Volkswagen Australia has announced a flagship 206TSI R-Line will join the Passat range later this year, in sedan and wagon form. The new car promises some impressive performance figures as well as some cosmetic and chassis enhancements.
It’s powered by the same 2.0-litre turbocharged inline four as the Golf R and Skoda Superb 206TSI, producing 206kW and 350Nm of twist. All-wheel drive is standard as is a six-speed DSG dual-clutch gearbox.
The car is seen as a successor to the old Passat R36, which had 220kW of power but the same 350Nm of torque via a 3.6-litre naturally aspirated V6. Nevertheless, the newer car manages a 5.5-second sprint for 0-100km/h (5.7 for the wagon) against the old car’s 5.6. This could be down to the 206TSI’s wider peak torque spread, across 1700-5600rpm, compared with 2400-5300rpm for the old R36.
It wasn’t that long ago when XR6 Turbo Falcons and SS Commodores were achieving these 0-100km/h figures, using much larger turbo six-cylinder and V8 engines. For a four-cylinder to be as quick is surely an achievement.
The 206TSI R-Line also features adaptive chassis control as standard, which is part of a $3400 Tech Pack in the Skoda Superb 206TSI sister car. The Skoda does have a cheaper entry price though, at $50,690.
The Passat 206TSI starts at $57,990 for the sedan and $59,990 for the wagon. Options include a panoramic roof for $2000 and metallic paint adds another $700 to the bottom line. They arrive in November.
