2018 Volkswagen Passat R-Line

Date: January 2018
Mileage: 1,200

This 2018 Volkswagen Passat 2.0T R-Line is new to our Long Term fleet. Even so, in its first 3-weeks we still covered 12-hundred miles. 

R-Line trim adds a sportier look to the Passat. Our tester also sports the Passat’s new standard 2-liter turbocharged I4 with 174-horsepower. That’s up 4 from the old 1.8. While no rocket, matched with a 6-speed Tiptronic, it easily complies with our everyday throttle needs. 

Handling is in a word, great. Yet the ride remains very comfortable. We do miss some of the amenities we enjoyed in the Passat SEL Premium a few months back, like push-button start. But, oh well, that just shows there is a Passat for every taste.

We’re already getting 37.3 miles-per-gallon on the interstates, that’s slightly above the government’s highway rating of 36.

Date: March 2018
Mileage: 6,200

The 2018 Volkswagen Passat 2.0T R-Line is a real autobahn cruiser. During our 3-months at the wheel, the tires rolled along 62-hundred well connected miles. 

174-horses output from our tester’s new 2-liter TSI turbocharged 4-cylinder engine… generating nice low end torque and exceptional power for passing for a 4 cylinder. The 6-speed Tiptronic automatic never seems to miss a beat as the speedometer climbs. The brakes are very secure at high speed, but they can be grabby at low ones.

This mid-size four-door is very comfortable on long trips, even though the seats are very firm. The Passat’s huge trunk… had us barely missing it not being an SUV. 

And it’s very frugal on gas.  We skipped two normal gas stops on a 1500-mile trip. Overall, we averaged 30.7-miles-per-gallon of regular. The Chattanooga built Passat’s compliant ride, nimble handling, and eager powertrain, made it a real hit with us.