GTI vs R32

[scotty1991]

The R32 and GTI are TOTALLY different cars in the way the drive and the market they are aimed at.
As I have said before .. Some people look at the car for the potential it has in turning it into a great car. Others look at a car and appreciate the car as it is, for what it is. I think that is where the difference is between GTI and R32 owners.
Also, spec up a GTI similar to a R32 and the price difference isn't $20K
BTW, with the tight-ass restrictions on speed etc, WTF cares how hard the car will pull at 160 km/hr. Throw in some crap road surfaces, any sort of incline, dust or rain and the FWD GTI will go faster backwards. And modding it to 1000000FWKW will just compound the issue. The R32 is no race car but there are people who kid themselves that the GTI is.
Just be happy with what you drive. If not, then change. These threads just turn into a shlong swinging contest before too long

By that logic we should just buy a 1.6L MKV... screw logic

[soupratt]

By that logic we should just buy a 1.6L MKV... screw logic

by your logic your shouldn't be driving ....

[maca]

.........................

[silver32]

I don't want to get involved in the war here, but just thought I'd drop in a $0.2 - I'm young and wanted a fast car that wasn't made in japan so I looked to VW - after having both for about 3 days each, I realised speed wasn't everything and that lots of other factors come into play when purchasing a 'performance' car, which is where the R32 came in - was fast enough for me - 95% of the time I can't exceed the limits on the routes I travel on and with so many undercover cops around, the next guy/girl you race could be a potential party-pooper waiting to steal your points and money, or licences, depending. The R32 was fast out the box, power was always available, gave me no neck strain from turbo boost kicking in, handled amazingly well, felt very stable, looked cool, had the 'special' factor and all in all was everything I wanted in a car - the GTI though, is by itself also a 'special' car and can give you lots of power with a simple remap, but it lacked everything else I wanted in a car, and which the R32 had - still its just my opinion, and the final outcome of this debate will always be someone's opinion - so it has become pointless really.

[maca]

I don't want to get involved in the war here, but just thought I'd drop in a $0.2 - I'm young and wanted a fast car that wasn't made in japan so I looked to VW - after having both for about 3 days each, I realised speed wasn't everything and that lots of other factors come into play when purchasing a 'performance' car, which is where the R32 came in - was fast enough for me - 95% of the time I can't exceed the limits on the routes I travel on and with so many undercover cops around, the next guy/girl you race could be a potential party-pooper waiting to steal your points and money, or licences, depending. The R32 was fast out the box, power was always available, gave me no neck strain from turbo boost kicking in, handled amazingly well, felt very stable, looked cool, had the 'special' factor and all in all was everything I wanted in a car - the GTI though, is by itself also a 'special' car and can give you lots of power with a simple remap, but it lacked everything else I wanted in a car, and which the R32 had - still its just my opinion, and the final outcome of this debate will always be someone's opinion - so it has become pointless really.

Well said silver32, and I couldn't agree more about this thread becoming an "opinion war".

How about we list the positives and negatives of owning each car - based on your experiences only.

[bwen]

It seems like the same points get brought up at every chance there is a GTI vs R32 debate.

- Better sound
- More exclusive, 6 Cylinder model
- How much better it handles in the wet

I agree that the R32 is a fabulous car but VW are dropping that model out of their line up for a reason. As for the sound, yes it might sound better but is that really something a salesperson is going to say to a potential customer? It seems like this point only gets brought up after someone has owned the car and to be honest, if I was a more mature person looking to buy a subtle car, the exhaust note wouldn't matter to me. Quiter the better.

People always claim, 'omg. what if there is rain and you're going through a roundabout at 80km/h, GTI has nothing on the R32' once again having AWD is not the most exclusive thing on the market, even a cheap $25,000 Impreza has it. The average person wouldn't be flying around in the wet or other conditions at ridiculous speeds to be considering paying the extra money for a AWD car for added 'safety'.

Also the whole FI vs NA debate is been done to death. FI is the way of the future, you're able to extract power from such small capacity engines like in the 1.4TSI. The turbo in the GTI is so small anyway it's not like you get a huge turbo rush and have your 'neck strain' from having the turbo kick in as someone said above....

The GTI is just a hot hatch, a zippy little car that can do almost everything whereas the R32 is still a Golf, but just more grown up for the people who appreciate what VW have engineered from start to finish and have now produced.

We need to remember though, GTI and the R32 are not high performance cars....

[G-rig]

This has been done to death..

Everyone isn't going to agree on one or the other, and will obviously back the one that he/she bought..

[thezoneR32]

too right. We shouldn't give this thread any more cred by posting here. whoops I just did!

[chrisgti]

R32 skylines?

32's and 33's and s15's

Cool, did you get a prize at the end

you miss arguing with me dont you greg..

[chrisgti]

too right. We shouldn't give this thread any more cred by posting here. whoops I just did!

yeah you 32 drivers should just deal with your inferiorities already

[Big Yellow]

I agree that the R32 is a fabulous car but VW are dropping that model out of their line up for a reason.

and that reason being that the VR6 does not meet strict new emission laws in Europe.

The new R will not be the same, even though it may be faster or lighter. It won't have the same character.

[bwen]

and that reason being that the VR6 does not meet strict new emission laws in Europe.

The new R will not be the same, even though it may be faster or lighter. It won't have the same character.

I totally agree with you, the R range has always suppose to be the flagship model that stands out from the rest of the crowd, much like the M for BMW or AMG for Mercedes but the route their now taking is indeed different. The current R32 at the moment is a fine piece of machinery whereas I think they're just being a bit lazy with the new 2010 R by simply trying to extract big numbers to attract customers.

I just think times are tough, it's going to be hard to buy a decent car in the future without paying through the nose in my opinion, whether it be fuel or through insurance and registration costs due to the 'emissions' our car produces....

[G-rig]

That pretty much sums it up Big Yellow, it's the overall package and 'idea' of the car that makes it iconic, big motors in small cars are cool.

Also AWD/RWD > FWD.

[jb747]

I went to the dealer intending to buy a GTI. Test drove both the GTI and R32, and we ended up with the R32. It wasn't a case of which was best, but a case of which suited what we wanted the car to do. Two years down the road, and I'm still happy with the route we chose.

The new R. Well, time will see, but if it's no longer the 'grown up' cruiser, then my interest will be pretty limited. Especially if the only interior colour is black.

[sparta]

gotta love these threads..


one thing that was a factor in my decision was the exclusivity factor.
I was thinking about a R32 or the Pirelli, simply because they are a bit special.
The standard GTI is just a bit too common for me, given that it is the most sold
version in the whole MkV line-up...let's face it, many GTI's are not driven by enthusiasts but used as shopping trolleys, pensioner transport, school buses, etc...