Dissapointing R36

[Nico76]

Hi All,

I've had my R36 for about 3 months now & to be honest I'm a little underwhelmed. It has just over 50 000k's & has been serviced by VW at the regular intervals.

My main gripe is the gearbox. I find that I'm always either in a gear too high (when in Drive) or a gear too low (when in Sport). Maybe this is because I've always owned manuals & this is a characteristic of auto's that I just need to get used to / live with. But man, it's frustrating. I find myself having to use the paddles alot of the time just to avoid the frustration!

Secondly, now that I've owned the R36 for a while it really doesn't feel particularly fast. Even compared to my previous Liberty 3.0R Spec B that I came out of, I'd say the VW feels somewhat gutless. I could always kick the Subaru into Sport # mode & be guaranteed a fun drive. But again, maybe that's because it was manual?! On paper the Passat has 25% more power & 20% more torque than the Subaru (though it does weigh 15% more).

I'd be very interested to hear the thoughts of other R36 owners, as it seems from reading though the forum that all other owners love their R36's...

[XXX-1.8T]

I think its because you are used to manuals.

HPA do a DSG flash which i heard makes car drive like a manual and improves the DSG's capabilities by 100%.

Try that and i reckon it will make you happy!

[Jayse]

Hi All,

I've had my R36 for about 3 months now & to be honest I'm a little underwhelmed. It has just over 50 000k's

Wait, so you've done 50,000kms in 3 months? or you bought this 2nd hand??

I understand what you mean about full auto or sports, that's why i always drive in manual with the paddles. Def alot more fun with this method! I guess we all have different views/interpretations on "quick", but i find my .:R36 more than quick enough, especially living in the Nanny State.

Cheers,

Jayse.

[Nico76]

Cool. Spoke to a Tuner in Sydney who does the HPA tune. Interesting...

[Steve]

I agree with the way the drive and sport mode works. I rarely use either. I only ever use the "manual mode" around town, and drive on long highway drives. I think my car has only ever been in sport mode by accident!

[Lance B]

I agree that "Drive" always seems to be in too high a gear and "Sport" seems to be always in too low a gear. I almost never use the either auto selection, sport or Drive, and have always used manual selection and it works perfectly. The only time I have ever used the auto selection is when I want to have a drink of my coffee or whatever and I can't use my hand to shift gear.

I do think that VW should have a 3 position auto, "Sport" = current sport mode, "Economy" = current drive mode, and "Drive" which would be in between the two.

[Nico76]

I do think that VW should have a 3 position auto, "Sport" = current sport mode, "Economy" = current drive mode, and "Drive" which would be in between the two.

Agree. This is how the Subaru Si Drive works. It was explained to me by one of the Suby service tech's as..

1. Intelligent. Economy mode - 50% power, 50% torque
2. Sport. Default setting when car is started. Reasonably responsive & what I left it in 90% of the time. 100% power, 50% torque
3. Sport #. Unable to select this mode until car is sufficiently warm. 100% power, 100% torque.

[nivek]

I wonder how Suby's Si Drive works for manuals. For autos I assume it shifts more/less agressively based on the mode you select. But for manuals, isn't it all up to the driver??

[Nico76]

Mine was manual. It's all tied into the drive-by-wire throttle.

[kleung]

My main gripe is the gearbox. I find that I'm always either in a gear too high (when in Drive) or a gear too low (when in Sport). Maybe this is because I've always owned manuals & this is a characteristic of auto's that I just need to get used to / live with. But man, it's frustrating. I find myself having to use the paddles alot of the time just to avoid the frustration!

The DSG does take a bit of getting used to, and I think it depends a lot on your driving style. To a certain extent, the gearbox should 'learn' your driving style, and adapt its shift pattern to match. If it can't adapt far enough, then you probably just have to use the paddles.

Secondly, now that I've owned the R36 for a while it really doesn't feel particularly fast. Even compared to my previous Liberty 3.0R Spec B that I came out of, I'd say the VW feels somewhat gutless.

I found the opposite - I never test-drove the 3.0R, but I did test the GT several times, and found it thoroughly underwhelming - at least in terms of power delivery. The turbo lag drove me nuts. Jump in the R36, and there's always instant power every time you get on the loud pedal.

Other than that, it was a very nice car to drive. Good auto, very clear instruments, excellent stereo, felt very well built, good materials. I almost bought a near-new GT, then I came across the R36 - more power, faster, more toys, DSG, nicer cabin, German build, more options + brand new car vs used car. Essentially (for me) the GT had nothing on the R36 other than Japanese build, symmetrical AWD and the McIntosh stereo.

I could always kick the Subaru into Sport # mode & be guaranteed a fun drive. But again, maybe that's because it was manual?! On paper the Passat has 25% more power & 20% more torque than the Subaru (though it does weigh 15% more).

In wagon form, yes. In sedan form, the difference is closer to 10%. And the extra weight does make itself felt at times. I wonder if the symmetrical AWD in the Subie also made a noticeable difference?