| Volkswagen Group B platform | |
|---|---|
| Overview | |
| Manufacturer | Volkswagen Group |
| Production | 1972–2013 |
| Body and chassis | |
| Class | Mid-size/large family car (D) Compact executive car (D) |
| Layout | |
| Chronology | |
| Predecessor | Audi F103 |
| Successor | Volkswagen Group MLB platform |
TheVolkswagen Group B platform is amid-sizeautomobile platform from theVolkswagen Group. It has been used forsaloon cars/sedans,estate cars/station wagon, andcoupés - under theVolkswagen Passenger Cars,Audi,SEAT andŠkodamarques.
Volkswagen Group revised the alphanumeric nomenclature used for car platforms. The revised platform code is composed as follows:
An additional+ suffix indicates a long-wheelbase variant.
1974–1988. AnAudi derived platform, the firstVolkswagen Passat was nearly identical to theAudi 80 (Audi Fox in US), sharing much of its mechanical systems, including itslongitudinal engine placement.
1980–1996. TheBX platform, developed by Volkswagen'sBrazilian subsidiary (Volkswagen do Brasil), again borrowed heavily from the Audi 80 (Fox/4000) of the day. The BX platform was used for the BrazilianVolkswagen Gol (hatchback), Voyage (sedan, also sold as the Gacel or Senda in Argentina, Fox in the US, or Amazon in some other markets), Parati (3-door wagon/estate), Saveiro (pickup) and Furgão (van) models. The BX platform was quite unique in that it started life with a four-cylinderVolkswagen air-cooled engine (borrowed from theVolkswagen Beetle), and eventually ended up with a more modern water-cooled engine, being sold in the US for the first time as a 1987 model. The VW BX family was restyled in 1987 and 1991.[1]
Still an Audi derived platform, this time based on the Audi 80/4000, again, including itslongitudinal engine placement and, on some European models, thequattrofour-wheel drive system, rebrandedSyncro for Volkswagen cars. The Santana (facelifted) was produced until January 2013 in China.[2]
TheB3 designation is used to refer to both the third generation Volkswagen Passat produced from 1988-1993, and the "Typ 89" version of theAudi 80/90 produced from 1987 to 1992 and the "Typ 8B"Audi Coupé andS2, which are based on different platforms. The B3 Passat switched to a transverse engine layout while the Audi 80/90 continued to use a longitudinal engine layout.
The B3 Volkswagen Passat was the first B platform car to be called Passat in the United States. The B3 was also the first Passat with an independently designed platform, which did not share parts withAudi models. Instead, the design borrowed heavily from theVolkswagen Group A2 platform, being essentially a stretched version of it, and sharing the same transverse engine layout.
The Volkswagen Corrado was an A2 platform car, but it borrowed heavily from the B3 Passat platform for ancillary components (the VR6 version borrowed some suspension components from the A3 platform too).
As with B3, theB4 designation is used to refer to the "Typ 8C" version of the Audi 80 andRS2 produced from 1991 to 1994, as well as theVolkswagen Passat B4, however they arenot based on the same platform.
The longitudinal engine B4 vehicles were developed from the longitudinal B3 platform, with some modifications such as an extended rear overhang, longer wheelbase, redesigned suspension, and fuel tank.
The B4 Passat was a face lifted B3 (receiving its own generation number is controversial), remaining nearly mechanically identical, but with entirely new sheetmetal, and an updated interior design.
TheB5 platform (also known asPL45 under Volkswagen's revised naming scheme) returned to alongitudinal engine layout. This platform was introduced with the first-generationAudi A4 and the 1996 Volkswagen Passat. B5 platform cars can be equipped with amultilink front suspension and aTorsen centre differential forquattro or4motion brandedfour-wheel drive systems. A long-wheelbase derivative of this platform - originally designed for the Chinese market and being used in the 1999 Volkswagen Passat Lingyu, but ultimately being used for its rebadged version under the Škoda brand, the 2002 Škoda Superb - is referred to asPL45+.
In late 2000, the B5 Passat received a facelift, and is referred to as the "B5.5" generation.
The designationB6 is used to identify the "Typ 8E/8H" Audi A4/S4 produced from late 2000 to 2005. The platform used by these models is formally known as thePL46 platform.
Confusingly, the sixth generation of theVolkswagen Passat is alsocolloquially referred to by "B6", given that its fifth generation was previously based on the B5 platform. However, this generation of the Passat returned to theA platform, a stretched version of theGolf Mk5 andJetta Mk5's transverse engine PQ35 platform.
The designationB7 is used to identify the "Typ 8E/8H" Audi A4, S4, and RS4 produced from 2005 to 2008. The B7 A4/S4 retains theTyp 8E/8H numbers of the B6 A4/S4 with different suffixes, while the SEAT Exeo (which was derived from the B7 A4) takes theTyp 3R number.
**Audi 2009 Cabriolet was a carry-over from the 2008 model year
TheMLB platform (ModularerLängsbaukasten, translating from German to "Modular Longitudinal Toolkit" or "Modular Longitudinal Matrix") is used in the B8 (A4, A5, Q5), C7 (A6, A7, Q7) and D4 (A8) families of Audi vehicles. The design is noteworthy for placing the frontdifferential ahead of theclutch, allowing the frontaxle to be moved forward 4 inches. This results in an increase inwheelbase and a slightly more rearward weight distribution for bettervehicle dynamics.
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