I know buying one wouldn't be the smartest financial decision, but these sound way better than they have any right to:
Before the W12 powerplant made found its way into the Bugatti Veyron and a few Bentley models—companies both owned by VW group—the W first debuted as an eight-cylinder engine.
That W8 engine, essentially two VR4 engines bolted together and sharing a common crankshaft, powered only one VW model line: The humble Passat and Passat wagon.
Rated for 275 horsepower and 273 lb.-ft. of torque, the W8 found in the Passat and Passat wagon was mated to VW’s 4Motion all-wheel-drive system, and could be had with either a six-speed manual or five-speed automatic.
As VW explains, reviews were favorable, but the W8-powered Passat never really caught on, and only around 11,000 examples were ever built.
Want one for yourself? You’ll likely find at least a handful for sale, though expect most to be the sedan, and to equipped with the automatic. On the plus side, a quick internet search shows examples currently selling for well under $10,000.
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I know buying one wouldn't be the smartest financial decision, but these sound way better than they have any right to:
When I saw the thread title, I came to post that video.
I'm almost dumb enough to try a W8.
When I was in the market for my first family car, I looked at Passat Wagons. I couldn't swing the W8, but when looking at VR6 versions, the W8s were in the dealerships. Really great looking car, the interiors were way ahead of the domestics. Ultimately we went with a Jeep Grand Cherokee, but I still have a soft spot for VW wagons, and a W8 would be awesome.
In reply to m4ff3w :
My thinking exactly, especially considering how inexpensive they are currently.
Maybe I could take all that money I'd save and invest in a live-in mechanic.
Certainly one of the hardest modern engines to get parts for... didn't we have a thread here about somebody making a set of bearings for a W8 by taking bearings from another VW motor and cutting them in half?
Never knew a thing about them. Super cool to say the least. Both in looks and the power plant. AWD and available 6 spd man... It just checks all the boxes on my endless list. Thanks for posting (or maybe not).
I see a w8 wagon around every once in awhile. It's lowered with wheels and some really, really good sounding exhaust. I always feel like giving him a thumbs up or something but people around here tend to get confused when you try to show appreciation for their vehicle. Maybe I'm just doing it wrong.
My mother had one (sedan, automatic). The prospect of terrifyingly expensive failures was enough to eventually convince her to sell it, but it did make nice noises and had plenty of grunt, even stock.
I know of a W8 4 motion manual passat that's a sedan for sale in Maryland stupid cheap. Apparently there's a mobilizer issue with the key, but the seller does have title in hand, they just have little to no interest in the platform
Ahh, that era when VW went absolutely batE36 M3 insane and cranked out some absolutely nonsensical vehicles: the W8 Passat, the W12 Phaeton, the twin-turbo V10 diesel Touareg. All nightmarish and expensive to keep running, but, still, damn impressive.
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