Road Test: Volkswagen Passat R36

Review by Feann Torr - 28/January/2009

Volkswagen launched the original 'R' performance car in 2004, the V6-powered Golf R32, surprising many onlookers who thought the GTi was about as quick as the German company wanted to go.

The niche performance car went on to generate a lot of interest, spawning what was to become a whole range of performance vehicles.

VW's performance 'R' line-up now includes a mid-sized saloon, a wagon and even a 10-cylinder mountain of an SUV.

First seen with its Golf R32, then the Touareg R50 and now with the Passat R36, Volkswagen's go-fast fleet represents your classic velvet sledgehammer syndrome: smooth luxury imbued with serious power.

Though some drivers may prefer their vehicles more focussed and tightly strung, there's a lot to be said of a road rocket that can fill the dual roles of work and play.

The Ford Falcon XR6 Turbo is one of the best examples of this sort of dual role vehicle that can comfortably cruise through traffic day in and day out, then take a full throttle detour down bending roads and be equally at ease.

The Passat R36 is the latest model in Volkswagen's performance garage, but is it a true dual role vehicle? Let's find out:

Drive: 4/5

Decked out with aggressively styled and surprisingly supportive sports bucket seats, it's fairly clear as you soon as you settle into the captain's seat that this is a serious speed machine.

The German saloon sits quite low to the ground, riding on 8x18-inch alloy wheels shod with 235/40 R18 Dunlops and has sports tuned suspension with increased rebound and compression damping levels for better control through corners.

Clearly it's aimed at the enthusiast, but even with its big wheels and sports suspension it delivers a fairly compliant ride both around and out of town.

It didn't take much city driving for me to discover that the Passat R36 retains the easygoing attitude of its less powerful stablemates. As an everyday drive, the R36 doesn't disappoint.

Creature comforts like cruise control, the dual clutch 6-speed automatic and the leather lined sports seats take some of the sting out of commuting, as does the excellent 10-speaker stereo.

Proximity sensors make parking the 4.8 metre long Passat R36 fairly hassle free, while an electronic park brake makes for one-touch parking. However the 11.4 metre turning circle can make tight spaces difficult to navigate.

Light steering, a responsive throttle and strong brakes ensure general driving in the Passat R36 is far from a chore, plus forward vision is pretty good and the seating position gives you a clear view of what lies ahead.

Rearward vision isn't as good as some mid-sized vehicles, however.

Performing errands and driving the car in a relaxed manner is very easy - it's a very approachable car. The gearbox is intuitive - just leave it in drive and forget about changing gears - and most of the controls are intelligently placed (except for the stereo's volume control on the centre console and the cruise control).

So whether you're dashing out to the milkbar for a bunch of bananas, driving to and from work, taking the kids to school or just heading out for dinner, the R36 is an amiable companion.

It's also a decent highway cruiser - quiet and refined - able to sit in sixth gear at 100km/h without gulping down too much fuel.

Vehemently flex your right foot however, and your heart-rate will increase in stead with the fuel consumption.

The V6 engine is real fire-cracker and transfers its power to all four wheels supremely effectively via the rapid 6-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox.

Sitting 25mm lower than the standard Passat thanks to a recalibrated suspension rig, the Passat R36 sticks to the road like flies to last night's BBQ leftovers.

The 4Motion all-wheel drive system utilises a Swedish-developed Haldex coupling system to ensure the wheels are always biting the road surface. If the front wheels begin to slip or it detects them turning at different speeds, an electronic clutch will transfer engine torque to the rear axle. It works well, but the most of the praise has to go to the suspension tune.

The car tracks through corners keenly and consistently - it's an easy car to come to grips with - and though I did encounter a bit of understeer when the vehicle was pushed hard, it has very little body roll through tight turns and the compliant damping levels mean that mid-corner bumps don't overly upset the chassis.

Super quick off the mark, the VW Passat R36 is one of the fastest (if not the fastest) vehicles in its class. It's also the fastest production car Volkswagen has ever built. Not bad that. Together with well sorted suspension and very strong brakes you can have a surprisingly large amount of fun in this sometimes unassuming German sports sedan.

It compares well with the range-topping Subaru Liberty models in terms of specification and thanks to the Direct Shift Gearbox it also has stronger straight-line performance.

There is one gripe I had with the R36 Passat: it is bereft of character.

That's not the worst thing you can have in a performance car and in some ways it's probably a good thing - it won't upset most drivers as it exhibits no glaring idiosyncrasies.

It accelerates like a bullet, it steers nicely and has impressive levels of grip and is fairly neutral when you push it hard through corners (with some understeer near its grip limit) but there's nothing memorable that stood out about driving this car either.

There's a lot to like about the Passat R36 - it's easily the most capable car in the Volkswagen 'R' line-up - but I can't help feeling it's missing something. If the exhaust note was a little more evocative or the AWD balance was a little more rear-biased, it'd be one of the most rewarding mid-sized performance cars on the market.

Engine: 3.5/5

The Mk V Volkswagen Golf R32 wasn't the fastest luxury hot hatch on the market when it launched but it had one of the best exhaust notes of any factory standard car we've tested here at the Motoring Channel.

Sadly the Passat R36 doesn't have the raucous exhaust note or the baffle and bark of the Golf R32, but the engine is considerably more potent and allows the four-wheel drive sedan to accelerate from zero to 100km/h in a claimed push-you-into-the-seat 5.6 seconds.

For a car that weighs 1681kg (1747kg for the wagon), the R36 moves with extreme haste and will give some HSV and FPV models a run for their money.

Matched to VW's quick-shifting dual clutch DSG automatic transmission, the Passat R36 hits its stride effortlessly and, naturally, roll-on acceleration is very good thanks to a decent 350Nm of torque @ 2400rpm.

With high compression ratio of 11.4:1, the nat atmo 3.6-litre motor has a very flat torque curve - more of a plateau - that reaches its peak of 350 Newton metres @ 2400rpm and is sustained until 5300rpm, giving the car a good spread of mid-to-high end torque.

On the road this translates to strong acceleration whenever you stomp on the accelerator and together with the DSG which can downshift remarkably rapidly, the Passat R36 feels stronger and more athletic than its 350Nm of torque would suggest.

The bent 6-cylinder engine is a free-revving unit; the tachometer needle moves remarkably quickly and the engine pulls strongly past 6000rpm, and its peak power of 220kW is very much felt when you keep the revs high.

Like many performance cars, this direct-injection petrol engine requires high octane 98 RON fuel and there's no real issues to report from the fast-charging 3.6-litre lump. Save for the fact that the Golf R32 set the exhaust note benchmark so high...

Exterior: 3.5/5

Fitted with a slew of cosmetic extras that deliver the performance look - big wheels, sports body kit, dual exhausts - the Passat R36 comes off looking a bit confused.

In its bid to straddle the middle ground between all-out sports sedan and conservative German transport, the R36 is both appealing and somewhat peculiar - and particularly the sedan model which has an odd profile.

One glance and you can tell it's a sports car, perhaps most obvious is the low ride height, 18-inch alloy wheels and bold blue brake calipers that fill out the wheel arches, but from some angles it looks a tad ungainly.

It's almost as if the rear end of the Passat R36 wants to go one way and the front end wants to go the other. The front of the car looks great, especially the twin bar chrome grille, but I'm not convinced about the tail. To me it simply conveys a nice mixture of prestige and power.

As a side note, we we're hoping to test the estate/wagon model, which has about 20% more street cred with its Euro-sports body shape and roof rails as standard. If you're looking at getting the wagon, take the 'exterior' score up to 4 out of 5.

Interior: 4.5/5

As the halo model in the Passat range, the R36 comes with plenty of comfort and convenience features, and things like the electronic park brake, automatic headlights and windscreen wipers, dual zone climate control, auto dimming rear-view mirror plus front and rear parking sensors make driving this hi-po VW Passat largely agreeable.

There's a subtle sense of occasion about the interior that hits you from the moment you step in: the brushed aluminium accents across the dash give it a high class look and feel and the alloy pedals, 'R36' emblazoned scuff plates and non-slip 3-spoke steering add a touch of sportiness, as do the excellently bolstered bucket seats.

The front seats are a revelation, combining modern comfort with a retro-cool 1980s motif. The 12-way electrically adjustable sports seats come with electro-pneumatic side bolsters to adapt to your body size and driving style. They're also exquisitely finished in San Remo micro fibre and Vienna leather and are very comfortable.

Overall the VW Passat R36 has a fairly conservative cabin - except for the hardcore seats - but the metallic accents, the well-placed controls and easy-to-read instrument dials combine to create a mildly sporty but pleasant and user-friendly interior.

It's also the little touches that contribute to the R36's charm, such as the little business/credit card holder drawer above the centre console and multi-function steering wheel. Good quality soft-touch dash plastics won't leave a bad taste in your mouth either (but it's advised not to lick the dash).

Because it features a button-operated park-brake, the transmission tunnel is cleared of the traditional hand-operated park brake and this creates a more open, airy feel for the driver and front passenger. It also means you can't do hand-brake turns...

There's also no ignition barrel on the Passat - to start the engine you slot the entire key fob into a large nacelle which is a bit of a Saab-like start-up novelty.

Steering wheel controls for the multi-function display wedged between the rev counter and the speedometer allow you to check fuel consumption, tyre pressure, distance to empty and other options, and also allow you to adjust the stereo settings without taking your eyes off the road.

However the cruise control buttons are located on the end of the left-hand indicator stalk instead of the steering wheel, which isn't ideal but you get used to it.

Volkswagen has packed the high performance Passat to hilt with standard features; the list is extensive and there's plenty of options too, such as an automatically closing tailgate and rear view camera for wagon models, an electric sunroof and Volkswagen's excellent RNS510 touch-screen satellite navigation system.

The German car maker has also endowed its Passat R36 with a strong safety suite that includes eight airbags, an electronic stability program, brake assist, ABS and anti-slip regulation (ASR). It is an all-wheel drive vehicle, which also increases its safety credentials.

The boot is very large - deeper than it is wide - with 541 litres of room which is enough space to cram a lot of junk in there, such as several square metres of shade cloth and half dozen very large bags of mushroom compost.

The rear bench of the Passat R36 is surprisingly roomy and though this is classed as a medium car, there's enough room for two adults up front and three almost-adults to travel in relative comfort in the rear, plus there's three child seat anchor points.

Overall: 4/5

The V6-powered Volkswagen Passat R36 is the fastest production vehicle the German car maker has ever built and is every bit a velvet sledgehammer. Paired with a sports chassis, grippy tyres and one of the quickest-shifting automatic gearboxes on the planet, the performance Passat is everything we expected.

Volkswagen hasn't skimped on the practicalities either, crafting a vehicle that works just as well as a daily driver as it does an apex artist. Indeed, it is a true dual role vehicle that can work as family transport thanks to the cavernous interior.

While it does lack character in some respects, the VW R36 delivers a bahn-storming experience. When push comes to shove it can run with - and even outpace - a number of well respected sports cars with much bigger engines and much higher price tags.