575bhp Passat :)

Nice. Like the styling...understated.

Subtle my arse. You would know that grille/bumper wasn't a standard car when you saw it. Nice though.

Needs more power to be competetive. Maptun do more. One day Germans will learn to make reliable performance tuned engines.

?id=30 But until then, this should be enough. ?id=56

Subtle as in not covered by bloody boot spoilers, bonnet humps and acres of mesh.

Like Porsches?

And BWM and Audi and Mercedes

As I understand it BWM and Merc all make F1 engines, when was the last time a SAAB engine's car won anything?

Can't believe you think Germans do not make reliable powerful engines.

And its one thing having a powerful engine - but if you have a gearbox made of glass (i.e. all Saabs it seems...) then it doesn't really matter, as you won't even get the chance to torque steer yourself into a hedge.

They didn't do to bad here.

do quite well up the mountain.http://www.saabnet.com/tsn/press/020626.htmlAnd they have quite a history in Rally cross.http://www.popularmechanics.com/automotive/motor_sports/1268886.html I didn't say that germans couldn't build reliable engines (although VAG coil packs dpn't help), I said maybe they couldn't tune reliable engines that produced enough power.

F1 engine is British not German made by Ilmore near Northampton.

"boasts an extraordinary output of 575 horsepower"

Hardly extraordinary, 550-600 bhp from a 3.2 V6 is pretty poor for a professional tune. 575bhp is only 180bhp/L, that's amateur kerbside bolt on goodies power levels. The production Nissan SR20VET makes

140bhp/L.

There's an amateur tuned CA18DET 1809cc 4 pot engine running over

450rwhp, going to be close to 500bhp at fly - 277bhp/L. Stage 3 is 330bhp just using bolt on bits,180bhp/L. An I6 RB26DETT will make close to 500bhp when done by amateurs at the kerbside using bolt on stuff - 180+bhp/L. SR20DET runs to 360bhp using bolt on bits - 180bhp/L. Note that figure 180bhp/L = bolt on bits no engine internals needed.

Pro tuning firms have been getting 1000bhp+ from RB26's bored and stroked to 2.8L for the last 10 years - 375bhp/L. Pro tuned 2L SR20DET's run to 800bhp, 400bhp/L.

300bhp at each end is no doubt about the limit for the 4motion diffs and transmission.

You can get that much power in a lot subtler packages. Take a look at the links to the Maptun cars I posted in followup to Ronny.