Model Year | 2017 | 2012 | |
Model | Volkswagen Golf / GTI | Volkswagen Passat | |
Engine | |||
Transmission | |||
Drivetrain | |||
Body | 4dr Hatch | 4dr Sedan | |
Difference | |||
Wheelbase | 2,637 mm | 2,804 mm | 0 mm |
Length | 4,255 mm | 4,867 mm | 0 mm |
Width | 1,798 mm | 1,834 mm | 0 mm |
Height | 1,453 mm | 1,486 mm | 0 mm |
Curb Weight | 1,344 kg | 1,436 kg | 0 kg |
Fuel Capacity | 50 L | 70 L | -20 L |
Headroom, Row 1 | 975 mm | 973 mm | 2 mm |
Shoulder Room, Row 1 | 1,420 mm | 1,445 mm | 0 mm |
Legroom, Row 1 | 1,046 mm | 1,077 mm | 0 mm |
Headroom, Row 2 | 968 mm | 960 mm | 8 mm |
Shoulder Room, Row 2 | 1,369 mm | 1,448 mm | 0 mm |
Legroom, Row 2 | 904 mm | 993 mm | -89 mm |
Total Legroom | 1,951 mm (over 2 rows) | 2,070 mm (over 2 rows) | -1 mm |
Cargo Volume, Minimum | 646 L | 450 L | 196 L |
Cargo Volume, Maximum | 1,492 L | 15.9 | -14.9 L |
2017 Volkswagen Golf / GTI Seat Room and Comfort: Pros | ||
Year | Comment | |
2016 | As I've noted before (when reviewing the e-Golf), the seventh-generation Golf's front seats are shaped and padded to provide nearly ideal comfort and support in daily driving. The CX-5's driver seat also fit me well, but not quite as well as the Volkswagen's. Compared to other compact hatchbacks and its ancestors, the current Golf has a roomy rear seat. I can sit behind my 5-9 self with about five inches of air ahead of my knees. Unless unusually tall people populate both rows, the amount of space should be beyond adequate. Compare the Golf SportWagen's rear seat to that in the CX-5, and a funny thing happens. On paper, the Mazda provides about 3.5 more inches of legroom. When sitting behind myself in both vehicles, though, I had about half as much space ahead of my knees in the CX-5. I've noticed in the past that VW measures rear legroom very conservatively, and apparently they continue to do so. The Golf's interior is roomier than the official specs suggest. Plus its rear seat passengers get air vents. The Mazda's do not. This said, I'm not entirely comfortable in the Golf SportWagen's rear seat. To me it feels overly reclined. In neither the GSW nor the CX-5 is the degree of recline adjustable. It is in some compact crossovers. see full Volkswagen Golf / GTI review |
2017 Volkswagen Golf / GTI Seat Room and Comfort: Cons | ||
Year | Body/Powertrain | Comment |
2016 | 2dr Hatch turbocharged 210hp 2.0L I4 6-speed manual FWD |
Difficult ingress and egress see full Volkswagen Golf / GTI review |
2012 Volkswagen Passat Seat Room and Comfort: Pros | ||
Year | Comment | |
2012 | Volkswagen's research must have found that Americans highly value rear legroom, because the Passat has an abundance of it. Unless you're an NBA center you'll have plenty of room to stretch out in the back of this sedan. see full Volkswagen Passat review |
2012 Volkswagen Passat Seat Room and Comfort: Pros | ||
Year | Body/Powertrain | Comment |
2013 | 4dr Sedan turbocharged 140hp 2.0L I4 Diesel 6-speed automated manual FWD |
SEL Premium seating is fantastic. Definitely worth the cost of the upgrade over the mid-grade seats. see full Volkswagen Passat review |
2013 | 4dr Sedan turbocharged 140hp 2.0L I4 Diesel 6-speed manual FWD |
rear seat room is exceptional. can handle long-legged folks with ease and those with large shoe sizes. enter and exiting with larger folks not a problem either. see full Volkswagen Passat review |
2012 | 4dr Sedan 170-horsepower 2.5L I5 6-speed shiftable automatic FWD |
Older teenagers like the extra room see full Volkswagen Passat review |
2012 | 4dr Sedan 170-horsepower 2.5L I5 6-speed shiftable automatic FWD |
HUGE amount of rear legroom! see full Volkswagen Passat review |
2012 | 4dr Sedan 170-horsepower 2.5L I5 6-speed shiftable automatic FWD |
Tons of room while driving. I am 6'4" and have plenty of leg and headroom. see full Volkswagen Passat review |