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Volkswagen Passat R Will Not Happen, But a Spiritual Successor is in The Works

Sporty midsize sedans and wagons are so 2005, right? Not exactly, as some of the oldest contenders of the segment are reconsidering launching the modern equivalent of their old brutes in business suits.
Volkswagen Passat R36 Variant 6 photos
Photo: Volkswagen
2010 Volkswagen Passat R36 Variant2010 Volkswagen Passat R36 Variant2010 Volkswagen Passat R36 Variant2010 Volkswagen Passat R362010 Volkswagen Passat R36
One of the least known models from this breed was the Volkswagen Passat R36, which was also available in wagon form. The car was discontinued due to lagging sales and stricter environmental standards.

Volkswagen’s diehard fans kept expecting a successor, but the German automaker failed to deliver such a model after it discontinued the R36 and its eccentric engines.

Fortunately for those that remained faithful to the Wolfsburg brand, which is not easy these days if you are informed about the emissions scandal, Volkswagen will make something close to a Passat R36, but not quite. First of all, the R36 name is scrapped because there is no way in hell Volkswagen is going to sell a 3.6-liter gasoline engine in a Passat these days.

Sources close to the matter claim that Volkswagen was considering the launch of a high-end Passat, which would have been the new R36. Unfortunately, it did not get the thumbs up from the board, mainly because the Volkswagen Group is cutting costs these days to keep things in check after its emissions scandal.

Instead of R36, the extraordinary version of the Passat was supposed to be named R. It was supposed to replace the old VR6 engine with a new 2.0-liter four cylinder unit for the successor, which was meant to develop more power and torque than the old Rs used to deliver. Evidently, there was no VR6 noise there, and the car would have been more understated that its predecessors.

Fortunately, we already know that Volkswagen is planning to launch a spiritual successor of the R36, which will come in the form of a 280 HP model named Passat 206TSI R-Line in Australia. This R-Line Passat would therefore be the closest thing that Volkswagen offers as a contemporary R36. Is it enough? We will have to be patient and see how the automaker rebuilds its reputation after the emissions scandal.
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About the author: Sebastian Toma
Sebastian Toma profile photo

Sebastian's love for cars began at a young age. Little did he know that a career would emerge from this passion (and that it would not, sadly, involve being a professional racecar driver). In over fourteen years, he got behind the wheel of several hundred vehicles and in the offices of the most important car publications in his homeland.
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