VW Passat B5.5 PD 130
Discussion
Just picked up one of these as a courtesy car as mine is having some work done.
On the 51 plate and 163k up but what a machine it is.
The 1.9 PD130 tdi engine is very gutsy, much more so than i'd have imagined. Frugal, too. Saw 45mpg @ 80-85. Really genuinely impressed, supremely comfortable too.
A lot of car for shed money if anyone is considering a winter hack. Gargantuan boot, to boot!
On the 51 plate and 163k up but what a machine it is.
The 1.9 PD130 tdi engine is very gutsy, much more so than i'd have imagined. Frugal, too. Saw 45mpg @ 80-85. Really genuinely impressed, supremely comfortable too.
A lot of car for shed money if anyone is considering a winter hack. Gargantuan boot, to boot!
dme123 said:
Our six fingered cousins over the Atlantic will probably not agree, but I think these represent the high watermark of VAG cars. Everything they've made since is noticeably flimsier and more "value engineered".
The 1.9PD feels miles faster than it is because of it's tiny, peaky powerband. Humans are sensitive to the rate of change of acceleration, not the rate of acceleration itself, so these sorts of engines feel dead exciting while actually being really very slow.
Thanks. I really might have to get myself a PD for commuting. Put a grin on my face in the way no diesel has done before! Agreed it's not quick, but the peakiness definitely keeps the illusion going. Effortless is the word i'd use. Actually going to be sad handing this back in a couple of days time.The 1.9PD feels miles faster than it is because of it's tiny, peaky powerband. Humans are sensitive to the rate of change of acceleration, not the rate of acceleration itself, so these sorts of engines feel dead exciting while actually being really very slow.
Edited by j4ck100 on Thursday 12th January 22:15
I'm finding the seats in it absolutely fine! Big velour-ish numbers, comfortable on a 150 mile jaunt today that also saw 50mpg! Running these back in 2000 must have been chump change with diesel I imagine roughly half the price back then!
Had a little toy with an Audi S4 off some traffic lights today, it's 0-30 is really quite remarkable! The action and throw of the 5 speed box is lovely too.
It's way more of a barge in the corners than I'd have expected, very softly sprung indeed, and coupled with the balloon tyres & 16inch wheel combo meant that I couldn't even feel the terrible rivets on the concrete section of the m25.
Have noticed a few things wrong with it mind, the electric windows sometimes work but mostly do not, something supposedly common on vw's of this era as my friend used to have a sharan on an 03 that suffered from the same problem, sometimes a bit of clout fixes it temporarily. The central locking / alarm is also dicky, and the "Climatronic" (what a name) doesn't light up with the lights on. Oh, and the headlights are woeful. Maybe they need cleaning but my evo's dipped put out more light than the passat's mains.
But overall, I've become a little bit attached and will be sad to see her go!
Had a little toy with an Audi S4 off some traffic lights today, it's 0-30 is really quite remarkable! The action and throw of the 5 speed box is lovely too.
It's way more of a barge in the corners than I'd have expected, very softly sprung indeed, and coupled with the balloon tyres & 16inch wheel combo meant that I couldn't even feel the terrible rivets on the concrete section of the m25.
Have noticed a few things wrong with it mind, the electric windows sometimes work but mostly do not, something supposedly common on vw's of this era as my friend used to have a sharan on an 03 that suffered from the same problem, sometimes a bit of clout fixes it temporarily. The central locking / alarm is also dicky, and the "Climatronic" (what a name) doesn't light up with the lights on. Oh, and the headlights are woeful. Maybe they need cleaning but my evo's dipped put out more light than the passat's mains.
But overall, I've become a little bit attached and will be sad to see her go!
Chris944_S2 said:
Its reassuring to see the B5 and 5.5 getting some love, I thought I was the only one who liked such a dull and plain car.
Quick snap of mine, its a bit grubby right now with all the salt on the roads. Its closing in on 200,000 but still feels very solid and doesn't have any creaks or rattles. And for a supposedly complex and unreliable engine, mine is pretty much problem free and just needs normal maintenance. I originally bought it just because of the engine and didn't expect to keep it long. But it turns out the rest of the car is actually rather good so 5 years on and I'm not really tempted to part with it. I can see how the PD130 is the ideal workhorse.
The infamous W8! Awesome! I heard they aren't as quick as you might imagine, but still a very cool car to have. Did they stiffen up the suspesion a bit with all that power? I can't quite work out the thought process of putting that engine in that ad and who the target market was back in the early 2000's, but hey! Very cool. Quick snap of mine, its a bit grubby right now with all the salt on the roads. Its closing in on 200,000 but still feels very solid and doesn't have any creaks or rattles. And for a supposedly complex and unreliable engine, mine is pretty much problem free and just needs normal maintenance. I originally bought it just because of the engine and didn't expect to keep it long. But it turns out the rest of the car is actually rather good so 5 years on and I'm not really tempted to part with it. I can see how the PD130 is the ideal workhorse.
Take as long as you like I said, I'm in no rush!Gassing Station | Audi, Seat, Skoda & VW | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff