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2018 Volkswagen Passat GT
Interest in the sedan segment has been plummeting, but Volkswagen has plans to reverse that for 2018. The rumors are true, Volkswagen will in fact be adding a family member to the sedan class; the Passat GT. Revealed at the 2016 Los Angeles auto show, the former concept car is now becoming a reality. The Passat GT four door sedan will offer a new sporty look, resembling a combination of the Golf GTI and Jetta GLI. Stocked with the Passat’s original 3.6-liter VR6 engine with about 280 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque. According to Digital Trends “A lower, sport-tuned suspension will improve handling.”
Taking You Back To Volkswagen’s History
In the past Volkswagen has tried to create a Passat with some extra power. According to Digital Trends, “This won’t be Volkswagen’s first attempt at putting the Passat on steroids. Back in 1977, engineers stuffed a 110-horsepower, 1.6-liter four-cylinder pulled out of an Audi 80 GTE into the engine bay of a first-generation Passat. They also installed beefier brakes on both axle to keep the power in checks, wider tires, and a sporty-looking body kit.”
“Called Passat GTI, the two-door prototype was briefly tested on the roads around Volkswagen’s headquarters in Wolfsburg, Germany, but it was never given the green light for production. Toni Schmucker, the brand’s head honcho at the time, firmly believed the words “performance” and “Passat” were mutually exclusive, much to the dismay of the engineers working on the project.”
