A priori we could be talking about an unfair comparison, especially if we take into account the difference in power. But the current Volkswagen Jetta is separated by many years from the special, exclusive, rare but obsolete Passat W8, which also implies great leaps in technology and efficiency. However, both have dueled courtesy of youtuber TFLclassics, who has decided to check if a current four-cylinder 150 hp can with the colossal 275 hp W8.
This comparison is carried out by means of an acceleration race with which he wants to check which of the two is faster. And although it is true that there is a difference of 125 hp in favor of the Passat, we are talking about a Jetta with a turbo engine and less weight, this being 400 kilos lighter than the Passataspects that can play in your favor.
The Volkswagen Passat W8 that wanted to show a Jetta that all past times were better
As far as pure and hard mechanics are concerned, the Volkswagen Passat resorts to a fireproof 4.0-liter W8 that delivers 275 hp and 370 Nm of torque. These figures are managed on this occasion by means of a six-speed manual gearbox, and allow a 0 to 100 in 6.5 seconds and a maximum speed of 250 km/h.
In the case of the Jetta we run into the well-known 1.5 TSI, a four-cylinder turbo that produces 150 hp and 250 Nm of torque. In this way, the saloon can cover the 0 to 100 in 8.6 seconds and reach a top speed of 220 km/h, figures also measured with the six-speed manual gearbox that equips the main unit.
But what happens when these two sedans face each other on the asphalt? The first thing is that in the race from standstill the Passat rises to victory, although not by much. And it is that while it completes the quarter mile in 16.82 seconds, the Jetta does it in 17.23 seconds, that is, a tiny difference. And the situation is also very even in the moving race, winning the Passat with his W8 by a hair.
The morale? That power is not always everything and that modern engines are getting closer in performance and efficiency to larger and more powerful engines of yesteryear. My opinion? What matter a margin of thousandths when you can have under the hood a rare and exclusive W8.
