The 1997 Passat was one of the best cars ever built by Volkswagen and, in the station wagon shape, was a mid-size hauler big enough to move a student to and from the college in one trip.
While it was named Passat B5, it was actually the fourth generation of the mid-size contender for the German carmaker. The third generation was called T3 for the initial model, and the facelifted version was named B4 by the German carmaker, even though it was not a new vehicle. But the B5 remained the cornerstone in the Passat range.

In the Variant (station wagon) shape, the Passat was that kind of decent vehicle that didn’t ask too much to buy it or to run it. Its design was bold for a Volkswagen. At the front, it showed rectangular headlights with corner-mounted turn signals, but Volkswagen rounded the overall look. In the back, the carmaker installed rectangular taillights that flanked the wide tailgate.

Inside, the carmaker chose to play as safe as on the exterior the curved instrument cluster hosted four dials and a TFT display between the speedometer and tachometer. On that, the optional navigation system could show directions with pointed arrows. There were two bucket seats at the front and a 60/40 split-folding bench in the back. With the seats up, it offered 495 liters (17.5 cu-ft), while with the seatback folded, it provided up to 1,600 liters (56.5 cu-ft)

Under the hood, Volkswagen offered a vast engine range with gasoline and turbo-diesel. In terms of fuel efficiency, it was one of the best on the market, mainly thanks to its TDI engines, which were not available in all countries.