Audi A4 B6 VW Passat 03 - Which VW/Audi Cars had North South Layout

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Sun 22 Mar 2020 14:45
Audi A4 B6 VW Passat 03 - Which VW/Audi Cars had North South Layout - Steveieb

I really prefer the balance that a North / South engine gearbox layout brings. Ok changing a ca m belt is a pain but not needed that often.

Equal length drive shafts and better weight distribution.

But is this layout only found in the Audi range A4/3 or was it common to the group cars around the early 2000 s ?

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Sun 22 Mar 2020 17:10
Audi A4 B6 VW Passat 03 - Which VW/Audi Cars had North South Layout - thunderbird

It does not matter one jot which way the engine is aligned, its how well its engineered that makes it a good or a poor drive.

From what I remember the Audis with the north/south layout were often criticised because they were very nose heavy which caused bad understeer compared to their lesser brethren that had east/west engines.

Personally I think you would need to be Lewis Hamilton on a race circuit to get any benefit form either layout.

Just buy a car you like and don't worry about how it was designed.

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Sun 22 Mar 2020 18:56
Audi A4 B6 VW Passat 03 - Which VW/Audi Cars had North South Layout - John F

It does not matter one jot which way the engine is aligned, its how well its engineered that makes it a good or a poor drive.

From what I remember the Audis with the north/south layout were often criticised because they were very nose heavy which caused bad understeer compared to their lesser brethren that had east/west engines.

Despite the huge amount of metal over the front wheels I don't remember understeer being a problem but my 1990 five cylinder auto Audi 100 2.0E (owned 1993 - 2003) was excellent at clawing its way up snowy suburban side streets.

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Sun 22 Mar 2020 17:13
Audi A4 B6 VW Passat 03 - Which VW/Audi Cars had North South Layout - elekie&a/c doctor
As far as I recall , all Audi models prior to the A1, 2 and 3 variants, were front to back engines . Audi 80, 90 , 100 and 200 had this layout . Also included is the Ro 80 .
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Sun 22 Mar 2020 22:32
Audi A4 B6 VW Passat 03 - Which VW/Audi Cars had North South Layout - Big John

Skoda Superb MKI(2002-2008) also had the North South layout. Was very similar to the VW Passat of the day but had a longer wheelbase. Also shared many mechanical and other components.

Cam belt initially seems a pain to start with but if the front bumper is removed and rad/aircon put into service mode - then becomes the easiest job going. Full unhindered access from the front of the car.

NB the Audi A4/6 had north south (and still does!) but the A3 was transverse(aka same as Golf).

Edited by Big John on 22/03/2020 at 22:39

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Sun 22 Mar 2020 22:54
Audi A4 B6 VW Passat 03 - Which VW/Audi Cars had North South Layout - John F

Some Skoda Superbs shared the same powertrain as my 1998 Audi A6 2.8 ZF tiptronic (owned from 2003 to 2014). Its well designed sturdy cambelt was still in fine fettle when I sold it at 133,000 miles, as was the rest of the galvanised car. Plenty of room for a north-south V6 under the bonnet; some had V8s. If you really wanted to change the cambelt, the front of the car had to come off.

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Mon 23 Mar 2020 09:34
Audi A4 B6 VW Passat 03 - Which VW/Audi Cars had North South Layout - Stackman II

Back in the day, the regulations for Autograss racing said that any car had to be driven by the same wheels as the production model.

For this reason Toyota Starlets were popular as they were a small rear-driven hatchback.

A common powerplant option was to install an Audi drivertrain where the back seats used to be as the north-south layout gave good weight distribution and the gearbox and driveshafts could be utilised without extensive modifications.

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Mon 23 Mar 2020 10:44
Audi A4 B6 VW Passat 03 - Which VW/Audi Cars had North South Layout - Steveieb
Thanks for your knowledge.
Do you know if the A4 B6 chassis was galvanised too ?
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