Topic: Passat R36

[Mitlov]

http://www.netcarshow.com/volkswagen/2007-passat_r36/

304 horsepower V6; six-speed DSG transmission; 4MOTION all-wheel-drive.  0 to 62mph in 5.6 seconds for the sedan, 5.8 for the wagon.

So do people find it exciting, or just kind of embarassing after the "unpimp your ride" TV campaign?

[terry0703]

http://www.netcarshow.com/volkswagen/2007-passat_r36/

304 horsepower V6; six-speed DSG transmission; 4MOTION all-wheel-drive.  0 to 62mph in 5.6 seconds for the sedan, 5.8 for the wagon.

So do people find it exciting, or just kind of embarassing after the "unpimp your ride" TV campaign?

Great to see the fastest non-tuned car in VW..
but I highly doubt it'll ever come to North America since we already have Passa V6(280HP) + 4MOTION.
Considering Passat V6 in Europe is 250HP and it is the greatest car maker there, R36 does make sense..(Even if the price is a bit too high, there will be some demands after all.)
But, we already have 280HP Passat+4MOTION and it's already CDN$45K+. I'm sure it'll make over $50K, and wouldn't make much sense to people in North America..
Well at least it's quite exciting to see a Passat(as a 2.0T driver) which runs 0-100km/h in less than 6 seconds.

[Julie]

I like the look of the regular Passat a lot.

I have to admit, I'm not too crazy about the front spoiler, especially when you contrast it to the rear. IMO, the difference makes the rear look more plain. Hmm...... on second thought, maybe it's the rear they should fancy up then....

The seats look really comfortable!, and I love the esthetics of the interior, especially that small steering wheel and that special metallic trim.

[onearmed]

The question is, could they bring it over here for about $50 000 which is what a nicely equipped IS350 would be.  Could the bigger VW and AWD compete with a luxury marque such as a lexus IS350???  I personally don't think so, but I'm sure there would be a few that would like it.

I actually think this R36 Passat looks great.

[Mitlov]

The question is, could they bring it over here for about $50 000 which is what a nicely equipped IS350 would be.  Could the bigger VW and AWD compete with a luxury marque such as a lexus IS350???  I personally don't think so, but I'm sure there would be a few that would like it.

Not to mention you can get Audi's own A4 3.2 quattro for that price...

[onearmed]

The question is, could they bring it over here for about $50 000 which is what a nicely equipped IS350 would be.  Could the bigger VW and AWD compete with a luxury marque such as a lexus IS350???  I personally don't think so, but I'm sure there would be a few that would like it.

Not to mention you can get Audi's own A4 3.2 quattro for that price...

I mean slap that engine in an audi A4 sell it for $52000 and you'll be laughing to the bank.  The VW marque for 50000 is a hard pill to swallow.  Where's the passat city?? 

[Julie]

The question is, could they bring it over here for about $50 000 which is what a nicely equipped IS350 would be.  Could the bigger VW and AWD compete with a luxury marque such as a lexus IS350???  I personally don't think so, but I'm sure there would be a few that would like it.

Not to mention you can get Audi's own A4 3.2 quattro for that price...

I mean slap that engine in an audi A4 sell it for $52000 and you'll be laughing to the bank.  The VW marque for 50000 is a hard pill to swallow.  Where's the passat city?? 

Good point. They'd need to put it under the Audi nameplate...

[Snowman]

The new Passat is a beautiful piece of engineering and find it visually attractive.  I would have no problem paying in the mid $45k rage for this car. I’m not a badge snob so having the Audi equivalent is of no interest to me for a few thousand more.

[mdxtasy]

Badge snobbery is only for inner city yuppie dwellers. 

[mdxtasy]

VW has tried to price some of their cars on the high side and I haven't seen it work all that well.  There's not enough people willing to pay that sort of money and get the badge, service, and ownership experience that the VW brand carries.  If you want to charge more, up the service quality and people may start to consider it.  The content of the cars like the Passat are very high in tactile quality and feel....

$50k is a lot of money...

[Mitlov]

Badge snobbery is only for inner city yuppie dwellers. 

VW has tried to price some of their cars on the high side and I haven't seen it work all that well.  There's not enough people willing to pay that sort of money and get the badge, service, and ownership experience that the VW brand carries.  If you want to charge more, up the service quality and people may start to consider it.  The content of the cars like the Passat are very high in tactile quality and feel....

Change your mind in eight minutes?

While badge snobbery is an issue for some, I think VW's not-exactly-legendary customer service is more of an issue.  Given that, statistically speaking, you might have a few extra visits to the service department with a VW/Audi product, I'd want my $50k to at least get me into the Audi service department.

[mdxtasy]

Change your mind in eight minutes?

Got confused with all them buttons....I'm all thumbs when it comes to computers. 

While badge snobbery is an issue for some, I think VW's not-exactly-legendary customer service is more of an issue.  Given that, statistically speaking, you might have a few extra visits to the service department with a VW/Audi product, I'd want my $50k to at least get me into the Audi service department.

Exactly.  Badge panache is only one small part of VW's pricing failure.

[Triple Bob]

The R36 looks fantastic!

And if it's anything like the R32 it'll sell like hotcakes in Europe, maybe not to you badge snobs though.... you'll be missing out.

 

http://www.pistonheads.com/news/default.asp?storyId=15583

[JSCC]

The question is, could they bring it over here for about $50 000 which is what a nicely equipped IS350 would be.  Could the bigger VW and AWD compete with a luxury marque such as a lexus IS350???  I personally don't think so, but I'm sure there would be a few that would like it.

Not to mention you can get Audi's own A4 3.2 quattro for that price...

I mean slap that engine in an audi A4 sell it for $52000 and you'll be laughing to the bank.  The VW marque for 50000 is a hard pill to swallow.  Where's the passat city?? 

You can call it whatever City you want:
http://www.vw.cn/publish/en/index.html

Santana = B4 Passat
Passat = B5 Passat
Maragon = B6 Passat

Jetta = A3 Jetta
Bora = A4 Jetta
Sagitor = A5 Jetta

Gol = A3 Golf
Golf = A4 Golf
N/A = A5 Golf

Polo = Polo
Caddy =
Touran = Touran

[abmv]

I don't know why most of the people compare the Passat R36 to BMW 335 Touring, Audi A4 Avant 3.2 and Lexus IS350 but not 530 Touring, A6 Avant 4.2 and GS300.

For spacious:
R36 > GS300, 335 Touring, A4 Avant and IS350

For Luxurious:
R36 > 335 Touring, A4 Avant

For performances:
R36 > A4 Avant 3.2, A6 Avant 4.2, 530 Touring and GS300

Please suggestion any brand, any model which can beat R36's spacious, luxurious, performances and price at the same time?

[rrocket]

I don't know why most of the people compare the Passat R36 to BMW 335 Touring, Audi A4 Avant 3.2 and Lexus IS350 but not 530 Touring, A6 Avant 4.2 and GS300.

For spacious:
R36 > GS300, 335 Touring, A4 Avant and IS350

For Luxurious:
R36 > 335 Touring, A4 Avant

For performances:
R36 > A4 Avant 3.2, A6 Avant 4.2, 530 Touring and GS300

Please suggestion any brand, any model which can beat R36's spacious, luxurious, performances and price at the same time?

I dunno...the Lexus GS350 comes close.  It's more luxurious, it's .1 slower to 60 (5.7 OR 5.3 seconds according to Road and Track!!) and I'm not sure what the interior dimensions are for the Passat...and the Lexus will be more reliable....

[mmret]

Needs to lose the garish aluminum / CF trim.

[horngrabber]

absolutely stunning...