R36 ordered...

[Luminary]

Hi all,

I found this forum a few days ago prior to ordering my R36. I had been considering a new car for a while and the Passat CC was what sparked my interest in VW initially. I test drove the petrol and the diesel last week and while I enjoyed the petrol engine, the diesel was vastly more sensible so I had decided that would be the model to get.

Even so the petrol engines performance had me hooked in a way... and the 4 seat aspect of the CC together with some increasing misgivings about its styling made me feel unsatisfied with getting the diesel CC - or the CC at all for that matter.

I had gotten to the VW, by eliminating Audi, then BMW and Subaru... and that's when I saw the R36 in black in the parking lot of Greenslopes Hospital in Brisbane. I arranged a test drive and on Saturday after a 20 min drive I was convinced that this was the car for me.

I ended up ordering the white sedan, with Satnav, sunroof, MDI, tint (street legal) for $68k.

After seeing all the blue versions I have been wondering whether I should change my order to blue before it's too late... but I have a black car now (Accord) and the small scratches and showing up of dirt mean I don't want another black car... and that extends to darker colours like blue too. I think I'd be happy with the scratch camouflage of the white more... but the blue is the signature colour and all.... but then again you can only get the white if you have the sunroof too... so it will be a bit less common again.

I don't know... I'm in two minds but I'm still leaning towards white. I did like the Passat GT pictures in white and think the darkened rear lights etc. looks really nice against the white. It also sets off the brakes a bit more.

The sunroof is funny in that I've had one in every car since my Integra VtiR back in 1996 (that I drove for 6 years). The one in the CC is what made me dislike that model most. Its panoramic sunroof is tilt only and only has a thin curtain blocking out the sun. Hated it and is really what steered me most to the R36. I would have like some other things like the adaptive cruise, and maybe even park assist (yeah I'm a techno freak) but overall I was absolutely rapt with the R36 on driving it.

The fuel consumption freaks me out a bit, but it's obviously not a deal breaker.

So yeah.... white or blue... and the long 3-4 month wait... knowing I'll use the car for 3 months and then have 12 months depreciation on the price... I'm planning to keep this one for 5-6 years. Current Accord has been with me 3.5 years.

Look forward to reading more here....

[Rocket36]

Wow! That story is so similar to mine... Went in to look at the CC, ended up with the R36. Wanted white, ended up with blue. Drove the Merc E-Class, BMW 3 and 5 Series, Audi A4, RS4 and A6. The value for money Volkswagen over anything else from Europe is amazing! Especially when talking bang for buck! Not to mention the seats in the R36 are better than an M3 for example. There is no compromise in quality, engineering or performance in the VW when comparing to other Euros but there's $30k - $80k difference in price (when comparing performance as well).

My advice regarding colour. White is the new black. The R36 looks sensational in white and I would still love a white one. But the Biscay Blue is the "hero colour" or "signature colour" of the R range and honestly, I have grown to REALLY love the colour It's a real stand out. So while the car is a nice subtly styled performer, the blue gives it the bit of a "stand out" I think the white lacks. Don't get me wrong, I think white R36's are still great cars to look at. But I'm happy with the blue. I also think in terms of resale, the "hero colour" or "signature colour" an R series model will make it that much easier to sell.

Like you I would have loved the Adaptive Cruise Control for those situations on the highway when someone's overtaking you and you're coming up behind someone and have to brake. But it's a small thing to miss out on for what is ultimately a brilliant car! You won't be disappointed. Is that a drive away price by the way? My options are Sunroof & SatNav and my drive away price was $70k. $68k is that bit better again so well done! I was also lucky that mine was a brand new (11km) model in the showroom. 4 days from making the decision to it being in my garage. I can't imaging how painful it would be to wait up to 4 months!

[vdeknock]

I am just waiting to confirm that I will have a job after my project of 4 years ends in 2 months. I am only interested in the Blue - but would like to see a white one first. Do like the price you paid. Will be interested to see if the dealers in Perth are willing to work as hard for the deal.

I will be testing a Ford GE6T as well given I have an XR6T and think the engine is the bext turbo six. The rest of the cars you tested are too expensive so I am not even going to look. $68K is going to be close to the limit of what I can sell to the wife and After I purchaed a Megane RS225 without her driving it she will be coming with me this time so it had better be easy to drive.

[Rocket36]

I've always been a Holden driver until the R36 but that G6ET is such good value for money. Decent luxury level and so much power and torque for the dollars. It's definitely better than anything Holden have in the same class. I'd have it over a V8 powered Calais for example (having had the V8 Calais). It will certainly go faster than the R36 but I still think the overall package of the R36 is a lot better (yes I've driven the G6ET - it's the work car). The R36 just doesn't feel as fast as it is to drive. It's so effortless and quiet but that exhaust note makes every who hears it horny!

[Luminary]

My advice regarding colour. White is the new black. The R36 looks sensational in white and I would still love a white one. But the Biscay Blue is the "hero colour" or "signature colour" of the R range and honestly, I have grown to REALLY love the colour It's a real stand out. So while the car is a nice subtly styled performer, the blue gives it the bit of a "stand out" I think the white lacks. Don't get me wrong, I think white R36's are still great cars to look at. But I'm happy with the blue. I also think in terms of resale, the "hero colour" or "signature colour" an R series model will make it that much easier to sell.

I'm in the same frame of mind. I love the white since I test drove the white sedan one of the dealers was using as his vehicle so I had the chance to see it and appreciate it in white. I haven't seen the biscay blue in real life...

But looking at this picture...



is really really sorely tempting... despite the scratches showing up easier and all... The problem is that I know I'll be lazy washing it after a few months and that will really show on the blue.

I'm on the verge of calling the dealer tomorrow and telling them to change it to blue... I'll sleep on it tonight. They said a week before its locked in.

My options are Sunroof & SatNav and my drive away price was $70k. $68k is that bit better again so well done! I was also lucky that mine was a brand new (11km) model in the showroom. 4 days from making the decision to it being in my garage. I can't imaging how painful it would be to wait up to 4 months!

$68k is my drive away price; but I had to bargain hard for all the extra things. The original salesperson was a bit overwhelmed with my negotiating so they got another of their 'heavyweights' in for the final round who managed to close the deal - and I think I paid about $200 more than I had to but I let them save face since I want them to feel good about it when they deliver my car (vs grudgingly and thinking of me negatively)... and they were very agreeable to all our requests etc, and provided good service.

But how much is 4 months wait worth? ... I'd sooner have it now for a bit more I think... but oh well... that's life.

[Luminary]

After I purchaed a Megane RS225 without her driving it she will be coming with me this time so it had better be easy to drive.

My wife became very unsettled driving it for just a few hundred metres.

We were on some back streets and I gave her the wheel. She was overwhelmed by the throttle response quickly accelerating to about 70-80km/h and scaring the living daylights out of me as we approached a traffic calming swerve in the road.

I thought... that's it... insurance excess cheque... pain... and I called out for her to brake... and disaster was averted... though the bite of the brakes was a real shock to her.

She was so jolted she pulled over and said that was it for her.... hope it's better for you

[faisan]

White with sunroof looks amazing so I would stick with that colour.

[Luminary]

White with sunroof looks amazing so I would stick with that colour.

It's hard to decide to be honest but it's ordered as white... so I don't have to do anything to keep it that way...

Here's a photo of the car I test drove... the lighting was bad... and choice of angles etc. did nothing for the image but here they are anyway...





I don't know if it was just the lighting but the darkened rear lights look great on against the white body. My wife was not convinced by the blue when I showed her on the website but the white was awesome to her in real life and she remarked how different it was in person and she loved its looks. Made a real difference to convincing her... and she was amazed by the performance too, even if she didn't get a fair chance to drive it.

[Rocket36]

Regarding dirt showing on the Biscay Blue, I was a bit worried and it will show more than the white. There is no way I'll ever own another black car. They look the best when clean, but then 10 minutes later that's all over! lol But the blue is actually pretty resistant to showing the dirt. I can consider my car dirty and other people laugh at me. It's nowhere near as bad as black. Put it this way, you can't really tell when white is dirty except up close. It'll still look good. You can tell when black is dirty and it won't look as good as a white car in the same state. Blue is somewhere in between but closer to white in that regard.

I'm doing a photoshoot with my car on Saturday afternoon after a full on professional detail. I'll post them as soon as I get home. Should look amazing hopefully. Help you decide...

[Steve]

My R36 is blue, as when I placed the order waaaay back in January 2008 the only colours offered were blue, black, and silver.

Blue is good, and it is very distinctive and has the R car aura about it - but I reckon the R36 looks great in white and I'd almost prefer that over blue. If it were an option at the time I placed the order then I'd have ordered one in white.

Blue does get dirty...