VW Passat B6

Thursday 17 September 2009
The latest B6 Passat was first displayed at the Geneva Motor Show in March 2005, and launched in Europe in the summer of 2005. The Mk6 Passat (the PQ46 platform) is now based upon the platform from the Golf Mk5. Confusingly, this model is sometimes referred to as the "B6" (or "3C") Passat, despite its lack of commonality with the "B6" (Typ 8E) Audi A4. This has happened previously in the Passat's history, with the B3 and B4, which bore no relation to the same-named platforms from Audi. Styling-wise, the car follows the latest design language first introduced on the Volkswagen Phaeton luxury car, and is something of a departure from the styling of the B5.5 Passat. Although the new design is somewhat controversial, sales have improved over the old model. On the four-wheel drive version, called 4motion, the transverse-engine platform dictated a switch from the Torsen centre differential of the B5, to the Haldex Traction multi-plate clutch. The change to the Haldex system also changes the handling closer to a front-wheel drive car, with better fuel economy claimed. The Haldex can direct torque more unequally to the front wheels (from 100:0 to 50:50 front-to-rear bias), compared to the Torsen, which was had a wider bias ranging from 75:25 to 25:75 in the B5 Passat. Haldex is a reactive type system, behaving as a front-wheel-drive vehicle until slippage is detected, at which point up to a maximum of 50% of the torque can be transmitted to the rear axle. See the Audi-related quattro (four wheel drive system) article for more information.

Technical data:
- engine: 4 cylinders
- capacity: 2000 cc
- horsepower: 150 HP
- gearbox: 6+1
- top speed: 213 km/h