What Is So Special About the VW W-12?
The famous W-12 premiered in a mid-engine concept with a great design and amazing performance. The world knows it as a super complicated engine offering expensive service bills, terrifying fuel consumption and high cost. It is basically one of a kind motor that only Volkswagen Group has been producing in various iterations. How does such a complex engine work and why did they build it?
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When you need the smooth effortless power of twelve cylinders, but you want to fit it under a hood that isnt 20 ft long
Stuff it in the back where a performance engine belongs anyway then.
I still wanna Passat W8 so bad! Sounds batshit insane when modded. But also crazy maintenance costs
I found one once like 15 minutes away from my house. Just it needed work I was so pissed off.
Maintenance isn't very expensive, at least were i live. but keep in mind that this engine has some timing chain Problems (it lengths over time if not driven carefully and is expensive to repair), just ike the vr6, so always drive it warm before flooring it, use some good quality oil and keep the oil fresh, than it should be fine
An old boss had a passat wagon W8 it was stick too. Nice sounding car.
VW and Audi are cars that's frequently need engine out service so I wouldn't be too worried
@@Mark_317 I think they were all manual transmission.
The W12 just goes to prove the old saying, "Just because you can, doesn't mean you should."
Perhaps, but you don't learn anything without epic failures. The failures in engineering & manufacturing these amazingly complex engines, will further serve their future inventions for complete mastery of what is considered today's shortcomings. These engineers are who keep the human race upwardly modile!
"Because we can" is the same reason America put people on the moon, it's the same reason we will put people on the moon again. "Because we can" is a great reason, and we need more people doing things "because we can"!
@@themadscientest PREACH IT!!!
@@fobbitoperator3620 It was also made because beautiful engine sounds are wonderful! I'm part of the I5 cult so beautiful engine sounds are the song of my people.
@@themadscientest It is Heaven here on Earth!
Mechanics nightmare when comes to service and repairs 😳🔫
🗿
Right I can’t even imagine
So much for working on your car yourself... 🤣
*Mechanics can't afford this engine.. but good for business!*
Too right. Looks nice as a coffee table though....
The VR6 engines always sounded wonderful. Strange how the exhaust note of the W12 doesn’t remind me of the VR6
That's easy to explain. 12 cylinder engines have an exhaust stroke cycle ever 60° so the the exhaust pulses, (like the power strokes) actually overlap each other. This is why 12 cylinder engines are the smoothest running and the smoothest sounding. V-12 engines are so smooth they don't need flywheels.
do V12 remind you of a V6?
@@sotiris223 depends on what V6 were talking about. A Toyota Camry XSE V6 with an aftermarket exhaust sounds pretty similar if you ask me
@@AkimasaJP You are obviously tone deaf...
@@sandervanderkammen9230 along with straight sixes, the next most smooth engines are the likes of i5 and v10 engines right
I put a W12 with 6spd TDI transmission in my 06 A4 Avant. I love the W12 engine. Just purchased a 09 Bentley W12TT to replace my NA engine eventually.
do you know if the w12 bolt pattern lines up with the porche boxter 6sp manual gearbox? is it the same as the audi V8?
@@68arild which V8? BFM from A8 or BHF 4.2 in S4? Same as bfm not bhf. I had to make adapter for transmission.
Allen Millyard would probably use them as a fuel pumps on one of his new bikes, if they're reliable : )
@@Spectrolite1 Well spotted : )
@@Spectrolite1 - Hmm. It requires a healthy sense of the ridiculous, allied with the slingshot lateral thinking of random humour . . . tricky, but do-able . . . with time : )
Doing the head gasket on my vr6, seeing one half of the w12 makes me happy to know I have a piece of beautiful engineering inside this 1500 dollar shitbox of a car
Man the W12 concept car was soooooo much cooler than the Veyron and Chiron.
Yes and no, the front was cool, the problem is the rear, it looks too long and kinda as a copy of the GT90
True, VW Nardò was amazing.
Concepts are just to test parts and design. Not for public!
@@QuietStormX Oh really Cpt Obvious? How does that change what I said in the least?
@@Diesel257 Concepts are not for Public
The twin turbocharged W12 engine is used in my Bentley Continental GT. It is not an economy car, but if I couldn't afford the gas bill, then I wouldn't have bought it. When I start it, the sound lets me know that I am sitting in a beast. Driving it is an incredible experience. I really don't care about the cost of filling the tank with high octane, ethanol-free gasoline. It is also not my everyday transportation.
Good video. You present the history of the Volkswagen W12 well.
Excellent little documentary👏 Great job👍
Your videos never disappoint! I always wondered why and how the W-12 was developed.
wR-12. .. W-12 is completely different
@@sandervanderkammen9230 W12*, R from VR means "Reihenmotor", translated to english: inline. Since the W12 are two VR6, do you see any inline engine?
@@AMV12S VR is a Mix...in german V-Motor (V engine) und Reihenmotor (Inline engine). The VR6 engine has 15°benchangle, this was the only way the engine was so compact that it fit into the vehicle, with transverse engine platform. The W12 was a Clever design, because they used two cylinderheads from the VR6 engine. In the latest 80s Audi did the same at the Audi V8, it has a 3.6L V8, they used two cylinderheads from a 1.8 Golf GTi.
@@AMV12S WRONG, A W-12 has 3 banks with 3 seperate cylinder heads.
@@markusw.3581 It's not a W-12, a W-12 has 3 banks with 3 seperate cylinder heads.
I did an oil change on one once. Customer drove into the service drive smoking a joint. Got out still smoking joint and checked into service advisor. Gotta love working the only vw shop in Alaska
Thanks for the video. Well done!
Great video, the 90s were such a great time for vw
German Engineers: We over engineer shit SINCE EVER because we can, NOT because we need to.🤦♂️
As always great content 👍🇦🇺
Just the thought of the belts and chains on the flywheel side ooofff definitely sends a shiver 🥶 lol 😂😂
Very good analysis. Those giant rocker covers look badass.
Great video!
Phaeton W12 was a milestone car and absolutely on Par with bmw 7 and dare I say the S-class.
I completely agree, but did you know that the Phaeton was delayed by technical problems with the V10 TDI rather than the crazy W12? The diesel was too torquey and would destroy gearboxes - prototypes had over 1000Nm torque and nobody made a gearbox that could handle that and also fit inside a car. In the end, they had to detune the V10 diesel - so you got a huge thirsty engine without the full power benefit of its size - the Audi 4-litre V8 TDI was eventually just as powerful, but less thirsty. Of course, for the ultimate in craziness, Audi's 6-lite V12 TDI takes the biscuit, but even that is limited to sub-1000Nm torque. When it comes to engines, VAG knows how to kick the opposition.
@@MrFlazz99 yes, have always been a fan of VAG powertrains beginning with the original aluminum space frame unibody V8 3.6L I have had Audis as far back as 85’ coupe GT with 2.2L OHC 5
Imagine having to balance that crankshaft...
lmfaoooo
Well made video. Please make a video on the W8 engine.
You can't mention this engine without honorably mentioning the Lancia Fulvia V4, which basically served as a blueprint for this whole idea.
Well check out the vr6 video they did, they introduced the lancia concept there.
Great video :-)
That growl is an undeniable signature of a W12, no need for aftermarket parts to change the sound just stock!
please talk about the 5.0 V10 TDI in one of the next videos
Yes, that engine was a beast - prototypes were too torquey (over 1000Nm) for their gearbox and the Phaeton was delayed while they tried to make a durable powertrain. Eventually they had to detune the V10 TDI instead - so you got a huge thirsty engine without the power benefit. Madness. Then, just to be 'superior', Audi introduced their 6.0 V12 TDI. However, that also had to be torque-limited to sub-1000Nm. Proof that VAG never paid much attention to common sense: Yes, we CAN make this engine....
@@MrFlazz99 My gearbox broke down with standard power. ☹
I've been driving VWs since '86. My first one was a '79 Scirocco S. I now have a '10 CC that just got a new clutch and a new RMS. I see the W-12 as just more places that VW can hide sensors that will cause a MIL. LOL. What's been in my center console for the last 12 years? A OBD2 scanner. But, I can't stop driving them. :D
This engine was designed for people who don't own a scan tool... or work on their own cars... apples and oranges
The V10 TDI was another amazing setup.
Found out about the VR engines at a car show. A guy had a few of the blocks on display that he was working on throughout the week.
lol I was looking for the W12 and you JUST posted this. I'm thinking about doing an engine swap with it.
Do it
The "W" family of engines by VW are very clever and versatile engineered engines.
It May be Clever But Complicated Like Germans, I Think Simple V12 is Better in Terms of Smoothness and Service
It’s stupid and useless. Honda knows how to make great engines
@@S500-but the same can be said about a flat 12 and a flat 6
Here after I recently had the chance to own a low mileage D3 A8L W12 Quattro. 55k miles and smooth as a baby. Truly incredible to drive. For a 2006 it is miles ahead of 90% of what’s on the road today
It's sad we won't have these engines anymore. Wish I could now be in the late 90s when the w12 supercar concept came out. That styling exclusivemess💔😔
That would make a cool combo for a street rod.
6:52 That test showed that they could've easily put that car into production, it would've been a blessing for the supercar world
*preemptive smash on the like button* *edit typos*
Engrish
@@BradleyGibbs beffer?
@@sicstar mush beffer, thenks
Can only imagine the repair bills. Probably a small fortune. But they do sound amazing. 👍
especially with VW's corp culture; you will have to spend $5k of work to replace a 50 cents parts.
@@MetaView7 i bet. I got a 1.8t and 2.7t. They are both way too expensive, lol
It is just a V6 with 2 extra rods on ech throw. Gently had no maintenance problems with the W16 in the 50s
Starter motor switch just cost me 2500usd on my 2007 Phaeton W12 , original VW dealer do this for 5000usd . I was lucky to find good and cheap servis here in CZ . will be for sale soon ..
I own this engine in an Audi A8, and it's wonderful. But when an oil change went bad, it destroyed it and I received a new engine for EUR 70'000.
Wooow... more expensive than a billet engine
Worked on the engine and it's not that terrible. My citroen C6 is way worse
i'd love to drive a W12 😍 it s amazing af
I have one in my Continental GT speed...it's amazing
The W12 is such an interesting concept that I dream of owning a car that has it (and dream to afford to mantain it), be it an Audi A8, Bentley Continental, Touareg or Phaeton. Not as a daily, of course.
I owned a '92 VW Corrado SLC and it took down 5.0 Mustangs and ran with the kid's turbo Honda's. I nearly go arrested one night in Orlando when I beat the hell out of an RX-7 [these are junk!]. -The thing about that engine? With the mods I had on it, the 2800 pound car had about 190 hp. But that engine, the way it ran? It WANTED you to get in trouble: "Hey baby? Hear my sweet voice? What about another 2000 rpm, lets fuck that silly Honda over there right up the tailpipe!". That engine was a hooligan! It wasn't THAT fast but boy did it want YOU the driver to go to jail!
My tailpipe is ready and willing...
The line between brilliant and idiotic was very fine with this engine
Ive got a mk2 gti that me and my dad got as a project and he has said that its one of the easiest cars he has ever worked on, so how did we go from that to this?
They put all that effort into a W12 engine, but couldn't stop bad blowby on my Golf MK4 engine, that had only done 40k miles. I feel sorry for anyone buying something like this, if they intend to do any kind of mileage.
You shouldn't buy a VW if you can't read your owners manual or the label on a bottle of motor oil.
@@sandervanderkammen9230 Trust me, 3000 between oil changes, should easily be enough. How many does the manual say? Oh yeah, 10k. Hmm. Disappointing crap.... Sorry.
@@sandervanderkammen9230 oh and those first 40k were with full dealer servicing. Serviced even if mileage not reached.
@@MattBrownbill You drive a lot of short trips? Getting the frothy brown stuff under the filler cap?
@@sandervanderkammen9230 nope, it was a good mix of driving, no issues like that. However my Dad had the car before me, from new, and doesn't like to rev engines at all, so could driving in too high a gear cause cylinder wear? I did wonder if it had suffered from bore-wash. But I would hope a good engine management system would prevent this? There were other issues, like leaks, bad suspension bushes electrical issues, misfiring and soggy engine mounts that also put me off.
Fantastic engine design that powered completely forgettably designed cars. VAG-produced cars of this era were the most boring and plain looking cars ever produced, to the point of being interchangeable if it wasn't for the logo affixed to the grille. But that fact is what makes hellish sleepers.
They are also incredibly cheap and poorly made pieces of junk.
@@simeonpetkov768 maybe true for US models but in the EU they were the complete opposite, they have solid interiors
@@mihaisirbu1 unpopular opinion but a VW has far superior build quality over the big three American companies and anyone who says otherwise is too prideful in our past glory to admit that our cars have fallen behind
@@ChutneyGames not sure what u mean by our cars, u mean VW in general? All I can say is that my euro MK3 held up good and will soon be 30yo
@@mihaisirbu1 ours as in I'm an American and an sick of people defending Chevy and Ford like they don't make shitboxes
You forgot about first bugatti Chiron concept with w18 engine!
The W12 should be called "PAINFUL ARROGANCE" Or......"THE PAIN OF PIECH"
Or WTF. "What The Fahrvergnugen"
wR-12
Darkside development has a wrecked R8 and they are diesel shop with v10 and v12 diesel. Us viewers have been trying to get them to put a v10 or v12 diesel in the r8 ;]
5:43 all that weight ahead of the front axle
I thought the VR6 and R32 was sick....it didnt even would come to my Mind to combine 2 VR6 to an V12 Engine 😅 Cant imagine how powerful this Unit is😅
If you want reliable look at I4's, anything with 10+ cylinders is for sound, smoothness, and to flex on the normal people.
Lol
I drove a w8 Passat for a while, great car Aus only got the Auto though :(
Gud vid. Gud engines. I have 3 vw powerplants 2x ABF 1xEA113
I have been trying to destroy a ABF since 07, still no luck.
The Germans are INSANELY innovative engineers!
No mention of the Lancia Fulvia's "V"4 that used a similar design to the VR6. Maybe you have another video on that... or maybe you will.
I mentioned it in the VR6 video
Great Engine from the VR6 engines. Great gets if you can find some with manual trans back then.
I had a 2008 Audi TT with a 3.2 VR6 and 6 speed manual. Still is my favorite car I've owned.
@Blank Name Yep! I saved a R&T article of this model and engine..... 😀
@@QuietStormX I drove it until 173k miles before it started sounding funny at the underside of the engine so I sold it. I was saving up for a supercharger kit for it. That would have been amazing!
@Blank Name I used to upgrade the engine and suspension and audio plus short shift kit... Order and install on my own parts...
Imagine 2 x VR10s in a W 20 😍
VR16...
@@QuietStormX 10 + 10 = 20 🤣
waking with VR talking about vr
Please look at the diesel vw v10
How about W12 Golf ? I know it was only concept but could you imagine that , cruising on highway in Germany, first Bugatti Veyron fly by and right behind him teen with golf 😂
I considered buying a Passat W8. Very cool sound, but very expensive for a regular old car with a cool sound.
Doesn't have a great deal of horsepower, is very heavy and only comes in a manual transmission. On paper it has low power poor mpg and is very heavy
@@chrishart8548 😂🤣
I still say, the VR6 is the best sounding 6 cylinder ever.
In your opinion that may be true. In my opinion it's not. And you're probably thinking that I'm some kind of 2JZ fanboy. Well, you'd be right, I mean... Look at my name, it's obvious. BUT it's still not the best sounding 6 cylinder to me. Formula 1's V6 engines sound just that little bit better. And that's with the V6's sounding like shit compared to the V8's, which sound like shit compared to the V10's, which ofcourse sound like shit compared to the V12's.
@@DriftKingNL And of course you could get the F1 V6 in your family car, because they were built by the millions - oh, wait, not so. So your thoughts are quite silly - the VR6 is the best sounding 6 cylinder engine ever and available to everyone who wanted one.
@@einfelder8262 You never said it had to be in a regular car, you just mentioned the sound.
@@DriftKingNL I wasn't the original poster either. Feel free to think.
@@einfelder8262 Sorry about that. The way you defended made me ignore the name of who defended. Still, my point stands. Not that the VR6 sounds bad, it's just not the best sounding 6 cylinder in the world.
What happened to seeing you ✌🏽❤️
Cenim tvoji tvorbu
Vďaka!
vr power baby
I never understood this engine's existence except for the compact design. More complicated then a V12, yet doesn't have the sound or the smoothness of a V12.
Bs
I call bs too!
Sounds better than most regular v12
It's not as long as a V12 which may help with packaging
I can imagine it causes a little uneven piston wear plus uneven length intakes and exhaust runners
They are smooth running!
I think they missed the fact that the original unveiling of the w12 was a wooden mockup. I saw it in sydney, pretty, but at the time unproven.
The beancounters at Volkswagen were asleep for this one.
the co2 emissions?
It produces plenty of plant food... CO2 makes the planet greener.
Yeah putting the belts on the flywheel side of the engine block is not something I would've thought of.
RReally Something . Thankyou . 🏁gF NM 4.27.'24☮️
You show the origin an engine of 3 separate banks of 4 cyl- nowhere close to the same. The engine design is fine- you mention unequal length in the head- but fail to realize the different cyl have different cam timing. No different than the MK4 R32. My MK4 R32 that I modified made 335 crank hp all motor with simple basic tuning. The W12 actually gets great mpg for it's weight and power- I have an '06 Phaeton for the last decade- 444bhp, 412lb/ft tq- in a car that weighs almost 6,000 pounds (loaded lwb 4-seater) and I can still get 20mpg highway. It is a very reliable engine despite what people that have never owned them think. We have had 3 in our family for well over 10 years now.
Ferdinand Peich always called it a *WR-12* which makes logical sense... VW marketing are the ones that caused all the confusion over W-12 which is obviously misleading and inaccurate.
@@sandervanderkammen9230 VR - inline V So yea- someone making a video of such an engine should understand what they are discussing.
@@Josh-ce9sv This channel is very low quality content...
👍😍
W12 👍👏
It’s one of the best cars ever made
Golf w12 concept was a missed opportunity
The Xhibit of engines We heard you like VR6s. So we put a VR6 in your VR6
Someone boost a phaeton
Somebody did boost a W12 Touareg
Bentley did.
@@hughjassstudios9688 Just saw that‼️ Pure Turbos makes a turbo kit for it
I love my W12, it's a very simple engine actually. This video is vastly overstating complexity, it's less complex than my Lexus V8
Except for the reliability issue
Volkswagen must resurrect the Volkswagen W12 Nardo, keeping the same design and engine (W12), but this time running on green hydrogen (H2-ICE) and make a hypercar interior as of a Koenigsegg. 🤩🤩🤩🏎️💦
And then they put a W16 version in the Bugatti. Ridiculously complex cooling system but apparently it's reliable.
Fun fact, this is just a 1st grade ( or elementary ) engineering class in Germany.... You dont even wanna see the high school curriculum
*Well, if you can afford to buy one you can certainly afford to service and repair it.* *The Bentley version puts out 600hp (just 100hp per liter)* *The Bugatti 16 cylinder version cranks out an incredible 190 hp per liter... so the VW version should be very reliable.*
The catalyst converter thief dream .
Imagine a new vw group world,with reliable v12 and v10 gasoline engines running on synthetic fuels ⛽️ and v10 and v12 diesel engines running on bio fuel = this one is made from cereals.
👍
PEAK ICE. After this period 'pollution control' and interference engines, plastic parts, made engines disposable after 100k miles / 161k km.
Only the ones made by Hyundai... and Mazda.
Like I'm listening to SIMS characters talking. Great video though! But please work on your pronunciation so that we can enjoy it even more!
Mercedes also as the Same w-12 ?? So is the engine are Same??
Beautiful engineering. But, in our future, it's just too many moving parts. What will these car companies do to rob us blind on scheduled maintenance once electric vehicles take over?
Rube Goldberg finally found a job where he could build something useful :)
Hasn't this motor been in Bentleys for ages?
Yes
At 100'000 units built, is this the most popular 12-cylinder engine in the automotive industry?
lot o trucks
@@Xayuap Sure! But among cars it might be the most built ?
@@hendricstattmann3638 I think so, V12 is not that common.
@@Xayuap What trucks have 12 cylinder engines? Most are 6 cylinder diesel.
@@ericbitzer5247 the ones with a Volkswagen W12