Its curvy looks were a contrast from the boxy appearance of its predecessor and owed much to the "jelly mould" style pioneered by Ford with the Sierra and Taurus.

The fuel injected petrol engines gave better performance and refinement than the previously used carbureted units.

They were mounted transversely, and the floorpan was engineered to accept Volkswagen's "Syncro" four-wheel drive system.

Mostly installed in the Passat Variant (station wagon), the Syncro used a viscous coupling and flexible partition of torque to send power to the rear axle when required.

Canadians were also offered the 1.8-litre G60 engine (only Syncro-equipped, around 200 examples were sold) for 1992 and 1993, and the 1.9-litre turbo-diesel with 75 hp (56 kW) for 1993, the B3's last year in Canada.