2008 Volkswagen Passat R36 Road Test Review

Once the red mist lifts the DSG settles into a more sedate pace, smoothly slurring between gears and keeping revs on the quiet side of the tacho. It’s a fantastically versatile system, but the delights don’t end with the trick twin-clutch gearbox. Not by a long shot.

That 3.6-litre VR6 engine is another of the R36’s strong suits. With 220kW and 350Nm of torque on tap, the narrow-angle V6 is always willing to propel the R36 towards the horizon. Direct injection (Fuel Stratified Injection, in VW-speak) and a high compression ratio of 11.4:1 help bolster the torque curve, which occupies a relatively wide band between 2400-5300rpm. It sounds fantastic under load too, with the engine note becoming truly sonorous around the midrange – a far cry from its clattery idle.

Fuel economy is good for a performance sedan too, with our R36 returning an average figure of 11.0 litres per 100km - not far off VW’s claim of 10.7l/100km. The downside? The Passat drinks pricey 98-octane petrol, so ensure your wallet is full before topping up the tank.

Handling is another of the R36’s fortés. The suspension is firm, yet dispatches mid-corner bumps with ease. There’s an admirable lack of body roll when pushing hard through the twisty bits – no small feat for a mid-size sedan weighing 1681kg. Credit that to the R36’s stiffer and 25mm lower suspension (Macpherson struts on the front, multi-link in the rear) and the standard 235/40R18 Dunlop SP Sport 01 tyres. Need to stop in a hurry? The R36’s huge ventilated disc brakes will pull you up hard, and they look pretty trick with their blue-painted calipers.

The Passat’s 4Motion all-wheel-drive system is biased towards front wheels during normal driving, but once slip is detected, torque is sent to whichever of the wheels can handle it. You can tell when the transition between front-wheel-drive and grip-restoring all-wheel drive occurs as the Haldex centre differential starts to lock up. However, it’s the briefest of events and the R36’s electronic talent has things pointing the right way in milliseconds. There’s so much grip available you have to take it right to edge before there is any sign of understeer or things becoming messy.

The firm ride can be a little tiresome over rough tarmac or undulating, rutted country highways, but considering the sheer cornering ability of the R36 it’s a fair trade-off. There may be better cruisers than the R36, but there are very few sedans out there that can match it for overall performance and versatility – not for the same price, anyway.

In fact, at the Passat R36’s price point of $64,990 (the wagon costs $2000 extra), there’s precious few cars that can hold a candle to its straight line go and un-stickable handling. In fact, the competition really boils down to just one Japanese contender – the STI-tuned Subaru Liberty GT. The Liberty is almost a perfect match for the R36 on price, but unfortunately it possesses neither the Passat’s trick twin-clutch gearbox, nor the style and panache of the R36. Nor is it as refined, or as comfortable.

Nor yet is it as pleasing to look at.