Volkswagen Passat R36: the lowdown
The most powerful Passat yet has broken cover. As the R36 name suggests, Volkswagen has bored out the Golf R32’s V6 to create a new 3.6-litre unit with at least 280bhp. Our spyshots reveal that the flagship R model will be sold as both saloon and estate, with prices expected to start around £28,000. Aside from the punchy powerplant, the R36 gets a butch bodykit and 4Motion four-wheel drive. Expect sales in early 2007.
Explosive new engine
The R36 runs a bored out version of the 3.2-litre VR6, extended to 3.6 litres. Equipped with FSI direct injection to save fuel and boost grunt, peak power climbs from the 3.2-litre’s 250bhp to around 280bhp. That’s 5bhp more than the previous Passat’s flagship – the thirsty and short-lived – W8 engine. There may be way more to come, too. Sources talk of a twin-turbocharged version, which could send peak power to a whopping 400bhp.
More chassis mods
With 280bhp on tap, the R36 needs VW’s 4Motion four-wheel drive to put the power down. Torque is sent to both axles via the group’s DSG double clutch ‘box. Bigger brakes will haul the R36 to a halt, while the springs and dampers have been stiffened for a sportier ride.
Butch bodykit
A beefy bodykit marks out R36 editions. A deeper grille with expanded air intakes feeds the V6, and gives a more menacing face. The side sills are extended, and a rear spoiler and twin, split exhausts add a hint of hot hatch. And packing those wheelarches are big, 18inch alloys.