![\"passat-GT_roadFADE\"](\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/-mm-\/429337e0a74c52eed6f5ff217cc46d63bc4929e9\/c=0-184-4032-3208&r=x404&c=534x401\/local\/-\/media\/2018\/03\/28\/DetroitNews\/B99642352Z.1_20180328160547_000_GQ21U9RGB.1-0.jpg\")
<\/p>\n<\/div>The sleepy Volkswagen Passat made a New Year\u2019s resolution at January\u2019s Detroit auto show: I\u2019m going to live a little.<\/p>\n
So the German sedan raided hip brother Golf GTI\u2019s closet, took an armful of hot-hatch clothes, and \u2014\u00a0Heiliger strohsack!<\/em>\u00a0\u2014 showed up in Detroit as a Passat GT.<\/p>\n Outfitted in white with lots of black mascara around the headlights and a grille outlined in red, the GT just popped. I can\u2019t remember the last time I used \u201cPassat\u201d and \u201cpopped\u201d in the same sentence. Three months later and Passat is keeping its resolution.<\/p>\n I just drove the GT to Hell (Michigan) and back, and it\u2019s not only got the GTI\u2019s\u00a0zeitgeist<\/em>, it does it with 50 percent more rear legroom and 60 more ponies from a growly V-6.\u00a0Gott in himmel!<\/em><\/p>\n The GT is a welcome tonic for a sedan that has been a wallflower in a wallflower segment. Buyers walk right past sedans these days to dance with high-riding SUVs. Ute sales were up 24 percent in 2017. Car sales? Down 17 percent. So midsize mainstays like the Toyota Camry and Ford Fusion have sexed-up their wardrobes with flashy new sheet metal and pricey V-6 sport models.<\/p>\n The special-edition Passat GT comes from good (if understated) stock. Take the Passat SE recently in my driveway. \u201cS\u201d for somnolent.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n The V-dub all but disappeared next to the hot-hatchback Kia Stinger (the time machine from the memorable\u00a0Super Bowl ad<\/a>\u00a0with Aerosmith\u2019s Steven Tyler) that I tested at the same time. Thin upper grille, slab sides, plain rockers … zzzzzz. If it weren\u2019t for the VW logo the size of Flavor Flav\u2019s clock dangling from its grille, it could be anything.<\/p>\n But climb into the mid-size V-dub and it blossoms into one oversize value. There, I did it again: VW and value in the same sentence! That\u2019s new.<\/p>\n Start with the six-year\/75,000-mile bumper-to-bumper warranty<\/a>\u00a0that covers everything including drivetrain. Transferable if you buy a used Passat.<\/p>\n The SE is loaded for just $27,145: Heated seats, keyless entry, adaptive cruise-control, smartphone-app connectivity, all wrapped in a cocoon of air bags and autonomous braking should you ever do anything naughty. Sure, I would have liked a couple more things like a heated steering wheel and a phone cubby, but that\u2019s like complaining that your 10,000-square-foot beach rental doesn\u2019t have a toaster oven.<\/p>\n The $29,995 Passat GT is a bargain, too. Compare that to the similar, front-wheel-drive, 302-horse Camry SXE V-6 which starts at $35,845. The GT gets big, 19-inch tornado wheels, sunroof, two-tone leather seats and a growlin\u2019 V-6 that you used to have to shell out $35,450 for in the top-trim SEL. Mated to a paddle shift-equipped, dual-clutch transmission that shames many luxury models, the V-6\/6-speed tandem is the best team since the Bryan brothers.<\/p>\n The V-6 even belts out rev-matching downshifts I nearly missed because the interior is so quiet. And roomy. I swear it\u2019s 10,000 square feet inside. The back seat swallowed my 6-foot-5 frame with ease. The trunk is deeper\u00a0than Bear\u2019s Cave<\/a>\u00a0with fold-flat rear seats that extend its utility.<\/p>\n Speaking of length, Passat\u2019s 181\/2-gallon tank will carry you nearly 700 miles on a fill-up in the base model\u2019s turbo-4. That helps make up for its slight mpg deficiency (29 mpg) next to others in its class. With 106 more ponies, the V-6 will still travel over 500 miles.<\/p>\n Overshadowed by the GT\u2019s mill, the SE\u2019s 2.0-liter 4 got more power for the new year and was plenty peppy on Oakland County\u2019s curvy lake roads. Which is promising, because Passat\u2019s Chattanooga plant will soon get VW\u2019s light-weighted MQB chassis that is the foundation for the nimble Golf.<\/p>\n Still, the big Passat\u2019s older platform makes this chariot feel a size smaller on the road. Like 6-foot-9 Blake Griffin making a spin move for the basket from the top of the key, drivers can feel confident the sedan will go where it\u2019s placed.<\/p>\n This is in contrast to VW\u2019s big cool-for-school Tiguan and Atlas SUVs which depart from the sporty car formula for a more carpeted ride. While other manufacturers \u2014 BMW, Mazda \u2014 draw a straight line between their sporty sedans and SUVs, VW\u2019s model lines offer different personalities.<\/p>\n The GT is also a welcome addition to Passat because the badge must justify itself against King Accord.<\/p>\n