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2007 Volkswagen Passat R36 Sedan And Wagon

November 23, 2006 on 12:41 am | In Luxury Cars |

The Passat R36 will be available as a sedan or wagon. Either has a 300-horsepower version of the 3.6-liter narrow-angle six-cylinder, which is twenty more than it makes in the standard Passat 3.6.

The R36 comes standard with VW’s exclusive DSG twin-clutch transmission and 4Motion all-wheel drive, and is available in the same Deep Blue Pearl paint that made its debut on the GTI-based R32.

The R36 receives an exterior makeover with R-specific bumpers, darkened LED taillights, bi-xenon headlights, a rear spoiler, matte-chrome exclusive front grille, chrome side accents, and body-colored side skirts and fender flares. R36-exclusive eighteen-inch “Omanyt” wheels carry 235/40-18 tires, and the rear end is punctuated with twin chrome exhaust tips.

Inside, the instrument cluster, now lit in white instead of blue and red, is visible through an R steering wheel, the shift lever is alumized, and the “Engine Spin” R logo is repeated on the aluminum pedals and front door thresholds. Heated sports seats are fitted all-around, with the fronts 12-way electrically adjustable.

With no mention of any suspension or brake upgrades, the R36 is more of an appearance package than anything. This comes as a bit of a surprise, since the R32 was such a thoroughly integrated package built upon the GTI.