EVEN as it is making small, efficient twin-charged engines, Volkswagen reckons there is still a market for big, bad, naturally aspirated power plants.

It has shoehorned a 300-horse, 3.6-litre V6 into a Passat to make a sedan and a station wagon for folks who don't particularly care about pump prices.

Available in sedan and estate body shapes, the R36 Passat is fitted with a six-speed DSG transmission, all-wheel-drive and is capable of hitting 100kmh in

5.6 seconds. The cars are shod with 18-inch wheels and sit 20mm closer to the road than ordinary Passats.

This article was first published in The Straits Times on May 3, 2008.