Review and Test Drive: 2018 Volkswagen Passat GT

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INSIDE THE 2018 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT GT

To be honest, the Passat interiors we’ve seen until now were nothing to write home about but VW bestowed upon the GT a far more sporting and striking interior with black leatherette heated seats with gray inserts, elegant piano-black trim alongside carbon fiber, a black headliner, and aluminum sill plates. This complements the leather, flat-bottom steering wheel and support for Apple CarPlay (plus Android Auto) in the center stack. It was a bit of a disappointment to come from the VW Atlas, with its supersized touchscreen down to the GT’s 6.3” version, but it did work quite well (as all VWs do) with CarPlay.

The Passat GT has Bluetooth and satellite radio but these features have been rendered obsolete by CarPlay (for which no phone pairing is necessary) and the many music apps CarPlay supports, including Tune-In Radio, Pandora, and of course Apple Music.

DRIVING THE 2018 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT GT

The GT’s seats are supremely comfortable and supportive. I noticed little if any back fatigue after many hours behind the wheel.

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Driver-assistance technologies that are standard include blind-spot monitoring, a back-up camera with rear cross-traffic alert, and a forward collision warning system with automatic emergency braking.

But we’re here for one thing, and one thing alone: the upgraded suspension and powerplant.

The Passat GT is powered by a 3.6-liter V6 that develops 280 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque, power that is enhanced by the GT-specific exhaust. The V6 was paired with a six-speed dual-clutch automatic with steering-wheel paddle shifters that added a dash of Fahrvergnügen into the mix.

Click here to continue to Page 3Suspension and Handling

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