This past week has hardly felt like a marathon but the run-up to the Detroit Motor Show is genuinely killing me. There’s just so much good stuff to see.
Volkswagen have attempted to come to my aid and while they did provide a glass of water, it’s a long way away from the nourishment my petrolhead body needs.
Their glass of water is excellent too, it’s a new concept based around the US version of the VW Passat which is called the Performance.
Impressed yet? No, well then, let me tell you that it has Bi-Xenon headlamps, LED taillights and 18 inch alloy wheels with a multi-spoke design.
For a concept that stuff should be on the minimum requirement list, so why is my thirst quenched by the VW Passat Performance Concept?
Simply because it has a very interesting engine. Not a V8, not even a quad turbocharged V6 with lasers and other euro-high-techy stuff.
It’s actually something that sounds familiar, a 1.8 liter TSI powerplant. Sorry, i meant two write something else since this is usually an entry level engine in cars this big.
Having checked the press it seems that it’s not this case, a 1.8 liter is what lies in a car weighing in at some 3000 lbs and which is called Performance.
That’s because thanks to some magic and wishful thinking in the engineering department, this powerplant develops 250 horsepower.
You don’t want to take this car drag racing, but it certainly feels like a lot less cars are going to burn you off at the lights.
