Spotted: a 1991 Volkswagen Passat

The third-generation Volkswagen Passat, referred to internally as the B3, entered the market in 1988. Of the many body styles of the previous model, only the two most traditional remained: the four-door sedan and five-door station wagon. The design, on the other hand, was anything but traditional. The clean lines of the 1970s and 1980s were carefully traded in for more rounded shapes. Most striking, however, was the closed front end.

Volkswagen Passat with closed front end

The grille was not in the traditional place between the headlights, but completely out of sight at the bottom of the front bumper. The closed front was mainly to provide a modern, aerodynamic and almost futuristic appearance, but at the same time was also a reference to the classic Volkswagen models with the engine at the rear. These therefore also had no grille.

Volkswagen Passat gets its own platform

On the technical front, the Volkswagen Passat also took another step forward. For example, the engines were now transversely mounted and the car stood on a truly proprietary Volkswagen platform. Previous models were still closely related to Audi models. The platform of the new Passat was a kind of stretched version of the Golf platform. Technically, therefore, the Passat B3 was separate from the Audi 80 B3.

Under the hood were new, modern engines with direct fuel injection instead of carburetors. Over all the years, quite a few engines were available, mainly four-cylinder gasoline and diesel engines from 1.6- to 2.0-liter. Power ratings ranged from an even then modest 53 kW (72 hp) to a generous 118 kW (160 hp). The latter power output belonged to the semi-sporty G60 version. An outlier in the range was the 128 kW (174 hp) strong VR6 version, with 2.8-liter V6 gasoline engine. Depending on the engine, there was a choice between a five-speed manual transmission and a four-speed automatic. Almost all models had front-wheel drive, but there was also the all-wheel drive Syncro version.

In terms of equipment, of course, the Volkswagen Passat also improved. Notable options for the time were self-leveling air suspension for the rear axle and electronically controlled air conditioning.

‘New’ Volkswagen Passat

The Volkswagen Passat B3 lasted until 1993. Then the new model generation B4 entered the market. Although, “new” … Actually, the B4 was just a thoroughly facelifted version of the B3. The curves of the 1990s made even more of an appearance. Also, the car did get a traditional grille again. Although the closed front of the B3 did not stand in the way of sales success, the striking front was not appreciated by everyone.

The spotted specimen

In the parking lot of the Hoorn residential boulevard, we saw this 1991 Volkswagen Passat CL. Under the hood is the 66 kW (90 hp) strong 1.8-liter four-cylinder gasoline engine. We’ve said it before in this column: even the most common cars become rare at some point. For example, it has been quite a while since we last saw a Passat of the B3 generation. This example is not in concours condition, but it still looks tidy for its age. Moreover, it is apparently still being used as a daily car and we can only appreciate that.