a wolf in sheep's clothing, not for performance but for super reliability and being a awesome workhorse. Now low mileage b5s are going for more than b6s

[@panoscoach310]

The Ferdinand Piëch era of VW.

[@steve0680657]

Unfortunately, when you're not flooring it and just driving normally, having more cylinders means more drag, more valve train drag, more piston ring drag, more rotating mass, and without cylinder deactivation higher fuel burn at the same rpm. Currently we've settled on 500cc per cylinder with a turbo, so 1.5 3 cylinder, 2.0 4 cylinder, and 3.0 6 cylinder.

[@krane15]

That was a terrible analysis. Drag, really?

[@steve0680657]

@@krane15 That's a terrible interpretation of what I said. More cylinders do create more drag. A Jaguar v12 from 1990 might make 300bhp, but will struggle to achieve 15mpg. A VW Golf R from 2020 makes 300bhp and can achieve 32mpg. Try thinking before you speak in future. 👍

[@krane15]

@@steve0680657 I though that your wording was poor, and I was correct. You should try using better examples and verbiage. For one, you're defining friction, not drag. You also ignored weight and efficiency completely. I can forgive you if English is not your first language.

[@robertperillo8738]

Jay keeping it coming with the content, I like it!

[@paulie-Gualtieri.]

Jay any change of a Skoda Superb MK2 3.6 V6 review

[@stevenfeavearyear7567]

I did own one of these in black with black leather, Was surprisingly nice to drive and did love driving it. Never had anything major go wrong, just a replacement torque converter.

[@robertshunter]

Thank you, Ferdinand Piëch.

[@denvandenende6562]

I have owned a B5.5 W8 sedan for 5 years. In a slightly darker shade of blue. Sure, the engine was overcomplicated and underwhelming when compared to a BMW 540 or so. But than again, it was the party piece to my opinion. Mine was, straight piped, so sounded similar to this example. And that is part of the fun. People kinda expect Big BMW's, Merc's and Audi to produce a nice 8 cylinder rumble... The do not expect it from something as common as a VW Passat. And indeed, it won't ever be the quickest thing on the road, by no means. But it's not a complete slag. My friends Audi A4 3.0TDI couldn't shake me in the sprint and at speed the 8 would pull away. In the north of Germany, after visiting the Passat factory in Emden, I took her up to her unlimited Vmax of 285Km./h. That sure was a special moment and the car got there with ease. Still have good memories of the thing, even when it proved a difficult possession at times.

[@dragospahontu]

Is it reliable? Petrol is always faster than diesel.

[@denvandenende6562]

@@dragospahontu It's a machine. You take care of it, in return it won't break you. But keep in mind, a lot of parts of the engine are unique to this car. They can't be bought 'aftermarket' or from alternative brands. A 'simple' thermostat will set you back 5-600 bucks and can only be ordered from the official dealer. Front break discs, that's another one. No aftermarket to be found. Only original. The infamous cam adjustment problem can be fixed by 'shock-therapy' as can be found on German Passat forums. It is a car with an unique engine with it's own unique problems. But in the 100.000km I have done with the car, she was reliable enough for me.

[@dragospahontu]

@@denvandenende6562 that's good to know. Obviously it is not cheap to run but it had some design faults. I'd get one in manual for the right price. The automatic takes away from the driving pleasure.

[@AndyK.1]

I remember pricing one of these up back in the day. When the options boxes were ticked, it ended up as a pricy car but not very fast. I think I ended up with a nearly new XJR

[@anracingrsr1]

That thing makes one of the best sounds in the world. Somebody in my village had one for some months and I always knew when he drove by my house and I enjoyed it every time.

[@jamieflanagan7946]

I would love to convert a B5 Superb L+K with that engine for shits and giggles.

[@SScarspotting]

My dad finally got rid of his silver auto sedan a few years ago at 238k miles. Yes you read that right. He loved that car.

[@chriserz94]

My father had a B5 2.8 V6 FWD 5 speed, learnt how to drive/shift fast in that car.Still haven't topped my speed in that car, 230KM/h on a stretch of backroad with my father in the passenger seat when I was still unlicensed, could have went faster but had to slow down for train tracks that were quickly approaching!

[@adam.677]

At what point did vin diesel show up? 😂

[@chriserz94]

​@@adam.677 I got a better one, I actually jumped some tracks racing my bestfriend while he was in that Passat and I was in a B4 A4 1.8T Quattro, left sparks when I landed by squishing the bumper/fog supports. Also managed to accidently do a massive drift once on an icey on ramp in parents old Mk4 golf TDi. Han showed up for that one.

[@cervelo9465]

I had one of these as a company car (jelly mold) and the rear seat foot-wells used to fill up with litres and litres of water every time it rained. The VW main dealership in Cardiff looked at the rain water ingress problem a number of times and drew a blank. Which does not reflect well on the technicians working there. I had to give the car back to my company as VW could not find or fix the problem.

[@robbanjac5553]

Happy to say I drove a blue 6 speed manual estate 😁...In isolation a really nice interesting machine. Remember it being for sale for £3.7k a couple years later had lowish mileage to...not seen one the same spec since...

[@ssenssel]

I remember circa 2010 an american electrical engineer turned on of those into an EV and posted on a blog somewhere. I fell in love with his project and still I love the design.

[@writenamehere0000]

Shame its an old auto gearbox, manual would be better. Love that passat.

[@rkan2]

Swap it hehe

[@EVMYT]

I had the manual. Was a very nice car at the time. 0-60 in 6.5 sec

[@nickpetkov1094]

Thanks for the review of the W8. I am a proud owner of VR5 B5 Passat. It’s not aggressively fast, but it’s smooth acceleration and glorious rumble is why I love these odd engines, never had a struggle with overtaking. The VR5 engine is absurdly reliable and idiot proof. W8 might be my next Passat.

[@SabotsLibres]

The only "VR4" I can think of at the moment was the fabulous little V4 Lancia engine

[@jase_llan]

Ford 1.7, as seen in the Corsair and Saab 96 as well I believe?

[@SabotsLibres]

@@jase_llan standard 60˚ engine - that was the 4 cylinder variant of the Essex engine and was also found in the Zephyr, early Capri and early Granada and the Transit but most famously known in V6 form in the Capri, Zephyr 6, Zodiac, Granada, the Transit and - for those that remember Jeff Uren's creation, the Savage Cortina. The Saab engine was also a Ford V4, again 60˚ but was the German V4 built for FWD use.

[@MercSLRFan]

Caymans have V4s

[@jase_llan]

@@SabotsLibres sorry, I misread - I didn't realise you were on about VR4s and thought you meant V4s in general! I can't think of any other VR4s either, as honestly they don't make much sense when I4s are still relatively short and compact.

[@SabotsLibres]

@@MercSLRFan I think you’ll find that it is a “180° V”…the Cayman/Boxster 718 have a flat-4 engine…and certainly not a narrow angle V.

[@sharif5866]

I have owned three of this era. The last I bought was a 6 cyl 30V approx 2 years ago with only 6000 km, then sold it to a friend with only 12,000km. Miss it already.

[@rkan2]

A B5 with 6000km two years ago? wtf?

[@antgtr]

Always fancied a W8, would need to be Blue, an estate, 6 speed manual with black recaros...unfortunately 99% were auto with awful cream and wood interiors. Shocking on fuel, not without it's engine issues and pretty damn slow. Still definitely have a soft spot for them though!

[@Probe041]

6 speed Variant if you drive it normally uses 12-13L per 100km, not so bad and really not so slow 😁

[@ashliehiggins]

I've considered one of these next to a Phaeton, and a Polo GTI, as yes I make loads of sense when car shopping.

[@aitohessu]

I traded my Polo GTI (9n3) for a W8 Passat :D

[@shaneingram9324]

7:45 Who needs a supercharger when you can just have a dying alternator!

[@lunchtimewatches1854]

Very interesting and pleasant soundtrack. Love it.

[@tommorides8086]

Awesome cars. Wouldnt personally own one, would love to drive one though. They're not that well known which makes them even better.

[@Red6er]

I've got a 2002 B5.5 1.8T FWD 5spd trim in the US. Lowered on coil overs, stripped out back seat and rear trim, (about 3,050 Lbs without me) 18Z calipers up front 345mm rotors, rebuilt the engine at about 100K mi with GT2871R Turbo and forged rods, great car, lots of fun, handles good on the track with 18KG/MM rear and 14K front springs even with the rear torsion bar setup and at 22PSI definitely a sleeper on the road. bought for only $3,000 with just over 100K miles.

[@Kacpa2]

Would be lovely if we had such crazy ideas make it to the market. It seems like there are no such idea in the first place as most big manufacturer's grew really sedate. Toyota kind of woke up and gave us that powerful Inline 3 and tries to make hydrogen combustion engines so there is that but it's not it's only a bit of what we used to get in 2000s

[@martinhowell5775]

You are the best at finding negatives in cars from the past

[@LauriKapp]

I've had two VR5 versions of these. One in manual and the second in tiptronic configuration. Still have the second one in the garage, no idea what to do with it as its in too nice of a condition to sell for peanuts.

[@mikep6726]

Get her back on the road, shame to let something that nice sit

[@davidsmyth9729]

Really enjoy the variety of your content. Much more relevant to most of us to see mixture of cars we lust after, but throwing in something interesting like this that is affordable to all. Keep up the great work!

[@patrickstowman3402]

I've read more than once that the real justification for making this car was for VW to work out all the bugs for the configuration so that it was made reliable for it's major application - the Bugatti Veyron. That cars' engine is basically a double up of this one's at heart.

[@defenda1]

The high IQ option being to buy two Passats, and spend a bit of time at home combining them to make a Veyron.

[@patrickstowman3402]

@@defenda1 Well yes, that. OR, strap a couple of turbos on it to bring it up to a sort of half Veyron spec. 500hp should suffice, right?

[@tpbrcombo]

@@defenda1 I like the way you think.

[@ralphvento584]

Still daily driving my 03 Passat 1.8T. Love it!