New York Auto Show: Volkswagen Passat gets aggressive
Volkswagen of America is showing this racy Passat in New York, equipped with an appearance package derived from the Passat R GT concept that debuted at SEMA in November 2005. It seems that the concept got such rave reviews that VW decided to offer the aesthetics portion of package as a factory option, starting this fall.
Priced at $4,500, the VW-installed kit includes redesigned front and rear fascia, a honeycomb grille, side skirts, a "harmonically integrated tailgate lip," new exhaust tips, 18-inch titanium-colored alloy wheels, 225/45 Pirelli high-performance tires, and performance lowering springs. The components will also be available individually from any VW dealership.
Unfortunately, the option package doesn't include the 500 hp twin-turbo 3.2-liter V6 that nestled under the hood of the concept car - that's left up to you and your favorite tuner.
The Passat's aggressive treatment comes to us courtesy of the creative folks at VW's "Moonraker" U.S. project group - the people who dreamed up the GX-3 three-wheeler. Photos of the original SEMA-version R GT after the jump. For a ton of live shots of the production version, check out VWVortex.com, here.
[Sources: Volkswagen of America; VW Vortex]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Ron 6:55PM (4/19/2006)
So if I understand correctly, you're basically paying $4,500 for glorified go faster stripes. Bigger wheels and stiffer suspension are useful (and complementary) as part of a more powerful overall package, but it doesn't appear that that's what this is. I guess they're afraid of moving into S4/RS4 territory...
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TrueDis 6:57PM (4/19/2006)
It's like a riced-up Passat! $4500 for a bunch of aesthetic mods that make it look faster but not actually go faster...
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J 6:57PM (4/19/2006)
hmmm a "performance" package consisting of side skirts, new wheels, and an exhaust tip...I wonder if they will be crushing this car in their next "Unpimp ze auto" commercial?
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ewww 6:58PM (4/19/2006)
WOPTY FRIGGIN DO! German rice.
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Brian 7:06PM (4/19/2006)
Nice lookin' and all but ... WHERE'S THE BEEF???
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mr 7:29PM (4/19/2006)
Like school on a Saturday...
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Tom Design 7:38PM (4/19/2006)
Pontiac is calling and they want their plastic cladding from the 90's back.
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Mark 8:19PM (4/19/2006)
I like it. It looks good. Little bling from the factory.
Mark
http://www.mpg-gas.com
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chewy 8:54PM (4/19/2006)
I think you can buy the parts separate, some of the pieces could be intergrated pretty well into the car, but the whole kit combined looks a little over done.
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Solarus 8:58PM (4/19/2006)
Ha this is so funny .... after the "UnPimp my ride" commercials VW has been running, they go & do this.
Follow the money I guess.... :-(
BTW -- has VW fired the ad firm they've been using yet? Between the "Obey your Fast" crap for the GTI [which is actually a decent, albeit ass-ugly, car] & the UnPimp/"Veee-Dub in Da House" silliness, I think my old Golf is the last VW I'll ever own.... hey at least my 16 year old nephew thinks the ads are "way cool", but then again he listens to 50 Cent....
Friends don't let friends rice-out their cars!
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Jason 9:20PM (4/19/2006)
I'd rather pay an extra four grand for a "Reliability Package" that replaces all the substandard crap under the skin that will keep you on a first-name basis with the service guys.
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Howard Kerr 9:25PM (4/19/2006)
Yes, this is just what the Passat needed, an even bigger price tag (isn't it already about THE most expensive car in it's market segment?). And as others here have pointed out, VW has been telling us how stupid it is to spend big bucks on cars that promise performance....but can't really deliver it. WTF VW?
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Josh 9:59PM (4/19/2006)
they nicely integrated the direction signals into a faux air intake and cheese grater.
WTF?
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Chris K 10:34PM (4/19/2006)
Yikes! They added teeth to the Hitler-stache front-end! What's next, a crooked VW logo?
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Tom Design 10:51PM (4/19/2006)
Chris K => HAHA...didn't see that P.U. face until u pointed it out. You are a funny person.
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Kurt Binnie 11:37PM (4/19/2006)
Where's the GTI ad guy to drop a crate on this plastic "lifting" job?
The R GT? What are they trying to do..fool the dyslexic demographic?
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PJ 12:28AM (4/20/2006)
This could be worse, as the 3.6 Passat does post some pretty impressive numbers. 0-60 in 5.9 and 0.86 on the skidpad, according to Car & Driver. That's as good or better than the GTI, Civic Si, and Cobalt SS Supercharged, and close to the WRX. The package also includes sport springs and a bigger wheel/tire package to improve handling, so there is at least SOME beef here.
That said, I have a hard time respecting any "performance" car that doesn't offer a manual transmission option. And you can't get the 3.6 with a stick.
Besides, in defending a $4,500, mostly-cosmetic trim package, I'm really just playing devil's advocate. Offer a 6-speed manual and trim the price by a grand or so (or let buyers get the handling upgrades without the bodykit), and I'd be less underwhelmed.
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That One Person 12:45AM (4/20/2006)
That body kit, rims and tires add somewhere around 100 HP. That thing will SCREAM!!!!
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Source1 7:38AM (4/20/2006)
Yeah, but it costs about $40k. I'm thinking I am buying something else for $40k.
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Richard Warren 8:48AM (4/20/2006)
I like it. But the price? You can find a lot of nice aftermarket kits in the 2,200 to 2,500 range, but then you've got labor and paint if you can't do it yourself, so 4,500? Still sounds high.
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