Passat W8: Identity Crisis for VW?

HALF MOON BAY, CA — Is it a full-blown European luxury sedan or just another 4-door sedan with a V-8?

That's a question even the folks at Volkswagen of America Inc. have trouble answering as they struggle to pinpoint just where the new '02 Passat W8 fits in the market.

Although VW tries hard to maintain its cutesy, awe-shucks brand image, this new high-powered Passat gives off an upscale feel that's more in line with the latest from Mercedes-Benz and BMW AG, rather than the auto maker best known for Beetles and “slam vans.”

But don't tell that to VW's marketing staff, which would rather call the Passat W8 a “significant evolution for the Volkswagen brand,” according to Karen Marderosian, VWA director of marketing. “We think the W8 takes our Passat to a higher level, yet still maintains Volkswagen's inherent values.” Key among those: approachability and superior engineering.

“The (Passat W8) offers real honest-to-goodness value,” she says. “It is a premium product, but that doesn't mean we are abandoning what our core values are. We plan to maintain our sense of humor and really remain original, different, friendly and approachable.”

However, the Passat W8 does play in a segment that includes some of the best-known European luxury brands, even if that's not the Passat W8's target, according to Marderosian. She says that although VW could take a few customers from Mercedes' E-Class and BMW's 5-Series, the real goal is to grow the Volkswagen brand in preparation for two more products: the Phaeton luxury sedan and the Touareg SUV.

If there's one thing on which to agree, it's that the new Passat W8 truly takes VW into a new realm. Although exterior styling is identical to the pedestrian base Passat, this car has more guts and poise than its siblings.

From the outside, the only details that set the W8 apart from the rest of the Passat family are high-intensity, gas-discharge headlamps; unique 16-in. alloy wheels; chrome exhaust tips and W8 badges found on the trunk lid and front grille.

The interior receives more noticeable upgrades, including chrome and wood accents and a special gauge package. The rest of the W8's interior is tried and true Passat, which means excellent quality in the VW tradition.

But what really makes the Passat W8 stand out from the crowd is under the hood. Using existing components from the VR engine family, VW engineers combined two VRs in parallel arrangement to produce the new W-shaped 8-cyl.

As with typical V-engines, the cylinders are distributed to two banks. In the W-8, the two cylinder banks align at a 72-degree vee. As with the standard VR6 6-cyl. engine, the cylinders within each bank maintain a vee angle of 15 degrees. For the W-8 engine, think of two of the narrow-angle VR6 engines, each minus two cylinders, joined on a common crankshaft.

In order to optimize the W-8's power output and high torque, VW engineers incorporated four camshafts that allow independent variable control of the intake and exhaust valves in every driving mode.

Twin balance shafts also were added to the W-8. The shafts move in opposite rotation of each other at twice the crankshaft speed, helping eliminate vibrations.

All of these modifications and engineering ministrations helped to develop the 4L, 270-hp beauty that moves the sedan from 0 to 60 mph (97 km/h) in just 6.5 seconds. Fuel economy is rated at 18/25 mpg (13.8L-9.2 L/100 km) city/highway.

During a drive through the demanding coastal roads of California, the Passat W8 displays excellent poise and crisp performance. The W-8 engine proves relatively quiet, and the standard 5-speed automatic transmission with Tiptronic keeps everything under control. VW's 4MOTION all-wheel-drive system, standard for the W8, provides additional security.

However, the W8 doesn't feel all that sporty. The folks at VW say they plan to rectify that with a “sport package” consisting of a stiffer suspension and unique 17-in. alloy wheels that will be available later this year. A 6-speed manual transmission also is expected to add to the performance flare beginning in the '03 model year.

Just in case a sedan doesn't fill the bill, VW also will offer the W-8 in the Passat wagon.

So just what does all of this added power cost? The '02 Passat W8 sedan bases at $37,900, and the wagon starts at $38,700.

And that leads back to the original argument. There's no doubt the W-8 engine is a technical achievement, taking the Passat — and VW — to an engineering level that rivals its targets, BMW, Mercedes, Lexus.

But precisely where it fits in the market still is unclear. And what about Audi of America? Should its dealers be worried that VW has an 8-cyl. sedan priced significantly less than its Audi brand's A6 and A8? Time and customers' checkbooks will tell.