Volkswagen Passat B3
The third-generation Volkswagen Passat, known as Volkswagen Passat B3 or Volkswagen Passat 35i, was introduced in March 1988 in Europe, 1989 in North America, and 1995 in South America; it was not available in Australia.[2] Unlike the previous two generations of the Passat, the B3 was not available as a fastback - only 4-door sedan and 5-door station wagon versions were available, setting the precedent for the model for all subsequent generations to date. Its curvy looks were a contrast from the boxy appearance of its predecessor and owed much to the "jelly mould" style pioneered by Ford with the Sierra and Taurus. The lack of a grille, utilizing the bottom breather approach, made the car's front end styling reminiscent of older, rear-engined Volkswagens such as the 411, and also doubled as a modern styling trend. The styling was developed from the 1981 aerodynamic (cd = 0.25) Auto 2000 concept car.[3][4][5]
At the time it was the first Passat to be built on a Volkswagen-designed platform, rather than sharing one with an Audi saloon. The Passat B3 was designed by Volkswagen's design chief, Herbert Schäfer and, unlike equivalent Audi models, now featured a space-saving transversely mounted engine (a configuration from which future Passat models would retreat in 1996). A couple of weeks ahead of launch, press reports appeared that the forthcoming new Passat was known within the company as the first "true Hahn model" ("erster echter Hahn"), even though Carl Hahn junior had by this time already been the Volkswagen Group's chairman since 1982. The message, reflecting management priorities at the time, was that whereas recent new models from Volkswagen had unapologetically appeared to be rebadged and mildly rebodied Audis, with this model Volkswagen under Hahn now had the confidence to reassert a more distinctive identity for its cars, differentiating the Audi and Volkswagen brands more persuasively from one another in the process.[6]
The car, although designated B3 in Volkswagen's platform nomenclature, was based largely on the A platform as used for the smaller Golf Mk2 model, but was stretched in all directions. Many components are shared directly between these vehicles. It was marketed under the Passat name in all markets; in North America, this was a first.
The fuel injected petrol engines gave better performance and refinement than the previously used carbureted units. They were mounted transversely, and the floorpan was engineered to accept Volkswagen's "Syncro" four-wheel drive system. Engine options were the 2.0-litre 16-valve engine (for North America only in the GL model), 1.8-litre eight-valve and 16-valve engines (not available in North America; all CLs, GLs, and GLSs had the 2.0 16v), Volkswagen's new 2.8-litre VR6 engine (also used in the Golf and Corrado) in the GL/GT (Europe) and GLX/GLS (North America) models (introduced in 1991 in Europe and 1992 in North America), and the G60 engine (only available on the Syncro model in Canada for the North American market). The VR6 engine gave the top-of-the-range Passat a top speed of 224 km/h (139 mph). The 1.6-litre (not available in North America) and 1.9-litre (available only in Canada and Europe) diesel engines were also available as an option.
As somewhat rare features for the time, the B3 Passat was optionally offered with rear self-levelling air suspension,[7][8] and electronically regulated air conditioning (called "Climatronic").[9][10] These two options were available only in Europe.
References
- "Our Production < Products and Production < Volkswagen Slovakia". En.volkswagen.sk. 2011-08-11. Retrieved 2014-01-08.
- "Volkswagen Passat 1995–1997". goauto.com.au. Retrieved 2015-02-02.
VW reintroduced the front-wheel drive Passat range in Australia in August 1995. But rather than wait for the coming B5 model that transformed the look of mid-sized sedans for years to come, the importers brought the frumpy old B4 model—it was based on a 1988 design—and then proceeded to price it out of the market.
- "Auto 2000 (1981)". volkswagen.de. 2005. Retrieved 2014-01-08.
- ":: Volkswagen AutoMuseum :: Auto 2000 (1981)". Automuseum.volkswagen.de. Archived from the original on 2006-07-07. Retrieved 2014-01-08.
- Lawrence (2012-10-20). "1981 Volkswagen Auto 2000 - Concepts". Carstyling.ru. Retrieved 2014-01-08.
- Erich Böhme (managing editor) (1988-02-15). "VW schickt die dritte Generation seines Topmodells auf die Straße - der neue Passat rollt an". SPIEGEL-ONLINE. p. 203. Retrieved 2014-01-08.
Stolze Väter "Nun hat auch der amtierende VW-Chef Carl Hahn, 61, einen Kraftwagen hervorgebracht, der werksintern "erster echter Hahn" genannt wird. .....Mit dem ersten Auto, für das Hahn von der ersten Skizze an verantwortlich zeichnet, steuert VW sein Spitzenmodell technisch und stilistisch auf einen radikal neuen Kurs - erst die von Hahn freigegebene Neukonstruktion macht den Passat in dritter Generation zu einem wahren Wolfsburger..."
- "Elektronische Niveauregelung, Konstruktion und Funktion (113)" (PDF). V.A.G. Service. Retrieved 2013-10-14.
- "1992 Passat B3 self-levelling system". VW ETKA. Retrieved 2013-09-27.
- "CLIMAtronic, Konstruktion und Funktion (135)" (PDF). V.A.G. Service. Retrieved 2014-01-08.
- "1992 Passat B3 wiring harness for electronically regulated air conditioner". VW ETKA. Retrieved 2014-01-08.
External links
Media related to Volkswagen Passat B3 at Wikimedia Commons- Volkswagen Passat GT G60 Syncro 35i, Mk3 year 1990