I was so surprised when I was taken to go check-out a 2003 Volkswagen Passat GLX with V8 Engine. Check the picture below:

What so you think about this V8 engine? What do you think about the fuel consumption? I intend to buy this car and send it to Nigeria.

payless:

I was so surprised when I was taken to go check-out a 2003 Volkswagen Passat GLX with V8 Engine. Check the picture below:

payless:

What so you think about this V8 engine? What do you think about the fuel consumption? I intend to buy this car and send it to Nigeria.

It's a W8 and not a V8. Different rocking coupling; fundamentally different in design, manufacturing (space and cost) and reciprocation! This is the first I have seen without the 4motion (maybe it's debadged). Had a neighbour (a girl) that had this a few years ago. What caught my attention was the W8, 4motion and the quad-exhaust.

Your question on fuel consumption is ambiguous. If you are referring to the economy of cars of its size/class, you wouldn't getting that. However, you won't be getting what American cars yield. It's a limited production and I want to believe the engine is set-up for at least some measure of performance. If I am not wrong, it is very rare.

Saw this review online,


The Passat W8 starts with the well-received Passat sedan or wagon chassis, and replaces the GLX 4Motion trim level's 2.8-liter V6 with a unique 4.0-liter eight-cylinder engine. Exterior and interior changes are minimal. This, after all, is not a car for the ostentatious, and the Passat GLX is hardly underequipped. The W8's heart and soul is its engine, which, basically, combines two VR4 engines on a common block for an ultracompact 270- horsepower powerplant.

SAFETY: Every 2002 VW Passat has four-wheel antilock disc brakes, a rigid body structure with front and rear crumple zones, front, front side, and front curtain air bags, and three-point safety belts for all occupants.

ROADABILITY: In standard trim, the W8 Passat strikes a good balance between sport and luxury. Its fully-independent four-link front, double wishbone rear suspension is tuned softly, with plenty of travel for comfort on all types of road. But excellent damping control and 4Motion all-wheel drive traction mean good handling and cornering ability, and plenty of fun. This is a Volkswagen German luxury car, after all, and the company that invented the GTI isn't going to make a stodgy, boring luxury car.

PERFORMANCE: Recipe for compact power: take two 2.0-liter, 15-degree vee angle VR4 engines and mount them on a common block at 72 degrees to each other. Use a crankshaft that essentially makes the resulting four-bank engine into a flat-plane crank V8 for good breathing ability, to maximize power and economy and minimize emissions. Add twin counter-rotating balance shafts for smoothness. Match it to a five-speed Tiptronic ® automatic transmission, and deliver the resultant 270 horsepower and 273 lb- ft of torque to all four wheels via VW's ``4Motion'' all-wheel drive system. The W8 has a linear power delivery, with a healthy little surge toward the top, and makes a pleasing sound unlike any other engine built. A wide torque curve helps the transmission shift easily, with manual mode never really necessary except for performance driving. VW stealth sports enthusiasts take note - a six-speed manual gearbox will be available in the 2003 model year.

Very powerful indeed.

Your input is second to none. I was hoping to buy this car on monday, but your knowledge about VW was the reason I posted this on nairaland. Now I know better that I just have to leave the W8 alone and put my money on something else. I have been a stunch supporter of Japanese vehicles, but reading from your analysis of VWs and Audi vehicles has propelled me to really look into buying German cars and ship to Nigeria. I currently have few on the way to lagos. These German cars are sturdy and elegantly designed. Especially, when they are designed with leather and wood interior.

I am just so much into German cars these days. The likes of Toyota Camry(s) and the Honda(s) have flooded the Nigerian car dealership shops and markets for too long. That monopolistic idea of Japanese cars only must be broken. This is the reason why I have decided to give people something different when it comes to vehicles. May be when people in Nigeria starts seeing something different, that could enable them to look more into what German cars are all about.