When the sixth generation Volkswagen Passat arrived in 2012, the word “sport” only applied in verb form. As in, “I’m sporting a new Passat in my driveway. Want to see what I sit in traffic in all day?”
To be even more blunt: that mid-size sedan had all the sporting potential of your nearest comic book convention.
And that’s totally OK.
The Passat — by design — is supposed to be a commuter car, ready for the masses and their predictable travel back and forth to work all day. Predictable is safe, and safe is the new automotive buzzword for a market that’s seen more than 43 million recalls this year, the most ever. The same logic applies to baby seats, I suppose.
Along comes the 2014 Volkswagen Passat Sport, whose name implies that it means to inject a modicum of fun into an otherwise unsurprising segment.
I’m OK with that, too.
To be sure, the Passat Sport doesn’t jump headfirst into the pool of sports sedans. The suspension is left mostly unchanged from the base Passat, and there’s no eccentric powertrain to alienate buyers who are interested first in a road-capable sedan instead of an inflated price tag. The Passat Sport starts at $27,295 when equipped with a 5-speed manual transmission.
The Passat Sport’s lineup of changes is mostly surface-only. The 17- and 18-inch wheels have been replaced with bigger 19-inch shoes, an added rear spoiler and black roof. Aluminum pedals, stainless steel doorsills and leather-wrapped steering wheel round out the interior changes.
Where the Passat Sport diverges most notably is under the hood. Instead of Volkswagen’s outgoing 2.5-liter inline five, the Sport receives a lively turbocharged 1.8-liter four that produces the same horsepower and a few more pound-feet of torque.
The turbo four is interesting because Volkswagen will likely replace the departing five with the new four in every model within the next few years.
The Passat Sport’s new mill runs up to 60 mph a second faster than the older engine (7.8 seconds) and delivers torque much lower in the range (1,500 rpm vs. 4,500 rpm) without discernible lag from the third-generation turbocharger.
That said, the 187 horsepower engine won’t be confused with super sedans coming from BMW and Mercedes, but those are completely different cars. The Passat Sport follows closely in the footsteps of other automakers that make attainable sport versions of already mega-popular commuters. The Passat Sport isn’t a rival to BMW’s M division or Mercedes’ AMG division; it’s a better rival to the mid-level manager next to you at the stoplight on the way home.
The Passat Sport can be fitted to a six-speed automatic transmission with paddle shifters for $1,200, an option most buyers will surely pick. To its credit, the automatic quickly kicks down a couple gears for freeway passing, but settles even quicker to achieve its target mileage of 24/33 mpg in city/highway driving. My only nitpick with that option is that Volkswagen didn’t use its superb dual-clutch automatic in the Passat Sport (likely to save money) and that the smallish steering-mounted paddle shifters can be easily overlooked.
That’s a small niggle for a car that makes its bones in being completely street-sane. The rear passenger legroom is among the best in its class and despite gearing appeal to a mass market now, the Passat is one of the few Volkswagens to retain that “European” feel, despite being entirely built in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
The Passat Sport elbows its way into an unexpectedly crowded field nowadays. Intentional competitors like the Camry SE Sport and Chrysler 200S are waiting, and unintentionally sport versions like the Honda Accord V6 (massively powered) and Nissan Altima 3.6 (same story as the Accord) are waiting.
It’s the same story for competition within Volkswagen’s own brand. The Passat Sport slots above the SE model but below the SEL model, and the Passat Sport does its best to keep the similarly sport-minded CC interesting.
Still, driving the Passat Sport is an exercise in what a lot of little things can do to a change a normally mundane mid-size commute. Comfortable leather seats, precise electric-assisted steering and the right amount of feedback from a well-developed chassis can make powering onto and off a freeway cathartic for any long day at the office.
The Passat Sport is a solid last stop on the psychological train toward all-out performance sedan. With little sacrifice and a little more money, even a regular mid-size is capable of being fun without scaring the pants off your children riding in the backseat. In essence, it’s a very good version of the Passat.
And that’s still totally OK.
2014 Volkswagen Passat Sport
Price: Starting $27,295, $29,320 as tested
Engine: 1.8-liter, turbocharged four cylinder (170 hp)
Transmission: 5-speed manual standard, 6-speed automatic ($1,200 option)
Mileage: 24/33 mpg city/highway, EPA est.