VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT 206TSI
For wagon lovers not ready to embrace an SUV, VW is out to seduce you with this
VOLKSWAGEN MAY be set to offer a comprehensive range of R-badged performance SUVs from next year, but the German brand isn’t yet willing to abandon sporty estates.
Ahead of the next-generation Golf R wagon due in early 2022, the Passat 206TSI R-Line has returned from a WLTP-enforced two-year sabbatical to again headline the company’s large car line-up.
It will be joined later this year by the Passat-based Arteon Shooting Brake 206TSI R-Line, forming a double-act of temptations for Australians pining for a contemporary version of the Passat R36 last sold more than a decade ago.
Priced from $63,790, it’s slightly cheaper than the old R36, while also undercutting both the equivalent sloping-roofed Arteon Shooting
Brake (by just over $5000) and the closely related Skoda Superb 206TSI Sportline 4x4 (by just over $2000).
Within the Passat range, the R-Line brings a more athletic aesthetic over the Elegance and Alltrack Passat wagons with its bodykit bumpers and sills, rear roof spoiler, tinted glass (from B-pillar backwards) and larger, 19-inch matte-graphite wheels.
R badging for the dimpled-leather steering wheel and thickly bolstered, black leather-appointed seats lend the interior some sporting flavour without allowing the cabin to stray too far from the Passat’s executive ethos.
There’s a greater consistency to materials quality compared with the new Mark 8 Golf, while this generation of Passat – now into its sixth year – avoids the small car’s slightly controversial, minimalist approach to buttons.
A climate control panel remains in sight rather than, as with the Golf, being secreted in the infotainment touchscreen. It’s just a shame the modern touch-style buttons for adjusting temperature and fan speed feel so numb.
Technology ticks beyond the Passat’s array of various driver aids include a fully digital driver display, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and a Harman Kardon audio that encourages a higher volume.
Omissions include speed-limit reading, head-up display, and wireless smartphone charging.
In VW tradition, storage options are plentiful throughout the cabin, and passengers front and back can choose a different temperature to the driver.
Retract the blind for the panoramic glass sunroof and the entire cabin is bathed in extra light, and there’s excellent vision for all occupants including driver.
If the ISOFIX-equipped outboard seats aren’t being used for child seats, older family members, friends or colleagues are treated to supportively scalloped seats and plentiful space.
As with the Elegance wagon, the R-Line’s boot is practical beyond its generous volume with features such as gesture auto tailgate, two-stage cargo blind, net partition, 12-volt socket and release levers for folding the 40-20-40 rear seatbacks flat.
There’s a presumption that 206TSI R-Line buyers are seeking more than practicality, otherwise they could simply choose the Elegance wagon and pocket about $12,000 in savings. The flagship duly delivers extra performance with
the bonuses of 4Motion AWD traction and an extra 44kW (though a 350Nm peak torque is shared).
Volkswagen isn’t quoting 0-100km/h times for the latest Passat range, though today’s 206TSI should be a sub6.0-second vehicle like its 2016 version.
It doesn’t feel scintillatingly quick, though the R-Line builds pace in a satisfyingly linear and determined fashion, with the strongest of throttle applications accompanied by a rousing snarl from the turbo four once again borrowed from the Golf R.
The six-speed dual-clutch auto is effective if left alone, though the driver has the option of paddles.
The transmission can take a moment to react when the driver tries to accelerate from a stationary position, and the Auto Hold function is important for hills.
Pop the Passat into Sport mode to stiffen the dampers, and body control improves noticeably over the Comfort and Normal settings.
Sport also brings some invaluable extra weighting, if no extra meaningful communication, to the steering.
The chassis delivers straight-bat handling rather than flashing-coverdrive cornering, which should perhaps be expected for a model badged R-Line rather than R.
Consider the 206TSI as a GT wagon rather than a performance estate and it’s far more pleasing.
With the softer damping forces of either Comfort or Normal, the Passat’s ride is thoroughly relaxing, operating in tandem with the effortless engine to reel off big drives with ease.
The R-Line seats also help reduce driver fatigue with excellent all-round support and comfort, with tyre rumble from the 235/40R19 Pirelli Cinturato P7 tyres the only slight intrusion on cabin serenity.
Two running-costs points worth noting: Servicing costs are relatively high and the 206TSI engine requires 98 Premium. Our test drive indicated an average of 9.0 litres for every 100km, with the official consumption set at 8.1L/100km.
If ownership costs aren’t a dealbreaker and you’re not holding expectations for a cut-price Audi RS4 Avant, then the VW Passat 206TSI R-Line wagon delivers a well-judged blend of practicality and upmarket feel with a respectable modicum of sportiness.