CC with a pinch of R
A Volkswagen that resembles a Mercedes CLS, has the same engine as a Porsche Cayenne and was more expensive when new than a BMW 335i. Sounds like an exotic and so is the Passat CC 3.6. For Robin Meester it is his dream car.
In the registration for this section, Robin mentions an R36 and even though that is not entirely correct, we approve. The same VR6 is also in the Passat Variant R36 that appeared after the CC. It is more focused on sportiness, where the four-door coupe should be a luxurious and elegant travel car. Robin added the pinch of R himself.
Every ride is a party
Robin’s VW sees almost the entire Benelux from the deck of an inland vessel. With his tanker, the skipper transports diesel based on used cooking oil to the inland ports. “I don’t drive many kilometers during the week, but even more so during the weekends and in my free time. Driving is a hobby and with the Passat I enjoy it even more. I have even driven it to Zandvoort and the Nordschleife. Every ride is a party. Last weekend I drove through a tunnel in Amsterdam. The exhaust has a valve system, so when they are open and I go full throttle, it roars wonderfully in such a tunnel. With the valves closed it is very civilized and you can hardly hear the engine idling.”
Half Bentley
Robin had significantly less luck with his previous V6. That was an Audi A5 3.2 FSI that burned quite a few liters of engine oil. “Really a shame, otherwise a nice car. I have always liked the Passat CC and with the 3.6 FSI it is a kind of R36. Actually, I now have half a Bentley, because the WR12 is derived from this engine. I first checked the history of this Passat and it turned out that the engine has already been overhauled, including a new timing chain. After purchasing I had the software adjusted. For me it was more about optimizing the switching behavior of the DSG than about more power. So it now goes to sixth gear later. I also added blue accents here and there, just like the R36 has. I actually wanted to put BlueMotion on the back.”
A Volkswagen Passat called Miep
An open exhaust and a bit of engine tuning; we are curious. Ghisbert did the first measurement with the valves closed, which sounded nice. The second opens with all the stops and then there seems to be a thoroughbred sports car on the bench. In that mode, the VR6 delivers its full power, but slightly less than the factory specifications. Robin is not at all disappointed. “Almost 300 hp and even a little more torque than original. Miep did a good job. Why is he called that? An ex-girlfriend once said about my Golf: ‘Why does your navigation make so much noise?’. Since then my car has been called Miep. The Golf was Miep 1, the Audi was Miep 2 and it was logically called Miep 3.6. The next job is a new canopy, which is hanging loose. Other than that, it’s a lot of fun and hoping that everything stays intact.”
– Thanks for information from Autoweek.nl