2006 Volkswagen Passat Preview

Tomorrow's Passat is also influenced by today's flagship Phaeton, in the form of a rounded, more contemporary shape, wing-mirror-mounted

The all-new Passat's styling is evolutionary as opposed to revolutionary. (Photo: Volkswagen Canada)

turn signals and rear LED tail lamps. VW has also adopted a body panel shaping similar to, but not quite as dramatic as BMW's 'flame surfacing' technique; convex and concave fenders and doors make the car stand out in a world of bulbous, anonymous family sedans.

This new styling direction was penned on a body that's 4,770 millimeters (187.8 in) long, up 62 mm (2.4 in) from the current generation, 1,820 mm (71.7 in) wide, up 74 mm (2.9 in) and 1,470 mm (57.9 in) tall, up 10 mm (0.4 in) riding on a wheelbase that is 2,710 mm (106.7 in) long, up 6 mm (0.2 in).

The resemblances between the new Jetta and the new Passat are more than skin deep, being that for the first time in nearly

VW's midsize sedan will ride upon a stretched and widened version of the upcoming Golf/Jetta platform called the PQ46. (Photo: Volkswagen Canada)

seven years the Passat will not be based on an Audi-derived architecture.

Instead, VW's midsize sedan will ride upon a stretched and widened version of the upcoming Golf/Jetta platform called the PQ46. Moving to the Golf's platform altered one critical characteristic: the Passat will feature an engine layout that is transverse (east-west), instead of longitudinal (north-south).

As expected, the new chassis uses many of the same mechanical and structural components with the mass-produced Golf, reducing development and production costs.