The third generation Passat made its debut in Europe in 1988 and subsequently in North America in 1990 before finally arriving in South America in 1995. Its curves oozed style and sophistication and marked a significant departure from the boxy predecessor; this aesthetic was dubbed ‘Jelly Mould’ and was first seen in the Ford Sierra. It was the first Passat to have independent platform design as distinct from the predecessor taking cues from the smaller Golf model. It was made available in sedan and station wagon forms, although the fastback style was conspicuously absent. This iteration of the Passat was propelled by fuel injected engines, thus giving it greater performance and refinement than ever before and were transversally mounted with the floorpan designed for Volkswagen's Syncro four-wheel drive system. The addition of the VR6 engine in 1991 gave the top of the range Passat a top speed of 139mph.
In 1993 there was a facelift and rightly so, this model is sometimes referred to as the Mk IV Passat and the platform B4 – although the change was largely cosmetic. Externally, every body panel was changed with the welcome return of a grille to bring it into line with other models like the Mk 3 Golf. Meanwhile, the interior was improved as well as additional safety equipment such as dual airbags introduced. In 1995 to 1997, North America saw the inclusion of the TDI diesel engine, a 1.9 litre turbo that generated 155ft-lbf of torque at 1900 rpm taken from a 90PS engine at 3750 rpm. This iteration of the Passat boasted a fuel efficiency rating of 45mpg, a large 70 litre fuel tank meaning a massive range of 800+ miles. The TDI wagon, or ‘Variant’ as its known in Europe, is rather rare with only 1000 having been imported to the US over its two year lifespan.
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