What the hell is a VW Santana 3000?

Hello

I was just watching TV and saw a pretty nice (from the front) looking VW... looked like the Passat and Jetta merged, it was called the Santana 3000... From the back it looked like an Audi from the 1980's (with more up to date lenses, but same style), from the side it looked fairly out of date tho, with plastic hubcapped wheels, and body panels that reminded me of the Fox. Inside it was nice enough, looked like tons of wood/chrome up front, possibly leather seats, large rear seat space too. The engine was a 1.8L that looked like the 2.0L found in todays Golf, but it was longitudinal mounted.... They are selling this thing in China, where else are they selling it? I've not seen one on the European websites.

Is this an evolution of the old Fox design? As I know it had a longitudinal engine, and was designed for the poorer car markets (but judging by the big BMW's and Merc's I was seeing on this show the VW seemed out of place).

Reply to
Rob Guenther
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I haven't seen it, but probably it's yet another evolution of the Chinese-made Santana, which originated as the German-made Santana in 1982, which was a 4-door sedan based on the Passat, which in the USA was sold as the Quantum.

I think there's only one VW that can be even more confusing than that: the first generation Passat/Dasher/Audi 80/Audi Fox, which in its first incarnation all looked the same from the front, but which got different faceliftings for the VW and Audi respectively. People used to mix-and-match body panels and trim from VW to Audi and vice versa, creating Audi 80 Avants and Variants, Santana Mk Zeroes, Audis with VW faceliftings and vice versa, fastback Audis with the small rear hatch, etc., until even real enthusiasts like myself (then in my early teens) were unsure what was originally available and what wasn't.

Yours, Erik.

Reply to
Erik Meltzer

afaik Santanas have been made and sold in every place _but_ the US- at one point they *may* have shared platforms with the Passat line but that is a guess on my part.

I believe if you go to mainland China you can buy a Santana today.

TBerk curious to find out more than what little I know

Reply to
T

Reply to
Rob Guenther

Yep, it has been "modernized" even more but at least from the side it still resembles the old Passat/Quantum 32B:

Ingo

Reply to
Ingo Braune

Reply to
Rob Guenther

Thanks. I actually like the rear view. The front looks a little uninspired and too rounded in my optinion.

Thanks again for the link!

Yours, Erik.

Reply to
Erik Meltzer

longitudinal

It's a Santana 2000 and it's the old B2 Passat/Quantum soldiering on into the 21st century with a different nose, tail, and instrument panel.

Reply to
Matt B.

Hmmm I take that back. yes it is a 3000. i think it used to be called "santana 2000" though because this one has yet again another nose/tail job that I hadn't seen before so I guess it got freshened again.

Reply to
Matt B.

Reply to
Rob Guenther

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