Stargazer's Passat @ istargazer.ca

Links and Resources

1999 Volkswagen Passat

Expecting our first child, and I didn't think that our Jeep Cherokee was the safest vehicle for my wife and baby (no air bags, no headrests in the rear bench). So when Consumer Reports rated the Passat the number one family sedan it caught my eye. I didn't know at the time that it would turn into my obsession .

The 1998-2001 Passats are also known among VW enthusiasts as the B5 because it is based upon on the "B" platform and is the 5th generation Passat. This was also the same platform that the Audis were built on.  There was a facelift mid-2001 and it has been nicknamed the B5.5. The facelift had a redesigned front and tail and added a lot of extra chrome accents. The newest Audis are already on the B6 platform.

Visit the Volkswagen of America Passat page to get the latests specs, see a photo gallery, build your own Passat and more. You can see the favorable crash test results on the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety web page. It was a best pick!

Plus, make sure you visit the official German Passat homepage where you can get lots of information about the design of the Passat. There used to be some historical info there, but it's been removed. I have some highlights here:

• The first Passat, the B1 (1973-1979), had a top speed of 170 km/h, one of the fastest cars in its class. 
• The B2 (1980-1987), was bigger with a completely new chassis. 
• More rounded, the B3 (1988-1992) had a transverse engine and a drag coefficient of 0.29, superb for the time. 
• The B4 (1993-1995) had a fully re-engineered body shell for improved crash safety. Airbags for the driver and front passenger, seat belt tensioners and ABS were all standard equipment. 
• The current B5 began production in Germany in 1996. 

You can find more information on Brian Hjelt's US Passat history page.