In an attempt to try and avoid the same questions coming up again and again, we have constructed this frequently asked questions (FAQ) post on the forthcoming B6 Passat. It will be a work in progress and will be updated from time to time with a date change to reflect modificaitons.
Last editted on September 03, 2004
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09.03.04 - Started FAQ
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Q - B6 Passat?
A - Yes. The Passat is what is commonly referred to as a B-class car in Europe and this is the sixth generation of VW's B-class car. Internally at VW the car is most referred to as the PQ46/B6 Passat.
Q - Does that mean it shares its platform with the new B6/B7 Audi A4?
A - No. Unlike the B5 Passat which shared most of its mechanicals with the Audi A4 and A6, the new B6 Passat shares most of its components with the new Golf V/Jetta V. The chassis itself is unique to the Passat, however its major components like suspension, engines, transmissions, HVAC system, etc., etc. are shared with the new Golf V and Jetta V.
Q - Does the B6 Passat have transverse engines like the Golf V and Jetta V?
A- Yes. According to German press reports the new B6 Passat will utilize the same 16v 2.0l 4-cylinder turbo engine as the Golf V and Jetta V. There will also be a new 3.6l VR6 rated at more than 275hp according to press reports utilized in the B6 Passat. Both will be transverse which also means the 4motion AWD system will switch to a Haldex coupling as opposed to a Torsen differential.
Q - Is the older Torsen-based AWD system better than the new Haldex AWD system?
A - You will see this topic very heavily debated from time to time in our forums. The simple answer for most applications is no. Torsen is a pure mechanical AWD system that, setup in most Audi and VW products, gives a 40/60 torque split front to rear. It operates in AWD all the time. Haldex on the other hand is a fully electonic clutch pack that operates in nearly 100% FWD mode till slip is detected and then locks to 50/50 front to rear torque split.
The reason VW and Audi have been utilizing the Haldex system in more applications is because Haldex is an electronic system and interfaces with the increasingly complex alphabet soup of safety systems on the newer cars like ABS, ASR, ESP and more. It is becoming increasingly difficult to get a fully mechanical system to play nice with all the various electronic systems trying to do their respective jobs.
Being electronic Haldex can react quicker to a slip condition than Torsen can. This reaction time is rather more suddenly with the Haldex system whereas Torsen tends to be a bit more progressive in its transfer of power to the wheels that need it. In the real world most drivers won't notice much of a difference. From a manufacturers standpoint, Haldex has less driveline loss operating mostly in FWD and only goes into AWD mode when it is needed. It also has the ability to interface better with the vehicles various electronic systems. Torsen on the other hand is a bit more of a purist/performance choice as it operates in AWD all the time and can be rear-wheel biased if need be.
The distinct difference though is the progressive transfer nature of Torsen as the extra time it takes to route power to the front wheels in an oversteer condition takes slightly longer than Haldex and requires the driver to have a little more faith the system will in fact route power to the front wheels if they feather the throttle and hang in there. Haldex will transfer power to all wheels almost instantly when slip is detected and then gradually feeds power back to the front wheels as slip conditions lessen. Haldex can also be programmed specifically to given RPM's, yaw conditions, throttle inputs, etc., etc. So for instance if you floor the throttle off the line, the electronics instantly tell the Haldex coupling to lock because the throttle position rapidly went to full-throttle and the speed of the car was at 0 - thus avoiding the front wheels spinning needlessly and getting power to all wheels right away to maximize acceleration.
Overall they are two different systems and have different attributes. Both are quite capable in snow and slippery conditions and work seamlessly enough that most consumers won't notice the difference.
Q - When is the new B6 Passat going to be introduced?
A - Photos of the new Passat sedan are supposed to be released before the end of 2004. The first public introduction will be at the 2005 Geneva Auto Show in March of 2005 followed by the U.S. version's public introduction at the New York Auto Show in March as well. Expect to see the B6 Passat Sedan in dealers around June or July of 2005 here in the U.S. The wagon will follow in late fall of 2005.
Q - So the B6 Passat Wagon will be a delayed introduction?
A - Yes. Late fall of 2005.
Q - What engines will be offered?
A - For the U.S. market we're expecting to see the 16v 2.0l 4-cylinder turbo with 200hp and 207 lb-ft of torque from the Golf/GTI V/Jetta V as the new base engine. The six-cylinder was originally rumored to be the 3.2l VR6 but recent german press reports indicate it may be a new 3.6l VR6 with more than 275hp. The existing 2.0l TDI should carry over until 2006 or so when new fuel regs go into affect.
Q - What will the transmission offerings be?
A - A six-speed manual transmission and a 6-speed tiptronic are expected, but in what model mix remains to be seen. The new DSG (direct shift gearbox) may also be offered on certain models as well.
Q - What is the new suspension design?
A - The B6 models will have a completely revised MacPherson front suspension and a fully independent 4-link rear suspension. Steering will be an all-new electro-mechanical steering unit. Volkswagen hired away the suspension guru that did the Ford Focus and if the Golf V is any indication, the new Passat will handle infinitely better than the outgoing B5 Passat. Sounds like VW might have finally gotten this part right.
Front Suspension:

Rear Suspension:

Q - What is known about the new car?
A - Not a lot. The new car is rumored to be quite a bit wider, longer overall and due to the transverse engines, expected to have the wheels a bit farther out towards the corners of the car. This should translate into a larger interior space overall. Spy photos and digital photo creations in the press indicate that new car will have VW's new corporate "face" seen in the Concept R and Concept C concept cars. Chassis rigidity is expected to be increased significantly similar to the Golf V (which was up 80%).
Q - So there will be B5 models through model year 2005 then?
A - Yes. The current B5 Passat will be sold through part of model year 2005 until supplies drop off.
Q - Ok, so what's the B6 Passat going to cost?
A - Volkswagen is only saying they are working on holding the line a bit with moderate price increases.

好                           文.

B6要05年底才能在美国上市？那中国要更晚了。

Unlike the B5 Passat which shared most of its mechanicals with the Audi A4 and A6, the new B6 Passat shares most of its components with the new Golf V/Jetta V. The chassis itself is unique to the Passat, however its major components like suspension, engines, transmissions, HVAC system, etc., etc. are shared with the new Golf V and Jetta V.…………难怪放到一气去。

saw the trends for vw

According the above, B6's AWD system is more advanced. However, the chassis, engine and transmission will utilize GOLF/JETTA's. Then who can tell whether it is better? After all, B5 is now using AUDI's.

GGGGGreat!!!
CAO, it seems that every one here is an expert of ENGLISH rather than a car expert!Is that just "expecting"? OR proberbly TRUE? When will it come into bejing ?

AWD (ALL TIME  ALL WHEEL DRIVE)已经变得和 4WD 几乎一样了，唯一的区别就在于 AWD 比 4WD 少了低比率的传动装置，不过 AWD 仍然提供在湿滑路面、恶劣天气以及轻微越野路面的牵引能力。但实际情况是，对一辆车的越野能力起决定性作用的是车辆的离地高度而非 AWD 能力。所有的 AWD 系统是全时四轮驱动的，这也就意味着你不用进行 2 轮驱动或者全轮驱动模式的转换。

高大哥，一般说expecting就是表示将来的方式。看来是真的了。

底盘不用Audi新c6的？