Volkswagen Passat R36 and Golf R32 Review

Start with the basic body-shell of a Passat for lots of space. Then, shoehorn the 3.6-litre narrow-angle V6 from a Touareg, and enhance its breathing abilities. Springs and shocks drop the ride height by 20 mm, while deliciously large exhaust pipes and big, blue brake callipers stick out prominently.

The superficial stuff

The R36 looks like a standard Passat V6 after 6 months of working out. First on are 18-inch Omanyt wheels and 235/40 profile Dunlop SP Sport tyres.

Flared wheel arches, lower skirting, re-styled bi-xenon headlamps and tinted tail lamps are complemented by a more aggressive-looking bumper. An integrated chrome grille further reinforce family ties to the rest of the "R" cars.

Imagine Mr Manhunt International in a corporate suit. That's what the R36 looks like.

Changes are more dramatic on the inside, forming an integral part of the car's physical attraction. The quality and tactility of the half leather, half fabric seats are one of the best around.

The inflatable air pockets increase or decrease the stiffness of the back-rest, enabling it to give extra lower or upper lumbar support. The aggressive side bolsters also utilise the system, and worked remarkably well.

Unfortunately, the seats warmed up a little too quickly from radiated body heat, but we wouldn't have had them any other way when we found ourselves pulling a corner of 1g.

Also, the only other gripe we had was with the brushed aluminium trimming. While it manages to brighten up the inside, it had a tendency to reflect an excessive amount of light into our eyes when the sunroof was open one hot afternoon. Then again, not many people would want to roast under the 12 pm sun.
Elsewhere, in usual Passat fashion, the classy, sweeping curve of the interior door panels serve to emphasise only the upper section, with all of its soft-touch materials. The lower half remains shrouded with hard, cheaper-feeling plastic. This continues with similar looking switchgear from the Golf range of cars.

But we're not going to complain about interior leg, head and shoulder room. There was enough space for three 1.8 metre tall basket-ballers at the back despite the central floor hump, while the 461-litre trunk matches that of the BMW 3-series (the all-wheel-drive system does cost you 24-litres in boot space, unfortunately)

Passat R36 vs Golf R32

Now it gets a little more interesting. The Passat's 3,597 cc VR6 block might yield 300 bhp at 6,600 rpm and a nice 350 Nm of torque from 2,400-5,300 rpm, but it also weighs a heavy 1,689 kg.

Its smaller sibling, the Golf R32, weighs almost 200 kg less, but has a 50 horsepower deficit and outputs 320 Nm from 2,500 rpm onwards owing to an engine capacity of 3,189 cc. Keeping that in mind, it would be interesting to find out where the absolute advantage of the R36 lies compared to the R32 in real-life situations, ignoring paper values altogether.

Needless to say, both cars came with the same six-speed, semi-automatic direct-shift gearbox (DSG) with an updated 4MOTION Haldex all-wheel drive that enables any amount of power to be distributed to the set of wheels that have the most grip.

0-100 km/h tests reveal the R36 to be 0.42 seconds faster than the R32. Variables of one passenger, a full tank of 98-octane petrol and an ambient temperature of 32 degrees centigrade (measured from both cars' on-board computer), were present. Launch control with both transmissions set to "Sport" mode (S) was used.

Where the R32 lost thrust was between engine speeds of 2,000 rpm to 3,000 rpm, and beyond 5,500 rpm to the 6,850 rpm limit. The R36's engine felt consistently punchier throughout those little "black holes" of the smaller VR6. The 3.6-litre warhorse also felt less out of breath when pushed to its rev-limit.
Both cars will get to their quoted top speed in about the same time, with the R36 being ahead by about one and a half to two car-lengths. But all of these will go unfelt by our relatively accurate butt dynos if these two cars weren't driven side-by-side.

6th gear in the R36 was a significant improvement, especially when accelerating from 2,000 rpm upwards. It's a lazy unit, and prefers to surfs on a strong wave of torque rather than match the rev-happy Audi RS4, much less a BMW in-line six. As for aural pleasure, a longer set of exhaust pipes might also explain the lack of snap, crackle and pop that the Golf R32's so talented at providing.

Ride and handling

Firmness. That's what you'll feel when driving the Passat. And it's far more so than the R32, especially within the speed limits of local roads. It isn't as compliant as an Audi A6, per se, but there is a magic compromise between ride comfort and all-out driving business, which is something we will touch on next.

The steering on both cars are extremely well weighted and precise for a Volkswagen-Audi group car. We would rate them as second to that of the RS6. The only area of concern would be the hydraulic system's incapability to respond to fast load changes, potentially affecting the driver's ability to make snap directional change under adverse situations with the ESP turned off.

Fortunately, it's unlikely that owners of these cars will ever find themselves in such a pickle due to the "understeery" nature of both cars. The front-heavy Golf R32 responds well to the typical "cowboy" driver who punishes his car tyres with sudden, drastic weight transfers. The front end will push slightly wide to warn that you're doing too much, and then it will push wider, and wider, and™ well you get the idea.

However, the overall grip limits set by this car are so high, we didn't think that would've been a problem either. 0.93 g was clocked during a hard right-hander with all but a chirp from the car's Dunlop SP Sport tyres.

The R36 is of course, heavier, but overall a more balanced handling machine. It's entirely possible to "have it your way, sideways" when you defeat the ESP. Predictably, the cabin is much quieter and it feels more at home when the speedometer reads beyond twelve-o-clock. But given its weight, you'll also have to get used to a hefty turn-in.
Where we valued the 4Motion most was in the wet. With no perceptible difference in cornering limits, it was safe to say that guts expired long before grip. Consider that we don't come across cars that screech their tyres in the rain everyday.

And if you're hoping for the R36 to be a baby Audi RS4, you're going be disappointed. Yes, it's very easy to drive quickly, and the Passat easily achieves 75-per cent of what the Audi can do in a straight line. But where the RS4 is capable of a tail-happy, four wheel drift, the VW manages that to a certain extent before it is overcome by weight and steering deficiencies.

And if you're planning on blazing up and down Cameron Highlands in the space of an hour, be sure to provide the brakes with sufficient cooling opportunities. They get slightly mushy after 10 to 15 minutes of constant punishing. They might also be a little grabby at car park speeds, but otherwise work extraordinary well in the wet, again.

So, what now?

The general outcome of this comparison was that of what we were hoping for - both the Golf R32 and Passat R36 are cars of different character despite the underlying similarities. The bigger "R" excels in areas that make it a worthy choice over the R32, and the same can be said for the Golf with respect to the Passat.

So if you value passenger space, high-speed cruising abilities over massive distances, and a little sideways entertainment at the expense of slightly reduced mid-corner grip, then the Passat's yours for around ten grand more than the price of the R32.

For $161,300, expect to get a sunroof, those San Remo-Vienna leather seats that provide 14-ways of adjustment, dual-zone climate control air-conditioning, cruise control, a ten speaker 250 Watt six-CD in-car entertainment system that's iPod ready, the full function trip computer, a self-dimming rear-view mirror, front and rear acoustic parking sensors, one touch power windows and self-folding, heated power mirrors.