The outgoing VW Passat still comes with a 300 horsepower V6 engine and its replacement will have a 280 horsepower 2.0 TSI mill stolen from the SEAT Leon Cupra hot hatch. Impressive stuff, yet the whole world is literally obsessed with a new 240 hp diesel that Volkswagen has just launched. Why? Because it's the first twin-turbo 2.0 TDI ever installed on a VW sedan and is hugely impressive, a segment benchmark.
Fresh from a launch event organized in Germany, we've been able to find the very first acceleration test from a Youtube channel called #ILOVECARS. The camera pointing directly at the 12.3-inch TFT screen that replaced the speedometer and shows just how fast the new Passat can be... if you pay VW a lot of money.
Besides the 240 PS, the twin-turbo engine also comes with 500 Nm (368 lb-ft) of torque, the highest yet delivered by an MQB car. This is especially useful during acceleration, but can only be harnessed by a Haldex 5 all-wheel drive system and a new seven-speed wet-clutch DSG gearbox.
Official numbers from Volkswagen claim 0 to 80 km/h (50 mph) takes 4.2 seconds and 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) takes 6.1 seconds. But the video tells us a different story. The gearbox is set up for low fuel consumption and comfort. Even though it's in Sport mode, the gear changes aren't as brutal as a GTI and by the time the Passat reaches 100 km/h, the DSG is doing into fourth gear.
Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida. Full profile
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