Photo: Volkswagen
Volkswagen is steadily rightsizing its engines, which could be just what it needed in America, where turbochargers are about the only thing they have that te competition doesn't. We've received word that the 2018 model year Beetle and Passat are next in line for the 2.0 TSI.
We're not talking about some updated Golf GTI engine, although it could still happen. No, this is a direct replacement for the 1.8 TSI that served admirably for so many years. The good news is that output should jump from 170 hp to 184, backed by a 221 lb-ft of torque at 1,600 rpm. So the Beetle has almost caught up to the MINI Cooper S models.
The new engine is part of the EA888 family and is known internally as the Gen3.B. We think it's the same one that uses the Miller Cycle in things like the Audi A4 and a whole bunch of European cars.
Car and Driver report that the U.S.-spec Passat and Beetle will receive their new powertrains during the upcoming 2018 model year revisions. As in the previous 2.0-liter TSI engines, the increased displacement over the 1.8T comes solely from a longer piston stroke (92.8 mm vs. 84.1), while the compression ratio rises to 11.7:1 due to a modified combustion chamber.
Volkswagen promises that the 2.0L is more efficient, so we could see the EPA revising the 28/24/33 (combined, city and highway) rating of the Beetle. Sure, you get 180 hp from a Honda 1.5-liter turbo, but that only has 177 lb-ft and it's delivered 300rpm higher.
Elsewhere in the range, we have a feeling that the 1.4T will be replaced by the 1.5T, as it's already happening in Europe. That Golf is the target, and it will be interesting to see how long the Alltrack keeps its 1.8T.
There's also no more manual in the Beetle or Passat, just twin-clutch DSGs. But aren't the VW crossovers using automatics now?
The new engine is part of the EA888 family and is known internally as the Gen3.B. We think it's the same one that uses the Miller Cycle in things like the Audi A4 and a whole bunch of European cars.
Car and Driver report that the U.S.-spec Passat and Beetle will receive their new powertrains during the upcoming 2018 model year revisions. As in the previous 2.0-liter TSI engines, the increased displacement over the 1.8T comes solely from a longer piston stroke (92.8 mm vs. 84.1), while the compression ratio rises to 11.7:1 due to a modified combustion chamber.
Volkswagen promises that the 2.0L is more efficient, so we could see the EPA revising the 28/24/33 (combined, city and highway) rating of the Beetle. Sure, you get 180 hp from a Honda 1.5-liter turbo, but that only has 177 lb-ft and it's delivered 300rpm higher.
Elsewhere in the range, we have a feeling that the 1.4T will be replaced by the 1.5T, as it's already happening in Europe. That Golf is the target, and it will be interesting to see how long the Alltrack keeps its 1.8T.
There's also no more manual in the Beetle or Passat, just twin-clutch DSGs. But aren't the VW crossovers using automatics now?
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