Volkswagen Passat Gets GTI Treatment in Detroit, Sans the Big Horsepower

TopSpeed

By Ciprian Florea

Published Jan 18, 2018

Standard VR6 engine with 280 horsepower. Not bad though

Remember the Passat GT concept that Volkswagen unveiled at the Los Angeles Auto Show in 2016? It was actually a production sedan with exterior features borrowed from the Golf GTI. Well, it's been a little more than two years and it made it into production as a limited-edition model. It was just unveiled at the 2018 Detroit Auto Show and it appears to be identical to the concept we first saw back in November 2016.

Design-wise, it's a regular Passat with features borrowed from R-Line model and accents taken off the iconic Golf GTI. The red stripes on the upper grille and upper headlamps, as well as the lower frame of the grille, are the main add-ons that highlight the sedan. There's also a honeycomb grille with a "GT" badge and bumper sourced from the Passat R-Line trim with black accents and sportier intakes. The standard LED headlamps round off the front fascia. There's black window trim and mirror caps onto the sides, alongside a set of two-tone wheels. Around back, VW enhanced the Passat by means of a black spoiler, smoked LED taillights, and black trim for the bumper.

Interior changes are far from spectacular, but the package adds a few interesting features, like piano black trim on the center console and fake carbon-fiber on the lower dashboard. The seats are wrapped in black leatherette (Volkswagen talk for fake leather), Moonrock Gray inserts, and white contrast stitching. The sedan also gains a few extra standard features compared to the regular model, like a leather steering wheel, eight-way power driver’s seat, heated front seats, dual-zone climate control, and heated mirrors.

Things aren't as exciting under the hood though. While GTI versions of the Polo and Golf get power upgrades, the Passat GT packs the same 3.6-liter VR6 engine as the regular model. The unit cranks out the same 280 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque through a six-speed automatic transmission with Tiptronic. Chassis gains a sportier suspension setup for a more dynamic ride. Pricing stars from $29,090, a $6,095 premium over the base Passat.