Hello,

The Volkswagen Passat W8......270HP.
I think the General has just been put in his place. A Passat??? This is embarrassing.
Later now,

Car is super heavy.

It is also very poorly geared.

It is slow - read the specs.

German engineering?

HAHAHAHA!

You want to talk German engineering, talk to the Bavarians from BMW.

FWIW :-D

OK.....
So I jumped to conclusions....I was watching TV, and was apalled that Volkswagen could have outdone the GTP "just like that".

I see the W8 is about 600lbs heavier than the GTP, but, most of that has to be attributed to the AWD, and the extra .2 liters.
The W8 is rated @ 6.5 seconds for 0-60mph, if I remember right, so is the GTP. I haven't compared the gearing, so I don't have a say there.
This being said.....The only thing I can see holding the W8 back is .....It appears that the W8 doesn't see peak HP until 6000rpm. I think if they could've found a powerband a bit closer to idle, the 0-60 would be much different, and, the weight would not be an issue w/ 270HP.
All in all...I see your point, and I'm a bit less unnerved at this point.....Thank you,

Quoted from Road and Track Magazine.

"We’d order the 6-speed manual without hesitation, as VW quotes a 0–100-km/h (62 mph) time of 6.5 seconds. However, U.S. buyers will have to get by initially with a Tiptronic-equipped 5-speed automatic, which takes a full 1.3 sec. longer to reach the same speed, with its more widely spaced ratios (especially between 1st and 2nd) accounting for some of the lethargy."

FYI :-D

OK,
With all that, and considering it starts at $37K plus change.......It's a turd! Glad you cleared this up for me, now I can sleep at night.
Later now,

You also might want to compare the JD Power (inital quality) numbers between GM and VW. You'll probably be very suprised.

Aren't we giving the VW a lil too much press here? This is my first post here but even without having read all the press releases; I'm sure that the GP I bought for a little of nothing would smoke the VW. And so would most of you.