Passat Jeremy Clarkson briefly comments on the Volkswagen Passat R36

[Mr. M]

I'm going to assume that the European Passat V6 is the old 3.2L V6 (250 or so hp) right? Here in the U.S. our V6 Passat is the new 3.6L V6 with 280hp so 300hp isn't nearly enough over the regular V6 Passat to warrant the "R" badge over here. The Passat R36 should have been a turbo version of the 3.6L with 400hp, with the AWD and DSG. A real R car, not this mild performance upgrade.

M

You're absolutely right Marcus... But I don't think VW is ready to release a turbo engine just yet. Don't think they have any V6 turbos in use now, to develop one specially for the R36 might have been too costly.

 

[DaSilva]

WARNING Strong Opinions !


I must say I totally agree with Clarkson on this one!
TopGear is the best.. And they never talk rubbish.. j/k

Auto Motor Und Sport is an objective car magazine, TopGear is not!
But again.. I agree the R36 is IMO

 

[PanterroR]

I agree the R36 is IMO

Why?

 

[DaSilva]

Why?

First I must say I do not like Vw at all..
Second, If I wanted a SportSaloon the last thing I want to hear after sportsaloon is vw and passat...

But seriously the problem is that we dont need that car at all..
Who wants a sporty passat ?

You buy a passat because you cant afford the new CL63...
It's a show off car just like the ricers, I think I'm cool driving a sporty passat to a lot of money, but the truth is that I don't have the money to buy a M5..

And it can't be that good driving it ?
Why buy a RS if this car is so amazing...

who is this car made for ? Just for show off!

 

[Mr. M]

Why?

Yeah, I want to ask why too... Is the R32 pointless to you too, Julius?

 

[Mr. M]

Who wants a sporty passat ?

Can I say, me?

 

[PanterroR]

DaSilva, sorry, but the reasons you provided simply don't make sense. R36 'cause one cannot afford an M5 or CL63...? C'mon, man, you can do it better...

 

[DaSilva]

Yeah, I want to ask why too... Is the R32 pointless to you too, Julius?

The Golf Is Excellent not as good as any Audi's but Hey...
If you say the words Vw to me - all I think of is the best car in their model line up:

GOLF Brilliant CarR 32 Cool Car
I like Golf

 

[DaSilva]

Can I say, me?

If you want too.. But I will be driving away from you in my A6 4.2 Quattro S-Line
Think of the other cars in this class - worth looking at maybe ?

DaSilva, sorry, but the reasons you provided simply don't make sense. R36 'cause one cannot afford an M5 or CL63...? C'mon, man, you can do it better...

Well actually I meant, while you're dreaming of an CL,
But I know I'm rubbish at making good arguments.. but Hmm..
Okay we do it this way:

Why do you guys want it for example ?
because it's Cheap ?
because it is the better choice in this class?
Tell me.. and I'll have a good explanation for why it's not worth buying!

Cya - *Work*

 

[Mr. M]

If you want too.. But I will be driving away from you in my A6 4.2 Quattro S-Line
Think of the other cars in this class - worth looking at maybe ?

Why do you guys want it for example ?
because it's Cheap ?
because it is the better choice in this class?
Tell me.. and I'll have a good explanation for why it's not worth buying!

Cya - *Work*

What other cars are in its class that offer the same power? S60R? I can't think of anything else.

What I like about it:

- The R36's value for money
- I like how it looks and how it is built
- I like the V6 and its power
- I like DSG, AWD
- I like its subtle nature, doesn't shout that it has all of that power

 

[DaSilva]

What other cars are in its class that offer the same power? S60R? I can't think of anything else.

What I like about it:

- The R36's value for money
- I like how it looks and how it is built
- I like the V6 and its power
- I like DSG, AWD
- I like its subtle nature, doesn't shout that it has all of that power

I understand (except the design) BUT

The rest is fine actually it's rather great!
If it only had a different design and (not a vw design/Audi sportyness (Audis profile) )
but you don't want the Vw emblem nor the ugly Passat name!?

I have no more to say..

I do not like vw and I will never do.
But please do not feel that I do not like "you" because you drive a Passat..

Be you're self and then when My car meets you're car - we will see who the best driver is - not the car.

 

[Merc1]

You're absolutely right Marcus... But I don't think VW is ready to release a turbo engine just yet. Don't think they have any V6 turbos in use now, to develop one specially for the R36 might have been too costly.

Yeah that is true. I was trying to think about where else they could use it. 400hp would likely be too much for any Jetta/Golf/Eos derivatives. Hmmm...

M

 

[rev]

Why is everyone bashing the R36 when at the same time no one has driven it yet? You don't know how it performs, how it handles and all that stuff! Just wait until somebody test drive's it and see what he has to say. Clarkson made his stupid comments without testing it yet but I'm pretty sure when he sits behind the wheel of the R36 and does a few laps at the Top Gear test track, he's gona love it (even if he isn't going to admit it).

 

[Merc1]

Well I for one am not bashing it, just saying it doesn't make sense from a U.S. market point of view. Even with the DSG and AWD, 20 hp over our normal V6 Passat doesn't make it a worthy "R" car, IMO. I doubt we'll even see the R36 here, it wouldn't make any sense.

M

 

[NarutoRamen]

I would consider a Passat R36 seriously, but NarutoRamen's comment on the Passat being a boring drive does irk me somewhat. Damn, if only I could try driving the VW.

NarutoRamen, in what way was the Passat 'boring'? I would love to hear your comments.

Sorry for the late reply mate...I had gone to sleep.

Anyways...how was the car boring to drive? Well first of all, let me begin by saying that this is all my opinion and others (inluding you) might differ. Drive the car for yourself and then judge.

Now on to why it's boring. To start off it is fairly quiet in the cabin...which is a good thing. Once you get driving the ride feels mushy...almost like a Crown Victoria but the handling is way better than the vic. The steering lacks feel and so does the brake. If you're making normal turns (right or left at lights) it's good and comfy but if you try to make a hard turn (like here in the US with On and off-ramps of the highways) the car starts to lean a lot and you begin to lose confidence in it's handling and at certain points the tire starts chirping and I think it's too early for them but since the chassis isn't very tight and responsive the body lean forces the weight to one side and causes the car to almost start sliding in that direct. Now the turn I'm talking about isn't all that hard to make because it's a very predictable turn but the Passat turned a very predictable turn into a not so predictable turn. All of that plus bad steering and brake feel...makes the car dull and boring to drive because that turns this car into any other grocery-getter. So my verdict....not a bad car to own and drive daily but something I'd never consider buying. Fully loaded this car would top the Honda Accord and the Camry. I'd rather buy the Honda Accord or the Camry because I'd save money on the initial purchase of the vehicle as well as on the maintenance because honda an toyota are very cheap cars to fix...the VW still is expensive to fix.

I hope that some of you guys understand my point of view. I'll say it once again...all of this is my opinion.