How to choose a car radio for Volkswagen Passat B6, B7, CC: original models or OEM devices under the AudioSources brand?
Despite the huge number of offers on the global passenger car market, Volkswagen products, including the Passat lineup, have been among the best cars in their class for several years in a row. This is evidenced by:
- Customer reviews.
- Demand for Volkswagen cars.
- The pace of development and the emergence of new VW models.
Everyone has the opportunity to independently verify that the legendary cars of German manufacturers are one of the most popular vehicles in Ukraine. To do this, it is enough to analyze the brands / models of cars on city streets and roads of our country (there is no doubt that Volkswagen Passat will certainly be included in the group of leaders). This is facilitated by factors such as reasonable cost, reliability, the presence of cars in the station wagon and sedan, but also, of course, the group's impeccable reputation.
How relevant is the question of choosing a car radio for Volkswagen Passat B6, B7, CC
Readers who were interested in the history of the creation and development of the Passat lineup know that manufacturers (when compared with competing companies) pay a lot of attention to their own car radios. If on old VW models RNS and RCD (300 or 310) were installed, then at each new Passat the concern employees tried to use more modern devices. So there were: RCD 320 (330 and 510), RNS 310 and 510. And although the latest model had a large screen, supported memory cards of various formats, and also had other useful functions, its capabilities do not allow you to compete with similar devices of famous brands. But the design engineers of the concern deserve respect at least for the fact that you can install the same car radios on the Volkswagen Passat B6, B7, CC, in other words, they are interchangeable. An important point! In this case, as in any other issue, there are some exceptions. The American version of the radio for Passat B8 is compatible with the "European" versions of the B7, but is not suitable for the European B8.
VW Passat B6
Factory devices for B6 are classified as follows:
- Base radio (Trendline) is the simplest model without smart functionality.
- Highline has a solid appearance, but the capabilities of the device are very limited.
- And the third option is BlueMotion. It allows you to listen to music and process some files, the functionality of this model is far behind even from budget full-time car radios.
VW Passat B7
Seventh Passat is equipped with more modern devices:
- Convenient controls, an MP-3 player, a radio and a USB port are the main “novelties” of Model S.
- Having slightly expanded the functionality (added Bluetooth, digital radio, etc.), the developers of car radios for the B7 received the SE model, which (like all previous versions) was inferior to analogues in almost all key parameters.
- Modification “Sport” is a factory radio, which differs from previous devices by the presence of a navigator with a touch screen.
Volkswagen Passat B8 USA
The version of the popular German car for the American market has a number of differences from European cars. Volkswagen Passat B8 from the USA is most often equipped with an original radio with a screen, and a rear view camera. Yes, the configuration of the American Passat is usually higher, but still, the original radio does not meet European standards. First of all, because they do not have half of the radio frequencies. Radio in the "Americans" catches odd station Toko.
But even with the original VW Passat B8 USA radio in 5 "or 6.5", such head units do not always satisfy the user in 2019-2020. Many car owners are thinking about replacing such devices with radio tape recorders on Android.
Volkswagen Passat CC
The presented model from the Passat family is also equipped with radio tape recorders from the manufacturer. But against the background of previous options, these devices (after 2016 onwards) can be considered a real breakthrough forward. The radio tape recorder works on the Android OS, it allows you to listen to high-quality music, monitor the technical condition of the car (partially) and perform other useful functions. But, the owners of the Passat SS advise not to rely heavily on the relatively large potential of the radio.
Summarizing the information presented, we can conclude: Volkswagen employees will always be “behind” the companies that specialize in the manufacture of full-time head units. Everyone should do what he does best. Some create reliable and convenient vehicles, while others develop car radios. As for the question, to buy / not to buy full-time devices on the Volkswagen Passat B6, B7, CC, in order to answer it, you need to determine exactly what functions of the car radio you are interested in. For car owners who practically do not use the radio, the above factory models are quite suitable. But if you plan to use all the features of the head unit, then it makes sense to buy a device from well-known manufacturers. The limited technical and operational characteristics of VW factory developments will always be “behind in development”, because new radio tape recorders are created much more often than new cars.
Choosing a car radio for your Passat: AudioSources
The presented brand in practice has proved the perfect compatibility of Audiosors car radios with Volkswagen vehicles. One of the main advantages of products under the AudioSources brand is the fact that a wide range of products allows you to choose the most optimal option for the Passat, regardless of the year of manufacture and the individual characteristics of the machine. From the budget version for the old Passat B6, to modern head units with a huge set of a wide variety of functions for the Passat SS.
Among the key advantages of AudioSources products are:
- The radio is ideally combined with the interior design of any Volkswagen Passat model.
- Manufacturers offer devices with screen sizes from 8 to 10 inches.
- Devices are connected to the on-board computer and make it possible to constantly monitor the technical condition of the machine.
- It is possible to synchronize with the smartphone of the owner of the car.
- It is possible to open / work with media files on the Internet or on other storage media.
- Numerous applications increase the safety of your trips and give you the opportunity to work without leaving your car.
It should also be borne in mind that every owner of a Volkswagen Passat B6, B7, B8 USA, CC can choose a model of a full-time car radio that has the necessary functions, without overpaying for technical capabilities that it will not use.