2002-2004 Volkswagen Passat W8: Used Car Reminder
Posted by Doug DeMuro in Used Car Reminder on | 21 comments
The Volkswagen Passat is, by all accounts, rather dull. That didn’t stop Motor Trend from calling it Car of the Year in 2012, but then again, this is a magazine that also bestowed that title on the 2001 Chrysler PT Cruiser, a travesty they followed up the next year with the 2002 Ford Thunderbird. Clearly, they can’t be trusted.
But while today’s Passat is rather dull, it wasn’t always that way. There was a time not so long ago when the most powerful midsize sedan was an eight-cylinder Passat with all-wheel drive. And, yes: it came in stick shift.
The Volkswagen Passat W8 came out for the 2002 model year, answering a question that literally no one had asked, except, of course, for Ferdinand Piech. That question was: why isn’t there a family sedan with eight cylinders?
You’ll notice I’m shying away from the term “V8,” and that’s because the Passat didn’t have one. Under its hood were two narrow-angle V4 engines fused together to create the needlessly complex and hopelessly unreliable 4.0-liter W8. Despite offering more cylinders – and, thus, far worse fuel economy – than rivals, the Passat W8 only managed to produce 270 horsepower. This number was later matched by a V6 Toyota Camry, then eclipsed by a four-cylinder Hyundai Sonata.
But they don’t offer three pedals.
For reasons even more unusual than the decision to make the Passat W8 at all, Volkswagen decided to offer it with a manual transmission. Stranger still, they made a wagon version. Then they offered that with a manual, too.
That means somewhere out there lurks a three-pedal, all-wheel drive, eight-cylinder Passat station wagon. If this excites you, start the search. But remember this: from this era, VW wasn’t known for its reliability with four cylinders. Imagine how bad they’ll do with eight.
21 Responses to “ “2002-2004 Volkswagen Passat W8: Used Car Reminder”
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The number of manual trans W8 Passat wagons in North America is in the double digits, I believe. Surely a collectors item. The value of the cars now cannot dip below the value of the engines, as the W8 was never put into anything else and production has long since stopped. Short of pulling a Veyron engine block off the line and sawzalling it in half, all the W8 engines made are on the streets. The drivetrain behind the engine luckily is mostly interchangable with the contemporary Audi S4.
The W8 also had a flat-plane crank configuration, like a Ferrari V8, which made the exhaust sounds quite notable and more menacing than the horsepower figures would otherwise suggest.
Love the site Doug, I’ve read every entry so far.
I appreciate it and I’ll keep the posts coming! Sadly, I fear you’re right about the small number of stick-shift W8 Passats. This may actually be a good thing, since otherwise we would probably tempted into a long, expensive ownership period.
Must have manual W8 Passat Wagon…NOW!! Reliability be damned!
Wikipedia claims WORLDWIDE Passat W8 production at only 10K units…!!! Wasn’t the W8 also put into the Bentley Continental?
Wow. That number wouldn’t surprise me. By coincidence, I saw one yesterday.
The Bentley actually uses the W12, which is two VR6s mashed together. Different engine, but the technology is largely the same.
Just discovered your site, and LOVE IT!
Speaking of Volkswagens, Bentleys, and “smashed together” engines, let us not overlook the W8 Passat’s uber-luxury evil-twin, the VW Phaeton W12, also springing from the fertile imagination of Herr Piech, and still in production.
Sort of a poor man’s Bentley…with all the complexity and none of the prestige…and actually quite a nice car to boot.
Thanks Steve!
The Phaeton W12 is probably even more absurd, and just as rare. I wouldn’t touch EITHER without a long, comprehensive warranty.
I didn’t realize you can have W8 Wagon with manual!! Thanks for the enlightenment Doug.
BTW..I agree with tentacles. Fantastic writing!
Thanks! Keep checking back – I’m hoping to do more with this someday, when there’s time…
The Passat wasn’t the only production car with it, the Vector had a twin turbo W8 but there were a very limited high dollar production car. I happen to have the only W8 6spd in my color and and interior in North America, it has just over 100,000 miles and I’ve never had any issues with it.
Send pictures!!! Where are you located?
playswithcarsinfo@gmail.com
Very cool. And yes there was a Vector W8, which is one of the few cars cooler than your Passat.
I came *this* close to snapping up a wonderful example of a Passat W8 with a manual, brand new, in 2004. That lovely VW dark blue, over a rich beige leather interior. It even had the sporty wheels (the one with all the rivets around the rim). Loved the engine and exhaust sounds, loved rthe manual and the thermonuclear strength xenon headlights, but at the end of the day it lost out to a Volvo V70R — another hyper fast, manual transmission wagon, only this time with the best seats ever put into a car and at least some basis for me to think it would have decent engine durability and serviceability. Bought it in 2004 and still own it today, 80k miles later.
Glad to hear the V70R has worked out, because you often hear bad things about the 2004s. Personally, I think you made the right choice. Always loved how the V70R looked… especially in Flash Green! And I had a friend with an 06 S60R – it was amazingly fast.
Mom has an 02 W8 sedan with only 40k miles that my dad bought new. I drive the car every time I visit and love it. Interior was way nicer than anything Mercedes or BMW put out at the time. Slow off the line because they have a very high final drive ratio but fast at speed. Ungoverned they’ll go 174MPH, there’s You Tube videos out there of it. Only a drive shaft gasket and a MAP sensor so far. Oh and the $100 dollar oil changes as it takes two crankcases worth of synthetic oil. My dad thought anyone can buy a 40k car but only the truly wealthy could spend 40k on a VW. I miss him much
I bought my 2003 W8 8 months ago…love it, 2 owners NZ new, built up from Germany! Has done 112000kms cost $NZ8500, no problems so far, hard on gas around town, great on open roads, as designed. great interior. The metals used in this car must be worth heaps in scrap value!!!Had up to 220kph so far. We don’t have lot of long open highways over here in NZ. 1750rpm, 10l/100k, 100kph. The only one I have seen with rear aerofoil.
I wish you good luck with it! Much respect for buying in the first place. Stick or auto?
Auto, well I sort of figured any production weaknesses would have been taken care of by now!!!!!….Silly me I will enjoy it while I can!
So did you check to see how many were on AutoTrader.com?
How about an ATC link on all of these?
No matter how many on AutoTrader – not enough!!!
These things have become a bit of a steal for used cars if you’re not afraid of maintenance. I paid just $5k for my auto wagon w/sport package. Spent about $1000 in parts to get it up to DD level, and I’ve been driving it for 6 months without issue. The car is plenty quick, VERY comfortable, and hauls everything. I took it on soome windy NY roads with the back seats down and the rear stuffed with race gear, and the car still felt amazingly composed. The manuals, unfortunately, are a bit of a unicorn and demand double the price, and these cars do have occasionally disobedient VW electronics…