Category: Large Family 
Price Range: £17,610 to £32,995
Quick; good DSG gearbox; refined V6 engine.
Firm ride; thirsty; concerns over quality.
The undercover R36 hides its power behind conservative styling .
Volkswagen's Passat has the reputation of being, well, a bit boring. This is not entirely deserved.
True, the Passat is one of the most conservatively-styled cars on the road (although the latest model is the best-looking yet). And its owners do tend to be fairly normal, upstanding citizens who think that BMWs are for flash gits with high opinions of themselves.
So Volkswagen has rather confounded expectations with its latest addition to the range: the 3.6-litre V6-powered R36.
The R36 is a quick, powerful estate car that catches you - and every other driver on the road - somewhat by surprise when you start to squeeze the throttle. You certainly don't expect a raucous-sounding V6 to snarl back. If you ever want a car to confound your local boy racers this is it, especially in this family-man estate form.
But despite being a bit mad, the R36 still has all the Passat's usual virtues: it's comfortable, roomy and highly usable. Unfortunately, this mix of insanity and good sense comes at a price: £32,150, which can easily rise to £38K once you start adding the likes of sat nav and leather seats.
So is it worth spending that kind of money for a fast Passat?
