You pretty much just summed up why I'm going to stick with my :b55: for awhile. It seems as though all the newer cars, especially VW, are just looking worse and for what functionality they add they also take a few steps backwards. Like the push button starting and handbrake, it's just more technical stuff that can break. :hmmm:

That's an interesting fact about european pedestrian impact standards, I wondered why they made the B6 look so damn ugly. Seriously, I've been looking over in the B6 discussion and even when you drop that car 2-3 inches it still looks like it's ass is way up in the air. :thumbdown:

BTW- If you want that red LED light and don't want to do the W8 mod, you can just swap out the dome lights for red LED lights. It costs about $10-$15 for the lights and install only takes about 2 minutes. :thumbup:

 

I had a sensation when I've seen/touched for the first time the B6. It's NO more a VolksWagen! Seems to be designed by an othe kind of engineer .... Is only my honest opinion ....

 

Spot on - no longer a VW............

 

Maybe it's just a perception, but I noticed my leg rubbing the console which I haven't noticed before in the 5.5. That's counter intuitive since the new horizontal layout of the engine should have created more space, not less.

This is the most important point (among all the other good points) for me.
And im not a big chap,so space isnt as important to me,but this is.........

Transverse mounted engines,as you say are meant to increase interior space,however this is usually at the cost of a solid/quality drive and a responsive gear change (manual).
A chassis designed for a transverse engine,is usually not as rigid,and the weight isn't as evenly distributed as the inline equivalent,also the manual gear selectors need to be longer to reach the gearbox,which causes loss of feel (which only gets worse as the car gets older,with worn joints/links etc).

Out of all the vehicles ive owned,it has always been inline mounted engines that have been the nicer to drive,with presice gearchanges and less chassis flex,which makes for a smoother drive,better handling and less chop in the bumps.

All other points you have made are good ones,and very valid,but this is the most important to me.

 

I agree with everything in this post so far, especially how you say "it doesn't feel like a VW." I feel the same way. The first time I sat in a B6 I found the seats and dashboard unimpressive. Surprisingly, I find the new Jetta more VW like. And since the 2.0T is available in the new Jetta I would seriously consider that car over the B6 Passat.

 

I had a sensation when I've seen/touched for the first time the B6. It's NO more a VolksWagen! Seems to be designed by an othe kind of engineer .... Is only my honest opinion ....

No more Audi DNA but more of the New Jetta DNA

 

I had a sensation when I've seen/touched for the first time the B6. It's NO more a VolksWagen! Seems to be designed by an othe kind of engineer .... Is only my honest opinion ....

where are you from?

 

vw is definatly going in a different direction these days. it seems the more time goes on, the more they are stepping away from their "plebian" roots.

either way, the vw's of today are a far cry from my corrado and mkI (as far as vw's mission and intentions are concerned).

i think its gonna be a long while before i buy a dealer-new vw.

 

The pushbutton starter and all the tacky crap are safety features. Apparently a lot of people get their legs messed up by the keys in the ignition when hey get into accidents, same reason why all rearview mirrors are glued to the windscreen (so they break off easily when your head hits it). The autolock on the brakes is really stupid, too. I never have a problem rolling backwards on hills from a stop, even with a normal 5-spd, no need for that on an auto. Besides, the looks are for crap. The seats are too slidey, I like the fit of my GLS cloth seats (I'm a bigger guy at six foot and 240).

 

I'm from Genova, Italy.

 

Just like luvmyb5 said, I noticed the auto hold feature this a.m. in my Krispy Kreme drive thru wait. Why is that on an automatic???? Sure, if people use it then I'm sure it would reduce stress on the transmission on hills, but how many people are going to use auto hold on an automatic? How many people even know what that does? Heck, how many people even read their owner's manuals? (of course all of us do, but what about others?)

By the way, the push button P-brake DOES work as an emergency brake, but you can't modulate it (at all). And to release it, you have to apply the foot brake. That seems dangerous. You can use it as an E-brake, but you better be prepared to come to a complete stop because you'll have to apply the foot brake to release it. Combined with the slowness of the new system, you'll never release the brake before you stop (unless you're sliding down the interstate at 70 mph with the rear brakes locked up). I'm sure there is some sort of supposed safety benefit to this, but I can't see it. Suffice to say that handbrake (push button) assistance in 'handling maneuvers' is a definite no-go situation. Believe me.

I understand about people getting injured on dangling keys, but going to the key fob that you have to insert into the dash and push to start won't really change that. The key (fob, remote, whatever they call it now) still has a place to attach more keys, rabbit feet, and all that other crap some people feel necessary to attach to their keyring. And the extra junk will still hang down and pose a potential hazard. There is even a little strip of rubberized plastic to protect the dash from getting all scratched up by dangling keys.

The power windows seem worse than the B5.5 ones. Maybe this has been a running change between '03 and '06, since we all know about the issues with the older power windows (my 4 door '01 Golf went through three motors in about 6 months). The new windows seem slower and louder and sound stressed lifting those big-a** windows.

Speaking of which...the doors are HUGE. The rear doors in particular are enormous. Sure that makes a nice big opening for access, but jeez, those things are huge. Huge I tell you. Just freakin' huge. Huge.

The exterior mirrors are a little smaller in area than the B5.5, but overall the 'teardrop-ish' shape seems to work fine. Maybe a reduction in wind noise? Regarding general external visibility, forget it. the raised hoodline (and tacky 'extra' dashboard up against the inside of the windshield made to cover up the raised hoodline) and the steeply sloped rear glass make estimating where the corners of the car are impossible. And I'm a relatively tall person.

The electromechanical power steering is probably not a favorite of those who read this forum, but I think the slight loss in road feel is more than made up for by the smoothness of the new system. Very nice, IMHO.

I noticed the car was clacking and rattling in the drive thru this a.m. Just like any other 4 cyl. Passat. Nice to see some things don't change.

The cupholders in the revised center console suck, but we all know German auto engineers generally disdain cupholders anyway. "You should be DRIVING, not DRINKING!"

If I'm down to talking about cupholders then I think I'm done.

A closing note. The window sticker is in the glovebox (oh, and the little pocket for the owners manual is no more in the B6. Too bad, that was a nice touch.) indicates the car I'm driving is NOT a value edition. In fact is is a Passat GLS with three options...tiptronic, a "luxury package" (without leather?), and an audio 'upgrade' (yeah, right...whatever). The sticker on my loaner is $28,600!!! That's for a car without leather or a V-6. Maybe that's consistent with B5.5 prices lately, but no way would I pay anything close to that for the car. Or maybe that's an attempt to sell even more Jettas. Either way, $28,600 is a lot of scratch for a 4 banger without leather. Looks like I might be headed back to a 4 door Golf or Jetta wagon next time. Or maybe a used Phaeton. I hear those are getting affodable REAL fast.

 

Cool thanx for the reviews!

What color was your car? Which wheels did it have?

Did it have Sunroof and Turning Headlights?

 

After driving my 99 B5 for 7 years I couldn't see myself in anything other than a Passat. I drove a B6, then went out and bought a 2004 B5.5. Got the stick shift with leather, sunroof, and premium stereo, and saved plenty of $.

 

9. Oh, one final note. Since the key doesn't have a blade, there are no keyholes on the outside of the car. That means you lose the ability to close (or open) the windows or close the sunroof from the drivers side door lock. That's a step in the wrong direction if you ask me.

Little tidbit about the key. There is a Valet key attached to the FOB that is disconnected by a notch on the side. Disconnect the key and look for a small rectangular hole at the bottom of the driver's door handle. You can pop off the area where our current keyhole is and Voila.. there's a keyhole!

Btw, I agree completely with your assessment of this car. I was an alpha driver back in July and walked away unimpressed. I would love to have the 2.0T engine, but I'll keep my car for now :thumbup:

 

Transverse mounted engines,as you say are meant to increase interior space,however this is usually at the cost of a solid/quality drive and a responsive gear change (manual).
A chassis designed for a transverse engine,is usually not as rigid,and the weight isn't as evenly distributed as the inline equivalent,also the manual gear selectors need to be longer to reach the gearbox,which causes loss of feel (which only gets worse as the car gets older,with worn joints/links etc).

Out of all the vehicles ive owned,it has always been inline mounted engines that have been the nicer to drive,with presice gearchanges and less chassis flex,which makes for a smoother drive,better handling and less chop in the bumps.

This does make complete sense, the drivetrain doesn't go straight back, it has to snake around to connect. One thing I thought of though, is that maybe having the engine being transversely mounted would actually help the momentum of the car due to the fact that the pistons are moving forward to back instead of side to side, like a motorcycle engine. It would seem that this may give the car a little better balance when revving it on the north end of the tach.

Besides that and more interior space I see no more benefit to having the engine be transversely mounted. Just my 2 cents.

 

You are referring to the 'axle wind up' of transversly (side to side) mounted configuration in most FWD cars. This does manifest itself in torque steer and axle hop so common in other mid to high powered FWD cars.

Also, I think the longitudinal (front to back) of the Passat allows for shorter lower hood, esp in the 90 degree V6 configuration. Pop the hood on a V6 Passat and the engine is wide in the bay but not very long front-to-back. The longitudinal configuration in the Passat is also less wide overall (than transverse engine and trans together), allowing for longer control arms, instead of struts, that give that smooth comfortable ride and precise steering feel.

Another advantage to longitudinal is you can have a real belt driven fan under the hood. Good to have for towing and heavy use. When's the last time you heard of a Passat overheating?

 

The loaner (I'm STILL driving it) is silver with a black leatherette interior. It's got the stock 15" wheels with Goodyear LSE (?) tires that seem pretty good. The sunroof is basically the same as my '03, but there is a stock sunglass holder integrated into the overhead console. The headlights do seem to turn little at night, but honestly it is not really noticeable.

The valet key incorporated into the remote is VERY cool. I was going to pop off the door handle cover to reveal the keyhole and check if the auto close feature still exists, but the cover is on pretty tight and the last thing I need to do is break it off (and that would be my luck).

The 6 speed tiptronic transmission is pretty sweet also. Doesn't have the hesitation off-the-line that my '03 auto has when left in "D". The shift boot is a nice touch and the handle on the shifter is kind of a funky shape but it feels very nice. I might look into getting one of those babies. Looks like it would fit a B5 or 5.5 auto.

I lied about the parking brake. I tried it yesterday only going about 5 mph. Apparently, it will NOT engage if you're going any faster than about 5. So it does not work as an E-brake. And E-brake slides are completely out of the question.

So, they've gone to a horizontally (latitudeinally?) oriented engine and removed the handbrake. But there is still LESS room for the cupholders in the center console. I couldn't figure that out, but then I noticed that the center console storage compartment has the little AC vent (like the glovebox) and there are HVAC vents for the rear seat on the back of the center console. So I guess that ductwork ate up all the space formerly used by the handbrake. Or the ductwork necessitate the removal of the handbrake. I guess VW is trying to spread those Phaeton development costs around a little and features like push button starting and the push button P-brake are amortized across the Passat line now.

Can you believe that the Service Advisor lied to me about my car starting up just fine yesterday? Imagine that. Anyway, I talked directly to the mechanic (seem to P.O. the advisor) and he seems to have the situation well under control. I may be driving that B6 over the weekend.

 

The electronic parking brake is a HUGE step in the wrong direction, precisely because it eliminates the last vestige of a usable mechanical emergency brake. It also requires one to connect a VAG-COM to do a rear brake pad job, which a Passat needs much more frequently than any other car ever made. It is unnecessarily complex and just one more thing to go wrong on a car known for electronic gremlins.

My other objection to the B6 is that I consider my B5 variant to be of ideal size, and I really do not want something longer, wider, or heavier. If VW wants a shot at my future business, they will have to build a new Jetta variant for the U.S. market, but that's reportedly not in the cards.

 

Interesting thread.....

I guess many people look for different things in a car.

Like most people, though, I wondered why VW felt it necessary to do away with a handbrake - and then I noticed the huge storage bin in between the front seats and figured that space was one of the big advantages, I guess, also, it adds to convenience too when all you have to do is press a button for the parking brake to come on. On the car I drove, the act of letting the clutch out in gear released the brake automatically. Very convenient, but weird at first.

As for the push-key starting thingy....... ?? More convenience...??

On the whole, I very much liked the B6 to drive. "My" B6 felt wonderful - the extra 10 bhp on top of the 130 I am used to in my B5 translated to a much easier and flexible drive. I think there must be a lot more torque from the new engine's and it felt like there was hardly any need to change down the manual gearbox to accelerate away pretty quickly. The ride in the new car felt, to me anyway, superb - and definately more refined than a B5. The steering felt more precise too.

For someone like me who uses a car for big freeway journeys every day, I really appreciate the extra space in the new car and extra little "convenience" touches that make the car easier to live with for 20 hours in each week are very welcome.

Not sure if it applies in the US - but the B6 has achieved a full 5-stars in the NCAP safety tests (the B5 achieving only 4...) As someone who just recently escaped a fairly hefty accident with no injuries, I really value a car that has an excellent safety design and systems.

As for the styling - it's growing on me rapidly. The trouble is the B5 just looks so right that VW were always going to struggle to win customers over with just a new shape. I value the extra equipment on the new model. Now it gets cruise and a few other extras in the UK market that weren't there previously. In the US you probably expect cruise on every car, but in the UK it's always been extra unless you are buying in the higher sector....

As I said, everyone looks for something different.

For me, the B6 is definately my next car once I wear out my new B5. (Unless BMW reduce their gorgeous-looking 5 series to to Passat price-level.... - well beauty is in the eye of the beholder.... !! )

 

Interesting thread.....

I guess many people look for different things in a car.

Like most people, though, I wondered why VW felt it necessary to do away with a handbrake - and then I noticed the huge storage bin in between the front seats and figured that space was one of the big advantages, I guess, also, it adds to convenience too when all you have to do is press a button for the parking brake to come on. On the car I drove, the act of letting the clutch out in gear released the brake automatically. Very convenient, but weird at first.

As for the push-key starting thingy....... ?? More convenience...??

On the whole, I very much liked the B6 to drive. "My" B6 felt wonderful - the extra 10 bhp on top of the 130 I am used to in my B5 translated to a much easier and flexible drive. I think there must be a lot more torque from the new engine's and it felt like there was hardly any need to change down the manual gearbox to accelerate away pretty quickly. The ride in the new car felt, to me anyway, superb - and definately more refined than a B5. The steering felt more precise too.

For someone like me who uses a car for big freeway journeys every day, I really appreciate the extra space in the new car and extra little "convenience" touches that make the car easier to live with for 20 hours in each week are very welcome.

Not sure if it applies in the US - but the B6 has achieved a full 5-stars in the NCAP safety tests (the B5 achieving only 4...) As someone who just recently escaped a fairly hefty accident with no injuries, I really value a car that has an excellent safety design and systems.

As for the styling - it's growing on me rapidly. The trouble is the B5 just looks so right that VW were always going to struggle to win customers over with just a new shape. I value the extra equipment on the new model. Now it gets cruise and a few other extras in the UK market that weren't there previously. In the US you probably expect cruise on every car, but in the UK it's always been extra unless you are buying in the higher sector....

As I said, everyone looks for something different.

For me, the B6 is definately my next car once I wear out my new B5. (Unless BMW reduce their gorgeous-looking 5 series to to Passat price-level.... - well beauty is in the eye of the beholder.... !! )

I hope your being sarcastic about the Bangle-ized bimmer...

 

Just wanted to end the thread...

B6 went back to the dealership today. My B5.5 starting problem has supposedly been fixed. They replaced the CCM. I think that should take care of it. We'll see.

Anyway, my final impressions on the B6 are that it seems more refined all around. Thumbs up on the 2.0T, 6 speed tiptronic, and electromechanical steering. That's a nice combo. Thumbs down on a push button P-brake, push-to-start key switch, turning headlights, exterior styling, those huge ass rear doors, and the overall value of the car. I'll go ahead and put the increased size of the car in the negative column as well. The B5.5 seems perfectly sized.

If refinement is what you're looking for (and you're cross shopping a Camry, for instance), then the new B6 is probably worth a look. But I personally prefer a little more 'personality' in my cars (say's the guy who's intermittent car starting problem just about drove him crazy).