R32 interesting facts and data

[gregozedobe]

Moviedude, I'm sure if you keep looking you will find the "rightest" car for you, good luck with your search

[Big Yellow]

That is an interesting comment Maverick - how much extra performance does the $30k buy on an R32?

$30k on a R32 will have you in supercar performance category. 0-100km/h in around 3 seconds and quarter miles in 11 seconds.

[MovieDude]

I thought curly was referring to the price differential between the two cars when bought new.

[mrcurlywhirly]

That is what i was asking, so the response is spot on.

There are lower cost options for tweaking the performance on an R32 if you really want to. It is possible to push the power on the R32 up from 184kw/320NM to 209kw/381NM for around $8 - 10k, for that you get a s/w remap, set of stainless headers, redisigned induction and Haldex controller. The end result is not overly stressed as it is focussed on improving the induction and exhaust. Or for the really budget concious there is the flappy paddle mod...

Probably the reason i was asking is that this tends to confuse the decision making process between the two cars.

No question its easier (and cheaper) to tweak a GTI, upping the turbo boost by remapping the chip and modifying the ignition curves will result in more power, the question is whether you want a motor and drivetrain running factory levels of stress or do you want to push it beyond that?

The issue i found from bike tuning was whether it remained tractable and manageable from day to day, are you getting a decent increase across the rev band or is it just making the motor more peaky. Same applies for torque - allowing the motor to spin over more freely tended to reduce the available torque in the low end.

The other problem is getting the power to the ground, a work colleague with a standard GTI had regular problems with spinning the front wheels, particularly in wet weather.. so all the power in the world is no good without traction.

I think the magic power figure for an R32 would be around 200kw, less than a 10% increase. That would pull the 0-100 time well down into the 5 second bracket, a 3 second bracket 0-100 would be total overkill (wallet and power wise) for me, and require some serious re-engineering - an at least one turbo or a supercharger probably. Not to mention the insurance issues.

Some of the GTI power mods for what was designed as a 147kw engine seem rather extreme - 180 - 200+kw? even the low end is a 25% increase - 200kw+ from a smallish FWD turbo engine may be fine for a track car, not something i would be confident in as a daily driver though.
I guess if you throw enough money at a hotted up GTI you can make it reliable, which brings us back around in a circle to which car is better value..

[MovieDude]

As you say there are insurance issues and living with the unpredictable nature of a modified car. Not to mention the impact it will have on its resale value.

In your opinion would now be the best time to buy 2nd-hand or a couple months down the line?

[mrcurlywhirly]

I think you can answer that question better than me, its more dependent on how much you want a car now than anything else.

fwiw - Depreciation tends to take a big hit then level out, the longer you wait the cheaper the car may become - however the more KMs it is likely to have on the odo!

As an example - we looked at low k second hand R32s in '07 before opting to buy a new one, the low K examples in the GenV were no less than $50k over a long period of time, it just was not worth it.

If i was looking at 2nd hand now it would be far more tempting. Ideally one inside 3 years old, with warranty and a full service history.

[MovieDude]

OK last question ... would you go for an R32 over a GTI with leather if the difference was $6k?

[mrcurlywhirly]

Thats an easy one, yes - absolutely. To us the difference was enormous. Main reason is the all wheel drive system, which is invaluable where we live. We have a very steep driveway, when it gets wet it is a pita getting a 2wd up here. Impossible for some..

So the AWD was the killer feature - and a GTI is not going to compete with that. You can probably see from the sig that we are used to AWD, once you go that way its hard to go back to 2wd, its a much safer drive system. Not that would put me off owning an Arial Atom or an Elise (or a Tesla..) if somebody left it in the driveway..

There are plenty of other reasons though - standard BiXenon headlights (which are the brightest high beam standard lights i have experienced), leather, big wheels, alloy trim through the interior and a few other things i won't bore you with.

The very low key looks were a big factor too, you can park this car and expect it to still be there when you get back, it just has that generic Golf shape to it with very subtle styling keys (beyond the front grille).

Lastly insurance - we were looking at a WRX STi and found that insurance can leave you with a huge additional expence - around $3k per year. Shop around now and it may be cheaper, just remember to check how its going to set you back for a turbo GTI against a Non turbo R32....

[mrcurlywhirly]

BTW - Being an owner - i'm obviously biased, you should go to a GTI forum to get balanced observations.
In my opinion the R32 is not really comparible with the GTI, it should really be compared with the Audi TT 3.2. Apart from the obvious styling and the badge there is not a lot of difference, except around $40k..

[gmk2]

BTW - Being an owner - i'm obviously biased, you should go to a GTI forum to get balanced observations.
In my opinion the R32 is not really comparible with the GTI, it should really be compared with the Audi TT 3.2. Apart from the obvious styling and the badge there is not a lot of difference, except around $40k..

Rather than the Audi TT 3.2, better to compare the Audi A3 3.2 - same engine, same base platform, crappier exhaust... and you pay more for the privaledge

[mrcurlywhirly]

agreed, either or... makes more sense.

[silver32]

OK last question ... would you go for an R32 over a GTI with leather if the difference was $6k?

You know my story is - I was all financed up, walked into VW with every intention of buying the GTI which I was after for about a year; but drove off in an R. It really is a different feel to a GTI - however both are awesome cars! A (spirited) drive in both will give you the best idea - nobody's opinion will really steer you I feel. You just have to weigh out whether YOU think the price difference is justifiable- in my case it definitely was.

[MovieDude]

I think second-hand I would tend to agree with you. New I'm not so sure. They're still trying to sell R32s for $66k on-the-road.

[windyzz]

I had both GTI and R32. I love them both , GTI feel more agile on the road, but R32 feel more comfortable (better for long distant cruiser).

The GTI also feels more powerful than the R32 for some reason (even though i had it chipped and Intake in my R). But aside from that both car are completely different and cannot be compared (IMO).

Imo chipping a GTI is not a wise thing to do, as my stock GTI will get a wheel spin and the most and biggest issue the car is bouncing when i accidentally step the accelerator pedal a little. And another annoying thing is when the car is not on the boost (somehow) and you are trying to overtake it has basically no power, until you hit somewhere in 2500 rpm, then u get massive wheel spin. None of this happen in my R, is just feel much comfortable and more predictable (for lazy people like me)

[limmy]

if i had my time over again, i would have got the R32 instead of the GTI. i almost swapped it in when the CW R32 came out last year... i didn't, and now i regret it.

in the humble words of hans stuck - "I don't know whether I owned every single model (GTI), but it was 90 per cent [that I did]. I can tell you the latest, but I have a little bit of a problem -- I bought an R32. Because I know there will never be a six-cylinder in the GTI in the future. It's an 08-model with only 5000km in dark grey. It has to come into the garage and I'm going to keep it..."