Living with my VW R36 Estate

My biscay blue R36 Estate complete with Chopped fingers and all!

So I purchased my R36 second hand roughly 6 months ago. In that time I have definitely put the car through it’s paces both in a practical and performance sense. Traveling around 10,000Km which consisted of daily commutes to University over an hour away along highways and inner city roads to driving in -4 degrees Celsius on an Alpine twisty road covered in snow. I tested the boot space and capabilities of the car one night at a friends house when I got a wee bit too drunk to drive home so my girlfriend and I ended up finding accommodation in the boot of the car. However, I will get to this later.

From a car that retailed at around $70,000 here in Australia back in 2008-10 to now where you can easily pick one up second hand in mint condition for $25,000 it does make for an attractive purchase. With the functionality of the car, the looks come on you know that wagons are the coolest cars (Note: 19” black Telladega Golf R wheels are not stock) and the amazing VR6 3.6l pushing out 220Kw (300hp) and 350Nm of torque which is linked to VAG’s 6 speed DSG twin clutch system and then to the All-Wheel-Drive Haldex which plants the power and torque down on the road superbly. All of this allows the car to reach 100kph (60mph) in 5.8sec for the wagon model (5.5sec for the sedan) which at the time was VW’s fastest ever production car.

It is truly one of the greatest daily drivers ever.

Moving from a 2.5l Subaru Liberty Manual sedan to a 3.6l VR6 DSG wagon has certainly been an experience. I still miss my notchy Subaru manual and the character of the car but I have definitely fallen in love with the intoxicating power of the VR6, the ease of the DSG and just the looks. Every time I park somewhere I always turn around and look back roughly 4-5 times.

Performance. 9/10. The car has a 3.6 litre VR6 which is characterised by the slight angle of the V-shape of the engine block. The engine produces 220kw (300hp) and 350Nm of torque which is more than enough to get you around. Coupled with the DSG it allows for very fast seamless gear changing that keeps the car well above 3000rpm for maximum torque range. The engine is placed horizontally in the engine bay which is typical of a front wheel drive car. However, the four wheel drive haldex system can shift 100% of the power to the rear wheels if needed but primarily sits in front wheel for general driving.

Here in Australia a lot of people my age (21) drive what is called a Holden Commodore which is just your standard 4 door sedan for those of you who are not familiar. These have a 3.6l V6 and are rear wheel drive. This may attribute as to why Australia have very strict laws on young drivers and their vehicles… Majority of my mates have these cars but a more responsible than most. We have pitted my R36 against 2 models being a 2005 and a 2013, both auto with sports shift mode. The result was both came no where near me on a 1/4 mile drag strip. I attributed this to the DSG shifting speeds and the Haldex getting off the line incredibly well. We tried a rolling start in 3rd gear both at the same RPM and again the R36 just pulled away easily. It came down to the R36 making 10 extra Kw of power and the shifting of the DSG.
I will finish the performance section by just saying it will beat all regular cars but with give irregular a run for their money.

The interior is made from brushed aluminum, leather and fabric. It is a nice place to sit. Everything is functional and feels quality. However it did not receive the upgrade that the Golf received at the same time which included a new sleeker designed steering wheel for example.
The seats are incredibly comfortable and hold you in very nicely they are also fully adjustable with presets available on the drivers seat. This is handy for speedy cornering and considering the stock suspension is more on the stiffer side the seats do make those unavoidable pot holes not so harsh. The main seats are heated which is nice during the colder months and the long trips to and from the snow. Would have to rate it a solid 8/10 for comfort, features and functionality.

My real world experiences over the past 6 months with the car have been interesting…
I did a large amount of general daily commuting to and from both work and University where the car was exceptional with comfort, ease and fuel economy (running 98 octane is not cheap). A major service was completed which included all oils and filters, a DSG and Haldex service which totaled at $1500AUD this was done by a VW specialist in my area. Making it a more expensive car to service than others. Parts are not cheap either, to replace the gearbox it is just a casual $4000AUD. I say this as it is the most likely part of the car to fail, mine is currently booked in to have it inspected. I believe it is the clutch pack that may require replace (pray for my bank account that that’s all it is).

The stock lowness of the car has been an issue with general driving when leaving car parks (see below). Turns out it was the block that was marginally too high causing my front right hand side bumper to pop all of the clips and break them in the process…

I have done a number of long trips to the alpine region nearest to me, one of them being roughly a 6 hour drive from where I live. The car was perfect on the country roads blasting away. Once we reached the 1330m point on the mountain road we were required to fit snow chains. Once again the height of the car became a problem once again…
We had to jack the car up so we could reach behind the wheel to ensure the chains didn’t come off and rip the front axle and brake components out along with it. One of the mountains chain fitters said he had seen it happen a few times over the years to the same models. This wouldn’t have been a problem if it had winter tires however in Australia they are not permitted for whatever reason, but they are not practical as we rarely get snow down to sea level.

All in all it has been awesome. Loving the car, loving the power and loving the practicality of an AWD wagon!
Looking to the future I have plans for some performance upgrades and a few modifications to make the car look and sound more aggressive.