Originally Posted By: Cujet
I should have been more clear. A similarly sized V6, with similar displacement, makes similar power. And, many V6 engines are extremely well refined, smooth and pleasant.
VW did not have the architecture to support a 4.0l V6. The W8 came about as a part of their 6.0l W12 development. They figured, "why not stuff this into a Passat?" VW was doing a lot at the time just to see if they could... The Touareg, the Phaeton, V10tdi, W8, W12, there was a lot of creative engineering and experimenting going on under Piech.
Again, I think a big part of why they made it is to see if they could. No one else had anything similar at the time. Not many were bought because of the price, but that didn't seem to matter.
To me, part of owning a car like that is appreciating it for what it is: a unique design, an oddity.
Sure you could get a Honda Accord V6... But I never would. There's nothing special, nothing unique, nothing outrageous. The Honda is a better car... But I don't want one. I know that's not the popular opinion here, but I don't care about reliability or owning something that there are a million of.
The "real-world" advantage is that you get more cylinders in a more compact package... Beyond that, it's just freaking cool.
What's wrong with making, selling, buying, or liking something just because it's freaking cool?
I should have been more clear. A similarly sized V6, with similar displacement, makes similar power. And, many V6 engines are extremely well refined, smooth and pleasant.
VW did not have the architecture to support a 4.0l V6. The W8 came about as a part of their 6.0l W12 development. They figured, "why not stuff this into a Passat?" VW was doing a lot at the time just to see if they could... The Touareg, the Phaeton, V10tdi, W8, W12, there was a lot of creative engineering and experimenting going on under Piech.
Again, I think a big part of why they made it is to see if they could. No one else had anything similar at the time. Not many were bought because of the price, but that didn't seem to matter.
To me, part of owning a car like that is appreciating it for what it is: a unique design, an oddity.
Sure you could get a Honda Accord V6... But I never would. There's nothing special, nothing unique, nothing outrageous. The Honda is a better car... But I don't want one. I know that's not the popular opinion here, but I don't care about reliability or owning something that there are a million of.
The "real-world" advantage is that you get more cylinders in a more compact package... Beyond that, it's just freaking cool.
What's wrong with making, selling, buying, or liking something just because it's freaking cool?