1996 Volkswagen Passat Specs

5 powertrain configurations on federal record for the 1996 Volkswagen Passat: 1.9L 4-cyl Diesel; 2.0L 4-cyl Regular Gasoline; 2.8L 6-cyl Regular Gasoline, rated up to 35 MPG combined by the EPA.

Source: EPA federal records (fueleconomy.gov) · Updated 2026-10-26 · By CarWhere Research

1996 Volkswagen Passat engines, transmissions, drivetrains and EPA gas mileage
Engine	Transmission	Drivetrain	City	Highway	Combined
1.9L 4-cyl Diesel	Manual 5-spd	Front-Wheel Drive	31	41	35
2.0L 4-cyl Regular Gasoline	Automatic 4-spd	Front-Wheel Drive	18	25	20
2.0L 4-cyl Regular Gasoline	Manual 5-spd	Front-Wheel Drive	18	26	21
2.8L 6-cyl Regular Gasoline	Automatic 4-spd	Front-Wheel Drive	16	23	18
2.8L 6-cyl Regular Gasoline	Manual 5-spd	Front-Wheel Drive	17	24	19

Passat by year

2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001 2000 1999 1998 1997 1996 1995 1994 1993 1992 1991 1990

Buying a used Passat? Specs are the easy half.

Check which Passat years to avoid (federal complaint and recall records), then check the specific car: the Full VIN Report shows that VIN's factory build, recall record, and market history before you pay for it.

Frequently asked questions

What engines does the 1996 Volkswagen Passat have?

3 engines on federal record: 1.9L 4-cyl Diesel; 2.0L 4-cyl Regular Gasoline; 2.8L 6-cyl Regular Gasoline, offered with Manual 5-spd, Automatic 4-spd and Front-Wheel Drive. The full per-configuration table is above.

What gas mileage does the 1996 Volkswagen Passat get?

EPA combined ratings run 18–35 MPG depending on configuration — the table above shows city/highway/combined for each engine, transmission, and drivetrain.

Is 1996 a good year for the Volkswagen Passat?

Specs don't answer that — the federal complaint and recall record does. See the Volkswagen Passat year-by-year reliability verdicts at carwhere.com/research/years-to-avoid/volkswagen/passat, built from NHTSA data.

How do I get the specs for my exact VIN?

These are the federal-record configurations for the 1996 Volkswagen Passat overall. For one specific vehicle — its exact engine, trim, factory options, and original window sticker — decode the 17-character VIN free at carwhere.com/tools/vin-decoder.

Where does this data come from?

The U.S. EPA's public vehicle dataset (fueleconomy.gov) — the federal record of every US-market configuration since 1984 — refreshed 2026-10-26. Public-domain data; republish with attribution to CarWhere (carwhere.com).