R36...pre-ordered!!!

[Vene]

Any idea when the car is due to arrive in Oz? I've heard its Sept 08, is this still current?

[Steve]

When I asked on Wednesday, the dealer said September at the latest. However, I'm hearing stories of April at the earliest...

[Vene]

Yep, Sept seems to be the due date for now. I think the R50 arrives in April. BTW - does anyone have any info on the new satnav/multimedia systems due out this year? I heard its got an SD card reader, DVD player, 3D satnav, iPod link, but no mention of bluetooth handsfree.

On a side note, I test drove the v6 FSI passat variant, would be interesting to compare it with the R36......another 40kws can't hurt.

[Steve]

Yeah, and nor can fixing the awful seats the V6 has!

The seats in a base model Commodore are better.

[Mischa]

mmmmm r36 300hp motor in an mk2.... mmmmm if one of you hates it when you get it just roll it will you so i can pick it up at an auction

[Vene]

Black it is! (or will be). There are still rumors of them coming with matt black grills and rims....if thats the case, it will be white.

Going to try & forget it now as I know it will be closer to 12 months before I see it...which will also keep my leasing company a little more on side ...still have the R32 to amuse myself with for a while!

Will keep everyone informed on the progress (final spec & price) and build dates and ETA. First Oz cars are due to go into production late Nov or early Dec, althought this may slip due to already existing OS demand (pre-orders in Germany & UK). ETA in the UK has slipped to April '08 alreday.

Just placed a pre-order deposit for a pearl effect blue R36. Expected delivery around Sept 2008. Dealer seems quite confident there'll be no further delays on the delivery date. Interesting point - the satnav option is being upgraded shortly, its the RNS510 is anyone is interested (already available in Europe).

Here goes 8 months of agony.....

[Steve]

Nice!

What was the price guesstimate and what options are available?

We wouldn't be ordering satnav because of what it does to the CD stacker - unless the RNS510 changes that.

Edit: I just had a look at the details of the RNS510 and it looks like a beauty. Hard drive based navigation, 20gb of hard drive space for music, and it plays MP3 files from a DVD (no need for a stacker now!) and on the wagon it includes a reversing camera - something we love about our Q7.

The now optional CD changer ($790) still lives in the centre console though.

September is a long way away... did you order the sedan or wagon?

[Vene]

Just over $80k with options (incl GST and onroads). The car comes quite well equiped as standard. I think the only options available at this stage is satnav (RNS510), auto tailgate and sunroof.

I can't wait to check out the RNS510. It has a SD card slot aswell so movies and music can be played from that media type. That's hundreds/thousands of songs depending on the size of card. But the best part is, no track skipping.

I went with the variant. I like the look and need the space. Something about a practical, family car that could launch to 100kmh in under 6s, gotta love it. Can't wait to test out the launch control feature.......

PS - I was told the production version will have a brushed metal finish on the interior. The blue is also slightly different to the R32 blue.....although visually difficult to compare unless they're next to each other. The only thing frustrating me (apart from the long wait) is the lack of Bluetooth. Well its still unclear atm, it seems its a dealer fitted accessory but from what I can find on the net, the RNS510 can be fitted with an optional bluetooth module (factory fitted). VGA can't (maybe won't) say if it'll be available in Oz. The dealer fitted version doesn't integrate with the GPS screen, would not make sense to go down this path.

[qsilverza]

I like the sound of this Passat, I hope they bring out another "Performance" Jetta or probably this will be it.

V6 FSI's will be a good buy in a few years, maybe something to upgrade to from my Bora Of course you can always get some R36 seats as a replacement

[Steve]

Hm, that's a little more than we were expecting but I'm sure I can get the OK - I'm going to place an order tomorrow.

I'm really looking forward to the sat-nav unit too - 20 gigs of hard drive space is available for music! Load all your most listened to albums on there and then the single CD/DVD player makes even more sense... and the SD slot AND the iPod input... oh yeah!

A brushed metal finish will be a lot nicer than the finish shown in the concept, which was the only thing I didn't like about the interior. The seats look great, especially with the microfibre cusions. One thing I hate about leather seats is sitting on them... I can't stand it. These should be better.

I'll pobably get Bluetooth if it's available. Our dealer didn't really know much about the R36 at all, so I guess this whole talk about options and accessories is speculative at the moment.