Volkswagen Built A Wild Turbocharged Version Of The Legendary VR6 Engine Just Before Killing It, Then Put It Into A Chinese Crossover

How do you start a fight among a bunch of car nerds? Just ask if the VR6 is a V6 or an inline-six. For more than 30 years, Volkswagen’s ingenious shallow-bank-angle, single-head six-cylinder engine was one of the most unique motors on the market. From its Wookie growl to its willingness to take boost, this is one unforgettable mill. However, one of the most tempting variants was never sold in North America, or even Europe. You know the outgoing Volkswagen Atlas? Turns out it was way cooler in China.

The first-generation Volkswagen Atlas is only just on its way out, but pre-facelift examples proved to be perfectly fine, genuinely enormous family haulers with no learning curve. You initially got real buttons for everything, convenient keyless entry pads on the rear door handles, and Big Gulp-sized cup holders. The perfect model to take to China under the names Teramont for the regular Atlas and Teramont X for the two-row Atlas Cross Sport.

However, there was a little bit of a problem with the U.S.-spec model when it came to optional powertrains. While the extra-cost engine for the old Atlas in North America was a 276-horsepower naturally aspirated 3.6-liter VR6, China has a strong 25 percent excise tax on passenger vehicles with engine displacement between three liters and four liters. While Volkswagen could’ve simply turned up the wick on the EA888 two-liter four-cylinder engine to Golf R levels, the automaker decided to do something infinitely cooler.

It starts with the familiar iron block VR6 architecture, but it shrinks each combustion chamber so that total displacement only adds up to 2,492 cubic centimeters. That’s small enough to fall under a far more favorable nine-percent excise tax, and it resulted in a nearly-square bore and stroke of 81 mm by 80.6 mm. Since relying on natural aspiration would’ve probably produced an engine less potent than the standard two-liter turbocharged inline-four, Volkswagen then added a turbocharger, resulting in peak output of 295 horsepower at 6,000 RPM and a beefy 369 lb.-ft. of torque from 2,750 to 3,500 RPM. That’s 111 more lb.-ft. of torque than the U.S.-spec 3.6-liter VR6, and a horsepower tie with the Holy Grail Passat R36. Talk about the pride of the Salzgitter plant.

Unsurprisingly, this much torque would probably be too much for the U.S. model’s Aisin eight-speed automatic, so Volkswagen gave the VR6 Teramont and Teramont X its stout DQ500 seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. With the confidence of all-wheel-drive, it all adds up to a package that might’ve actually done well in America. After all, there’s a market for the Ford Explorer ST, right?

Sadly, good things don’t last forever, and Volkswagen phased out production of the VR6 in 2024. However, because a bunch of both the earlier direct-injected DDKA 2.5-liter turbocharged VR6 and the later dual-injected DPKA 2.5-liter turbocharged VR6 engines were still around, British Columbia-based tuner HPA Motorsports made a deal to acquire a load of them from Volkswagen. With a little tweaking, the end result is the HPA VR550T program. That’s 550 horsepower, with a goal of OEM-like driveability. At $40,000 turn-key, it’s not the sort of thing you buy on a lark. For the right VR6 fans, though, it could prove worth it.

Then again, what if you don’t want a turn-key product and are willing to do things the hard way? The previous-generation Teramont and Teramont X are now used cars that face attrition in China, and you know what that means. That’s right, not only is there a market for rebuilt DDKA 2.5-liter VR6 engines, but you can find reconditioned long blocks being sold on Alibaba, and they aren’t even wildly expensive. Here’s one for $2,200.

Now, going this route does come with some downsides. Since a long block is basically a complete engine minus all accessories, you aren’t getting an intake manifold, an exhaust manifold, or a turbocharger for that sort of money. Granted, if you’re going bonkers, you’ll probably want to fabricate your own turbo manifold and intake manifold, so maybe consider this an advanced DIY option. You’ll also need to figure out an accessory drive system, but if you’re putting this thing into say, a Corrado, maybe its better to not have all the OEM Teramont components. Look, if I had more space and could TIG weld, bad ideas would be happening.

In some ways, the 2.5-liter turbocharged VR6 feels like the finale of Volkswagen’s truly mad engine phase. The same era that gave us the Touareg V10 TDI and the gloriously weird VR5. Would a boosted big-displacement 3.6-liter VR6 have greater overall potential? Perhaps, but I still want to know what that small-displacement variant feels like. Who’d have thought a Chinese-market family SUV would hide such a fascinating secret?

Top graphic image: Volkswagen