Midsize car; Built in Germany |
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Good condition price range: $1,000 – $1,800* |
1990 Volkswagen Passat GL 4-door sedan
1991 Volkswagen Passat GL 4-door wagon
1990 Volkswagen Passat GL 4-door sedan
1993 Volkswagen Passat GLX 4-door sedan
1993 Volkswagen Passat interior
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Roomy and competent, the 1990-94 Passat can be a good choice in a well-equipped compact sedan or wagon, if you can live with the ride harshness and tire noise.
Overview
Ranking as VW’s biggest car, Passat was available as either a 4-door sedan or 4-door station wagon, in a single GL trim level. Power came from either a twin-cam, 2.0-liter 4-cylinder engine. A 5-speed manual transmission was standard on the sedan, with 4-speed automatic optional. Wagons had the automatic as standard. Four-wheel disc brakes were standard on both body styles, while antilock braking was among the few options.
Yearly Updates
1991 Passat Power-window switches moved from their original vertical position on door panels, to an easier-to-reach spot on the horizontal surface of the door armrest. An automatic-transmission gear-indicator display was added to the instrument cluster. |
1992 Passat Joining the original GL trim level was a new entry-grade CL sedan with the 4-cylinder engine. |
1993 Passat A new 4-cylinder GLS Passat became the midlevel model, and the entry-level CL disappeared, making GL the base version. The new line-topping GLX came with Volkswagen’s first V6. Called VR6 it displaced 2.8-liters and made 172 horsepower. Traction control also arrived for 1993, only in GLX V6 sedans and wagons. In addition to a slightly different front-end look with integrated fog lamps, the GLX got 215/50HR15 tires on new 6-spoke alloy wheels. All models gained a multifunction trip computer and CFC-free air conditioning. |
1994 Passat Only V6 Passats went on sale in 1994, in top-line GLX trim. |