Passat R36
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300hp from the 3.6 Liter V6.
In a Passat.
Is there really a market for this. An even more expensive Passat?
Why do these guys keep making more expensive cars? Or more expensive versions of their existing models?
The “regular” Passat V6 is already the price of a BMW.
Who is running this circus???
I agree Vince. They do make some nice cars, but it’s a VW for heaven’s sake. I thought Audi was their upmarket division?
That was the purpose of VW, a people’s car. Most people can’t afford their now premium products. (and let’s not forget their poor quality!)
The real question is: why a VW can go faster, look better, and sell cheaper than an Audi?
My Jetta’s gas tank plummeted from over 1/2 to almost E without me even driving more than a mile. I went out the other day, came back with over 1/2 a tank left, then when I turned on my car today, it was barely above E. Is that VW quality or what? I’m 20, and when my parents were deciding what to buy a family car that I’d use as my primary car a few years ago, I told them that I didn’t need to be driving anything expensive. They still got the Jetta anyway, at over $20K. Maybe as much as $22K. I love the Jetta, and it hasn’t given me any problems, but too bad the Mazda 3 hadn’t come out yet at that time. And too bad my mom doesn’t like Japanese cars.
They keep jacking the price up because vw’s are terribly unreliable and warranty claims are high.
Price mystery solved
The quality issues at VW really have been addressed. The new CR that rated the JETTA 2.5 as the lowest quality vehicle was actually because of the stereo (driver speaker vibrating at high base) which was taken care of by a VW ECP…not enought to cause a recall. That’s it…a vibrating speaker. No oil sludge. No electrical malfunction. No windows falling into doors
VW Quality, that people hype on, is really a passe subject. The 2.0T FSI engine is problem free. The 2.5L is problem free. The TDI is problem free. The electrical problems that affected the A4 and Jetta are gone. They have listened to the customer and the new Passat and Jetta definately show that. Additionally let’s not forget that the old quality problems blanketed VW and AUDI equally and many of these were under different corporate management.
I am a VW owner and have been for several years. I have to say you get nothing close to the driving expeirence, technology or conveninece in a japanese, american or korean car.
VW fills a niche of affordable european cars (I use the term affordable because you get a ton of car for the money based on their european counterparts)…This makes them relevant to those who don’t want Korea/Japanese/American snore inducing vehiciles but who don’t feel the inflated price of a BWM or Benz is worth it. This model (R36 passat) represents a niche/halo market for the company and is obviously not intended to be a volume vehicle.
Go take a look at the most recent Car and Driver and look at the 15K sedan comparison and see who they rated as the #1 vehicle in this category….it’s a VW.
They still are very much the people’s car and I love every second I spend in my fancy pants Jetta
Again, and I’ve said this in prior posts..those who drive around in Camry’s and never got behind the wheel of a Passat/Jetta/Golf/Touaret/etc cannot sit there and comment about the reputation of this company, the driver satisfaction and the product they produce.
Vince, as hard as it is to disguise your disdain for the company, TRY.
Every single one of your posts about VW is dripping with bitter sarcasm. You want people to respect your opinions, BE OBJECTIVE.
It’s obscene to visit this “car blog” and see one demeaning article after another.
Thank you anonymous,
VW is a great car name.
300 horsepower through two front wheels?
“Vince, as hard as it is to disguise your disdain for the company, TRY”
I don’t have to try. I don’t like VW. They’ve screwed a lot of people I know by selling cars that are so unreliable it is almost weird.
And I don’t have to be objective. This blog is about my point of view not yours.
“It’s obscene to visit this “car blog” and see one demeaning article after another.”
Read car magaziens instead. Why would you spend any time visiting an obsene blog like this one???
And please, look up the real meaning of obsene…
Wow looks like somebody got up on the wrong side of the rock— we love vince’s blog, you do too. Why else would you read it? Pull the wrench out, we all know where it’s stuck. And maybe you should use your enthusiasm in a more expected place– a used car lot
Quality is job #1 with all the great Volkswagon models built in Mexico! Add some spice to your life with a Mexican built vehicle with a VIN# that begins with the number ‘3’! Remember to drive responsibly and don’t drink the water!
I have owned two VW’s in the past twenty years, along with a bunch of other brands that include a Mazda, a Honda, a Volvo, a Ford, a Jeep and two old Triumphs. I kept one of the VW’s until it had over 225k on the odometer. The second one had 75k when I traded it in for a new Volvo S40 T5 last year and I would not have any problem buying another VW. Mine were fun to drive and nothing ever broke prematurely or left me stranded. So I find it difficult to believe all of the hyperbole I read about poor VW quality because it’s completely contrary to what I’ve observed.
As for this Passat. VW is encroaching on Audi territory. It’s important for VW to have a well-rounded assortment of fun cars, but the current Passat is a step backward. The exterior design is bloated and Toyota bland. VWs previous generation Passat was much more athletic, fresh and youthful looking without the visual go-fast appliqué’s of this R36. This is just window dressing on a disappointing frumpy car.
I am glad you had a good experience with your 2 VWs.
Almost every single consumer research in the past decade has rated VW at or near the bottom of the reliability chart. That usually covers thousands and thousands of customers.
No brand makes 100% bad cars.
You will find many people who have had no problems with their VWs.
But you’ll find a much larger number of people who have.
I am just stating facts.
Same as saying the vast majority of Toyotas and Hondas are reliable.
You will find people who have problems with theirs.
But most of them are very reliable.
Some people smoke 5 packs a day for 50 years and never get sick. But still, most of them will…
Interesting to notice: Europeans rate VW much higher than Japanese big 3 in terms of quality and reliability. Audi is currently held as the leader of quality in the luxury market. When we treat Japanese cars like kings in here, you rarely notice a positive review from Europe. Beside, Lexus are not really fun to drive; Toyota dealers are not famous because of their hospitality; Honda & Acura don’t even offer anything too far upmarket; nissan & infiniti aren’t praising for their reliability or quality either. I guess every car will go wrong at some point anyways, just buy whatever you like the most and the one you can afford.
VW’s are the best cars money can buy, i’ve driven every single car on the market (job related) for the price of a Jetta, there is not a single car that’s as fun to drive, handles or comes close to interior quality, details and engineering! If a burnt headlight is enough to prevent you from buying a vw fine then buy a japanease car so you’l never get any driving pleasure or get that expensive quality car feel. So why is it that vw’s from late 80’s are still on the road? Anything else is in the scrap or rusted to the ground, it is evident that for the money you pay vw’s are the longest lasting and most solid cars, that’s one of the reasons they build them in mexico, cheap labor means more affordable. You want me to start naming you all the cars you see everyday built in mexico? Too long of a list…