Does anyone get sweaty hands just thinking about driving the Volkswagen Passat? Other than the prospect of hitting the freeway in Los Angeles between 6 a.m. and 9 p.m., likely no. VW has a plan to correct that problem, and it involves a major makeover for the sedan. A new Passat GT is in the works.
With sedan sales waning, the last thing Volkswagen needs is for the Passat to be ridiculed. Yet that’s exactly the position it’s in, and has been for some time.
Do you remember when Dodge released a commercial for the Charger that directly made fun of the Passat? Dodge, which has a reputation for brash vehicles, targeted the German sedan for being boring. The joke works because it’s true.
Maybe it was that commercial, but Volkswagen started kicking around the idea of spicing up the Passat.
Last year, Volkswagen shocked everyone with the Passat GT concept. Sure, it wasn’t some 470-horsepower car, but it was far more exciting than anyone expected.
The concept borrowed its styling from the Golf GTI, like the Jetta GLI. Most of the changes were to the front fascia, giving the car more of a sneer than a dour look.
Red accent lines on the front grille immediately signal this is no regular Passat. The gaping intakes also serve as a reminder, but sadly they were fake. Tinted taillights added to the sportier nature, along with red brake calipers. Sure, Dodge fans still howled with mocking pleasure, but the Passat did look more aggressive.
Missing from the occasion was the hot performance you get with the GTI. When compared to other Golfs, the GTI serves up a far more engaging experience. The car doesn’t just gain more power, it handles far better.
Several automotive news outlets noted that the 3.6-liter VR6 engine was the same one you can get on the regular Passat. Same goes for the six-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. Car and Driver tested that setup early in 2016, measuring a 0-to-60 time of 5.7 seconds.
Everyone knew the concept was too close to a production reality for VW to not follow through. It was just a matter of time.
With the Volkswagen Passat GT becoming a reality, the sedan could go one of two ways. Already, we have the Jetta GLI. It’s basically a performance joke. The car looks great, but the capabilities lag behind the GTI.
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On the flip side, the GTI is an automotive legend. It’s so well-balanced that you can’t help but smile driving one. While it’s certainly not the fastest car on the road, that doesn’t matter as you whip it through turns. The car delivers loads of fun.
Nobody has driven the Passat GT yet. Once it lands in the hands of the press, and then the public, we’ll have a verdict. Either the big sedan is more of a GTI car, or it lands in the embarrassing GLI camp.
We have some details in hand, but not everything. Autoblog confirmed what we all feared: the Passat GT will use the same 3.6-liter VR6 engine as the concept. In other words, it won’t be any more powerful or quicker than other Passats using the same powerplant.
If you don’t know, that engine puts out an unimpressive 280 horsepower, plus 258 lb-ft of torque. Maybe if Dieselgate had never happened, we’d be talking about a 400-horsepower Passat. Probably not, but one can’t help wondering.
The fact is, even with no power increase, the Passat GT should still provide some thrills. It outclasses most other midsize sedans for horsepower, except for the new Toyota Camry with a 301-horsepower V6, plus the Ford Fusion Sport with 325 horsepower.
A dual-clutch transmission seems certain. While it would be great if Volkswagen would offer a manual, that’s probably not going to happen. After all, the company is trying to keep costs down, so engineering something too new wouldn’t help. It’s too bad, because shoppers who want a stick will instead go with something like the Honda Accord.
The least Volkswagen could do is supply an all-wheel-drive system for the Passat GT. Instead, the car will use front-wheel drive, which has its performance limitations.
According to a report from Digital Trends, the car does gain a sport-tuned suspension. That doesn’t necessarily mean too much. After all, you can get all sorts of regular vehicles with that feature. They run the range as far as handling capability is concerned.
Volkswagen should be releasing the Passat GT sometime soon. Exactly when is a mystery, because the automaker won’t disclose a launch date. It won’t even give a general time of the year, other than to say it will be a 2018 model.
Likely, it will come out in the fall or early winter, but that’s an educated guess.
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