Volkswagen Passat: Latest News, Reviews, Specifications, Prices, Photos And Videos
Crossovers and SUVs might be the hot-ticket item these days, but sedans still hold an extremely important part in the automotive landscape. Mid-size sedans, especially, continue to post impressive sales numbers. Back for the 2011 model year, Volkswagen decided it needed a bigger slice of the American pie, so it introduced a version of its popular Passat build especially for the U.S. A refresh for 2016 brought sharpened body lines, a more chiseled face, and a slightly reworked interior. Now, a year later, the 2017 Passat soldiers on with nary a change. But, is this mid-size sedan got what it takes to rival the segment stalwarts, namely the Toyota Camry and Honda Accord? To find out, I recently spent three weeks behind the wheel of a Passat R-Line. What鈥檚 the R-Line, you ask? It boils down to a dolled-up version of the base Passat. It comes with larger wheels, a more up-scale front fascia, and the addition of Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Better yet, the swankier trim doesn鈥檛 come with a massive price tag. 23,875. And thanks to its 1.8-liter turbocharged four-cylinder and FWD, it鈥檚 frugal at the pump, too, returning an EPA-estimated 34 mpg on the highway. Nevertheless, both the Camry and Accord are completely new for 2018 and will be stiff competition for this Tennessee-built car with German roots.
However, while the Opel Mokka X, Peugeot 2008, Renault Captur, Mazda CX-3, and the Toyota C-HR are significantly less powerful, the Nissan Juke and the Hyundai Kona come closer in the horsepower department. Seven years old as of 2018, the Nissan Juke is getting a little long in a tooth, and it was already replaced by the Kicks in North America. The funky-looking crossover continues unchanged in Europe, and although it鈥檚 not yet clear whether it will get to live into a new generation, the mini SUV remains popular in several markets. While its looks are definitely unique, the Juke lacks the premium-like interior it needs to compete against the T-Roc. It鈥檚 also inferior when it comes to output, with the 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine delivering n more than 188 horsepower and 177 pound-feet of torque. On the flipside, the Juke is significantly more affordable, with the most expensive trim coming in at 拢21,495 before options. Read our full review of the 2018 Nissan Juke.
The Kona is a brand-new mini SUV that was launched in South Korea in 2017. Now available in Europe too, it鈥檚 based on the Hyundai i20, and it also shares underpinnings with the Kia Stonic. Also sporting a rather funky design compared to the Juke, it鈥檚 a better option against the T-Roc thanks to its modern interior and comprehensive tech package. However, much like the Juke, it doesn鈥檛 have a performance engine to tackle the GTI-spec VW. The most powerful unit is a turbocharged, 1.6-liter four-cylinder that delivers 175 horsepower and 195 pound-feet of torque. Whether Hyundai鈥檚 N division will create a more powerful option remains unknown, but the Kona is a good option only if you鈥檙e not looking for more than 200 horsepower and a 0-to-62 mph sprint that takes less than seven seconds. The base Kona starts well below the 拢20,000 mark, but the Premium GT model retails from 拢26,810. Read our full story on the 2018 Hyundai Kona. The T-Roc GTI has been rumored for quite a few months now, but Volkswagen has yet to confirm it officially. Truth be told, the Germans don鈥檛 really need such a model, since there鈥檚 no competition to steal their market, but the T-Roc GTI would give them a unique position in this niche. I鈥檓 actually quite surprised that Volkswagen has yet to expand the GTI badge beyond the Golf and the Polo, but I鈥檓 pretty sure this will happen very soon. And the T-Roc is a very likely candidate as it鈥檚 smaller and lighter than all the other SUVs.
The Volkswagen GLI has always been fun. Lack of fun was never the issue. But it鈥檚 suffered from two problems, one long-running and one more recent. The first is that the more practical GTI hatchback exists, making the GLI a permanent also-ran. And the second is that, being a Jetta underneath, the last GLI rode on a dated, older platform when the rest of the VW world moved on to that sweet MQB goodness. Meet the all-new 2019 Jetta GLI, which has more power than ever and takes care of one of those issues. The new GLI was unveiled today at the Chicago Auto Show, which is somehow more newsier than the snoozefest that was the Detroit Auto Show in January. As with the new Jetta, which we rather like, the new GLI does in fact ride on the up-to-date MQB platform, arguably the best small car architecture in the world at present. With a bevy of tech, racier looks and 228 horsepower and 258 lb-ft of torque from the 2.0-liter turbo four, it sounds like a fun little sedan. You can鈥檛 go wrong either way!
