It ain’t easy these days to find a mid-size family sedan with a V-6, now that most of the major players have transitioned to turbocharged inline-fours as their upgrade engines. As a reminder that the aging Volkswagen Passat still plays the no-replacement-for-displacement game with its optional 3.6-liter V-6, its maker has added to the lineup a sportyish GT trim level. The GT drops the price of entry by $5505 compared to the SEL Premium, which previously was the only way to get the narrow-angle six-cylinder that VW calls the VR6. At $29,995, the Passat GT also gains entry to another exclusive club, being one of just a few new cars with a six-cylinder engine for less than $30,000. While it’s not as performance oriented as the Chevrolet Camaro and Dodge Challenger that also meet these criteria, it does offer some useful mechanical improvements over the standard Passat V-6 that make the GT trim more than just an appearance package. The Passat GT’s driving experience also is influenced by what it lacks, however, most prominently in the tire department. With the same all-season rubber as other Passat models such as the four-cylinder R-Line, the punchy V-6 model easily overwhelms the front tires, and we found ourselves constantly chirping away from a stop, even under moderate throttle applications. What’s the use of 280 raucous horsepower (and a distinctive, burbly sound from the V-6 to boot) if the footwear can’t put them to good use? It’s little surprise, then, that our track results showed little improvement over other Passats we’ve tested. Zero to 60 mph came up in 5.9 seconds, 0.2 second behind a 2016 Passat V-6 SEL, while the GT’s skidpad and braking numbers of 0.88 g and 182 feet were unremarkable compared with a 2018 Passat 2.0T’s 0.87 g and 168 feet. The Honda Accord 2.0T is quicker still at 5.5 seconds to 60 mph, can match the Passat’s skidpad number, and stops from 70 mph 12 feet shorter. The Honda also achieved an impressive 35 mpg on our 75-mph fuel-economy test to the Passat’s 28 mpg, which is probably sufficient explanation for why turbo fours have all but replaced V-6s in this segment.
2018 Volkswagen Passat GT - YouTube |
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