Jump to content
Create New...
  • William Maley
    William Maley

    Detroit 2018: 2018 Volkswagen Passat GT Adds Some Spice

      Looks like a bigger GLI with V6 punch


    Back in August, we reported that Volkswagen was planning to send the Passat GT concept shown at the 2016 LA Auto Show into production. The concept was Volkswagen's attempt at making the Passat become a bit more exciting with numerous cosmetic changes, a VR6 engine, and slight tweaks to the suspension. Next week at the Detroit Auto Show, Volkswagen will show off the production model.

    The exterior of the Passat GT matches up with the concept as there are a blacked-out honeycomb grille, red accent striping, blacked-out trim, 19-inch wheels, and a black decklid spoiler. Only four colors will be available on the GT; Pure White, Reflex Silver, Platinum Grey, and Deep Black. Inside, Volkswagen has added a fair amount of piano black and carbon fiber trim; two-tone leatherette upholstery for the seats, and aluminum GT-badged sills.

    Under the hood is the venerable 3.6L VR6 producing 280 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque - the same power figures as you'll find in the Passat V6 Premium. This is paired with a six-speed DSG. The GT will also feature a sport suspension that lowers the ride height. 

    Volkswagen will begin selling the Passat GT in the second half of 2018 with a base price of $29,940 (includes an $850 destination charge).

    Source: Volkswagen
    Press Release is on Page 2


    VOLKSWAGEN UNVEILS SPORTY 2018 PASSAT GT SPECIAL MODEL AT THE NORTH AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL AUTO SHOW

    • GT combines the powerful VR6® engine with a lowered suspension and design enhancements to create the most aggressive looking Passat yet
    • Limited-run model adds more than 20 sporty interior and exterior enhancements to Passat
    • 3.6-liter VR6 engine is paired with a lowered suspension and sport exhaust
    • Designed at Volkswagen’s Engineering and Planning Center in Chattanooga, Tenn.
    • Pricing starts at $29,090

    Detroit, Mich. – Today, Volkswagen of America, Inc., debuted the 2018 Passat GT special model at the North American International Auto Show. The production model, previewed by a concept at Automobility LA in 2016, was designed by the company’s North American engineering hub in Chattanooga, Tennessee, based on extensive feedback from U.S. customers and dealers.

    “The Passat GT illustrates how the North American Region can shape Volkswagen vehicles specifically for the U.S. market,” said Dr. Matthias Erb, Chief Engineering Officer, North American Region, Volkswagen. “Combining a local perspective with our global engineering expertise allows us to create vehicles that meet the needs and desires of customers here.”

    The Passat GT joins the Passat lineup for model year 2018 as a limited-run special model based off the R-Line® trim. It will be available in four exterior colors—Pure White, Reflex Silver, Platinum Grey, and Deep Black.

    Starting at the front, Passat GT differentiates itself from standard Passat models with standard LED headlights and LED Daytime Running Lights (DRLs). It borrows the R-Line® bumper and adds a honeycomb grille, GT badge, and a red accent line, reminiscent of the high-performance Golf GTI. A sport suspension gives it a more planted stance and cements the aggressive look.

    Moving around the side of the vehicle, the GT receives sporty touches from top to bottom. A black roof is complimented by black mirror caps and black window and door trim. Two-tone 19-inch “Tornado” wheels are accentuated with red-painted brake calipers, another nod to Volkswagen’s performance heritage.

    At the back, the Passat GT’s accents continue with a black spoiler and blackened LED taillights. The rear fascia also includes black bumper trim and a double exhaust with an acoustic package.

    Inside, the GT features piano black center console and vent trim, carbon fiber optic décor, black headliner, and aluminum GT-badged sills. Seating surfaces are black leatherette with Moonrock Gray inserts and contrast stitching. Standard interior comfort features include: a leather-wrapped steering wheel, 8-way power driver’s seat, heated front seats, dual-zone Climatronic® automatic climate control, and heated side mirrors.

    To keep passengers connected, the Passat GT features a Composition Media infotainment unit with 6.3-inch capacitive touchscreen display and standard Bluetooth® for compatible devices, Voice Control, and Volkswagen Car-Net® App-Connect technology that offers compatible smartphone integration with the three major platforms—Apple CarPlay™, Android Auto™ and MirrorLink®.  GT models feature two USB ports—one in the center console and one in the rear seat console. SiriusXM® Satellite Radio is standard and includes a three-month trial.

    The new Passat GT will be powered by Volkswagen’s 3.6-liter VR6® engine, making it a true sport sedan. Producing an impressive 280 horsepower at 6,200 rpm and 258 lb-ft of torque at 2,500 rpm with regular fuel, it offers power and luxury-class driving comfort with surprising fuel economy—EPA estimated fuel economy is 19 mpg city and 28 mpg highway. Shifting is handled by a standard six-speed DSG® automatic transmission with Tiptronic®, which features steering wheel-mounted paddle shifters.

    Every 2018 Passat model comes with the People First Warranty, America’s best bumper-to-bumper new vehicle limited warranty. The warranty provides coverage for six-years or 72,000-miles (whichever occurs first), and the warranty can be transferred to subsequent owners throughout the remainder of its duration.

    The 2018 Passat GT is expected to arrive at U.S. Volkswagen dealers in the second quarter of 2018. Pricing for the Passat GT starts at $29,090. The destination charge is an additional $850.

    User Feedback

    Recommended Comments

    Car is a fine generic car as cars go, red lines added a sports car do not make. I guess I am just not a VW customer as it is still very bland looking, forgettable to me.

    Link to comment
    Share on other sites

    Not a fan of the wheels. Should have picked something else. And SOME extra power would have been nice. Even 20hp. Will still be one of the best driver's car picks in the segment hands down. 

    For me personally, no Fender Audio is about a deal breaker.

    Link to comment
    Share on other sites

    59 minutes ago, dfelt said:

    Car is a fine generic car as cars go, red lines added a sports car do not make. I guess I am just not a VW customer as it is still very bland looking, forgettable to me.

    +1

    Link to comment
    Share on other sites

    I think that even though they have taken little baby steps to fix the interiors, things like the wonking huge parking brake lever and otherwise cheap and indifferent switchgear give the impression that not a lot has changed since this came out.

    Sad, because its a decent car, and putting lipstick on the pig isn't quite enough.  The Passat is literally one of those cars you can recommend 'at the right price'.  Too many of the Passat trim levels are 'undertrimmed' inside and look cheap.  So if you like the Passat it really is about what you pay for which trim level you are willing to settle for.

    By the way, the Passat has become a great used buy.  If you want a larger sedan with space and the turbo four is a decent performer....depending on trim you can usually find good selection with low miles for good prices.  A couple months ago I had looked at a used 2014 with 5,000 miles on it for my mother.  It was only like 14,000 bucks.  I didn't pursue it though as it was cloth.  I could have added leather by aftermarket and would have made no difference to her.  The size of the Passat is what her and my dad were liking when they looked at diesel Passats a couple years ago.

    With the GT maybe it means VW will be pumping more V6 Passats into the market.  the 4 cylinder turbo is new for 18, it is upsized to 2.0 but curiously is retuned in such a way that it doesn't really have more power.  So it is not a 2.0 like in a GTI.

    Can't blame VW though, they need to recover their US plant investment and hey that's tough to do when the government is slapping huge fines on you that take forever to pay off.

    Edited by regfootball
    Link to comment
    Share on other sites



    Join the conversation

    You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
    Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

    Guest
    Add a comment...

    ×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

      Only 75 emoji are allowed.

    ×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

    ×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

    ×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.


  • google-news-icon.png



  • Community Hive Community Hive

    Community Hive allows you to follow your favorite communities all in one place.

    Follow on Community Hive
  • google-news-icon.png

  • Subscribe to Cheers & Gears

    Cheers and Gears Logo

    Since 2001 we've brought you real content and honest opinions, not AI-generated stuff with no feeling or opinions influenced by the manufacturers.

    Please consider subscribing. Subscriptions can be as little as $1.75 a month, and a paid subscription drops most ads.*
     

    You can view subscription options here.

    *a very limited number of ads contain special coupon deals for our members and will show

  • Similar Content

  • Posts

    • First seen at the Shanghai Auto Show (see article: Polestar 4 - The New Breed of Electric SUV Coupe), Polestar brought the Polestar 4 to the New York International Auto Show for North Americans to see in person. Polestar calls the Polestar 4 an "electric SUV 4-door coupe". Outside of that marketing speak, the Polestar 4 is a slightly lifted four-door hatchback about 190 inches in length, or roughly 2 inches shorter than a Toyota Camry.  Built without rear glass, the Polestar 4 makes use of a rear camera for visibility astern. Polestar 4 features a plethora of standard content, including 20-inch 5 V-spoke black diamond cut alloy wheels, panoramic glass roof, adaptive cruise control, 360 parking camera with 3D view, energy saving heat pump, front-illuminated Polestar logo, e-latch doors, power-operated tailgate with soft close, Polestar digital key, wireless phone charging, and 8-way electrical driver seat and 6-way electrical passenger seat. The fastest production car the brand has ever developed to date, Polestar 4 can accomplish a 0-60 mph sprint in 3.7 seconds and in top spec can produce 544 horsepower. Long-range single-motor variants have 272 horsepower and a targeted EPA range of over 300 miles. All long range variants have a 102 kWh battery capable of 200 kW charging on a DC Fast Charger and 11 kW on home level-2 charging. Google built-in is ... built in and includes Google Assistant, Google Maps and Google Play. Polestar continues to offer a leading connected in-car experience. As with all other Polestar cars, regular over-the-air updates allow for new features and improvements to be sent remotely to all vehicles. Pricing starts at $54,900, with orders opening in April for deliveries in the latter half of this year.   View full article
    • At the New York Auto Show this week, Hyundai unveiled the 2025 Hyundai Tuscon.  This mild refresh modernizes the Tuscon and brings it more into alignment with the rest of the Hyundai lineup, including their EVs. The exterior styling updates, largely consisting of a front fascia update, are subtle. Inside, Hyundai made the interior more open and airy with a new, lower-height dashboard featuring a panoramic gauge and infotainment screen. The screens consist of twin 12.3-inch displays with crisper colors and graphics, as well as faster processing speeds.  While the screens can control all functions of the car, Hyundai still included physical buttons for the most frequently used controls.  Wireless Android Auto and Apple Carplay are now standard across the line. A new steering wheel features a much more open design, and on premium trims, the gear selector is now an electronically controlled stalk on the right side of the wheel, much like in the Hyundai Ioniq 6. On some Tuscon models, a new 12-inch color heads-up display with premium graphics is available, and for the first time, navigation directions from Apple Carplay and Android Auto will appear in the display. Proximity key with push button start is now standard across the 2025 Hyundai Tuscon lineup, while an available Digital Key 2 allows for fob-free driving and access via the driver's mobile phone. For 2025, Tucson adds Forward Attention Warning, which utilizes an infrared camera mounted on the steering column to help track the driver’s eye gaze and monitor attention levels to help ensure safe driving. Available Smart Cruise Control 2 continually assesses driver alertness. If the driver is found to be unresponsive, the system can even help safely bring the vehicle to a stop, activating the hazard lights and the electronic parking brake once the vehicle is stopped. Additionally, rear outboard passenger seatbelts now feature standard pretensioners and load limiters. The powertrains largely carry over from the previous model with a standard 187-horsepower 2.5-liter 4-cylinder at the entry level end. Also available is a 1.6-liter turbocharged hybrid with 231 horsepower with a slightly more powerful electric drive unit (47.7-kW, up from 44.2-kW), and a 6-speed automatic transmission. The plug-in hybrid model features the same 1.6-liter unit, but now paired with a larger electric drive unit with 72.0-kW of output rather than the 66.9-kW motor from the prior year. The plug-in hybrid boasts 268-horspower total system power. With a 13.4-kWh lithium-ion battery pack, the 2025 Hyundai Tucson plug-in hybrid takes less than 2 hours to charge on a level 2 charger.  All hybrid models come standard with all-wheel drive. 2025 Tucson 2.5L models will arrive at U.S. dealerships in June, while 1.6L turbo hybrid and plug-in hybrid models will be available late summer. View full article
  • Who's Online (See full list)

    • There are no registered users currently online
  • My Clubs

×
×
  • Create New...

Hey there, we noticed you're using an ad-blocker. We're a small site that is supported by ads or subscriptions. We rely on these to pay for server costs and vehicle reviews.  Please consider whitelisting us in your ad-blocker, or if you really like what you see, you can pick up one of our subscriptions for just $1.75 a month or $15 a year. It may not seem like a lot, but it goes a long way to help support real, honest content, that isn't generated by an AI bot.

See you out there.

Drew
Editor-in-Chief

Write what you are looking for and press enter or click the search icon to begin your search

Change privacy settings