Sports saloon from surprising brand can match BMW M3 for speed and can be yours for almost 90% less
PETROLHEADS can pick a souped-up super saloon that matches the speed of a BMW M3 – but can be found at a fraction of the price.
This cool-looking motor also comes with plenty of luxury and refinement inside – all despite costing under £10,000.
The cracking Volkswagen Passat R36 is a notoriously fast saloon with a handful of design tweaks over the standard family Passat.
It can hit 0-52mph in a very impressive 5.6 seconds and can reach a limited top speed of 155 mph – similar to the M3.
First launched in 2007, the Passat R36 with its 3.6-litre (hence the name ‘R36’) V6 engine is capable of 296 bhp, and was made to compete with the likes of BMW and Audi in the exciting saloon niche.
The R36 features a host of little extras drivers don’t get from the regular Passat, such as front and rear spoilers, four-wheel drive, a paddle shift gearbox.
To the trained eye, that’s also 18-inch aluminium alloy wheels, a 20mm lowered suspension, and even ‘R’ engraved stainless steel pedals and Recaro seats with the R36 logo.
According to EVO, prices for the R36 from new started at just over £32,000 for the most basic iteration.
We, however, were able to find a range-topper from 2008 for just £9,995.
That’s nearly 90% cheaper than the price of a current BMW M3.
Available from the AutoTrader website, this Passat R36 boasts just 84,000 miles on the clock and features an automatic gearbox.
Interestingly, it even comes with a professionally installed sound system by Studio Incar.
They added: “This is a lovely well looked after car with all the R36 refinements.”
This comes as VW recently revealed a one-off sporty hatchback with an incredibly unique feature that mirrors a legendary model from the 1990s.
Sun Motors were also given exclusive details on a second-hand VW hatchback that’s versatile, spacious and well-equipped.