R32 v R

[robby_jai]

to be really honest.... if you buy an R or R32 you cant lose. they are great cars. both of them

[robby_jai]

this is what i reckon if you are in the market to buy an R32 or R

R - Buy this car if you're the kinda guy who likes engaging in traffic light drags (not that i condone it).. are dead set keen on extracting EVERY last single performance from that motor and still have pennies left in your bank account. Buy this car if you intend to track your car because it is a far superior car to modify and tune

R32 - buy this car if you love a car with soul and passion!!! if you're the kinda guy who loves going for weekend drives... and hunting out tunnels and rock walls and passes just to hear the R32 wail!! buy this car if you like the instance response from the V6 and you are not too fussed that its not an overly fast car. Yes it has some handling foibles most notably under steer but a good set of springs and uprated sway bars will fix that issue up quick smart over all its a beautiful grand tourer!! i drove this car to melb and back from Syd and i felt great. didnt feel like i drove 8 hours!!!!

thats my take

[gh172]

I also took up VW's offer of an R test drive and walked away unimpressed. I tend (or try to...) approach all the different cars I get to drive with an open mind, but I must preface this by saying I already knew the R had lost a big chunk of soul before I even started the engine. The R32 already bordered on too-subtle in the styling dep't (both inside and out), but the R has taken this to another level; the outside is just plain uninspiring and this vibe sticks once you open the door. The Mk6 GTI actually holds more physical appeal (and I actually think it's a better, more simplistic and fluid car - though, this is another story). Several Rs have since passed me on the street and I hardly notice them as anything other than pops in his common-rail rattler.

To the drive, though, I found the R had noticeably more front end grip (the R32 is a painfully bad understeerer and hardly responds to throttle input or trail braking compared to other AWDs, like the RS4) and significantly more stick, but it's really just an S3 given a dust up. The R32 is definitely lacking in straight line performance (whether linear or not, it's too slow), but the R is still no rocket ship alongside the EVO 10 or new STi, which one can't help comparing it to, now that it's just 'another' turbo four-pot, AWD! And this is just the point, VW has removed exactly what set the R32 apart from its price rivals, which was a soulful and responsive engine with a fantastic exhaust note. Driving an EVO 10 against an R is simply comical - the EVO looks like a performance car, and has leagues more front end grip and outright performance and the R has nothing to offer in comparison.

The R is effectively a chipped Mk6 GTI without the axle tramping of FWD... What else does it have to offer? VW has simply killed what was a distinctive model division in the Mk5 era and thrown itself into a basket with other significantly more competent Japanese rivals. Yes, we'd all buy the Euro car regardless, as the build quality is a large reason we're all here, but if I owned an R, I couldn’t help but wonder what it would be like with a supercharged V6 or a 3.6+ NA engine.

And, on this note, who really cares about the weight over the front wheels? If you’re that worried about understeer or chassis balance, why did you even buy a front engine AWD vehicle anyway? Not only is VWs software tuned to favour understeer, so is the mechanical layout of the car itself! They all understeer and there’s only so much you can drive around it, particularly on a public road.

If I wanted a Mk6, I’d get the GTI and be like everyone else, because if I paid extra and bought an R, I’d also be like everyone else with their WRXs and EVOs... it’s just that my car would be slower in all circumstances. At least the GTI is a willing competitor to an RS Megane or Focus.

We all buy our VWs for similar reasons but it’s nice to know that they stack up against the competition, when you look beyond their refinement and build quality. The R32 was special because it didn’t have to do this – there was never a 6cyl EVO and never will be, and there was certainly nothing else that sounded better for similar money.

Yeah, the R goes ok and is a better performance package than the R32, but it’s also soulless and has little which sets it apart from the GTI, or its other competitors.

My 2c anyway 

"Driving an EVO 10 against an R is simply comical - the EVO looks like a performance car, and has leagues more front end grip and outright performance and the R has nothing to offer in comparison. " What are you smoking mate? You might want to venture down to your local newsagency and have a read of the latest edition of MOTOR magazine. There's a comparison between the evo 10 and the golf R and there was'nt much in it . Zero to 100 times and 1/4 mile times were almost identical and from memory there was less than a second difference in lap times.
Both the R32 and the Golf R are excellent cars in their own right, each to their own. One thing is for sure, the Golf R represents awesome value for money. I for one thank VW for bringing us such a great car for such a good price!

[shakespeare]

"Driving an EVO 10 against an R is simply comical - the EVO looks like a performance car, and has leagues more front end grip and outright performance and the R has nothing to offer in comparison. " What are you smoking mate? You might want to venture down to your local newsagency and have a read of the latest edition of MOTOR magazine. There's a comparison between the evo 10 and the golf R and there was'nt much in it . Zero to 100 times and 1/4 mile times were almost identical and from memory there was less than a second difference in lap times.
Both the R32 and the Golf R are excellent cars in their own right, each to their own. One thing is for sure, the Golf R represents awesome value for money. I for one thank VW for bringing us such a great car for such a good price!

+1 (where is that "Thanks" button :p)

Yes I have to say VW have priced the R very well in today's cramped Hot Hatch Sector, the EVO and STI cost more, deliver a little bit more in performance, but totally give the wrong message with their boy racer looks. Also they are very ordinary inside and let's face it for most of us we drive our cars on normal roads and carry passengers (friends, family, clients etc) so it's a good feeling when the interior is a nice place to be, and even better feeling when the car rides nicely on our roads, and euphoria when we get decent performance with all this too!

Sadly the R32 is no longer available, if there was a MK VI R32 then I probably would have bought that, but there wasn't and VW will probably never bring one out again, so we can mourn it's loss but shouldn't we move on now, as the R is the best new Golf that is available now

[FJ Steve]

Sadly the R32 is no longer available, if there was a MK VI R32 then I probably would have bought that, but there wasn't and VW will probably never bring one out again, so we can mourn it's loss but shouldn't we move on now, as the R is the best new Golf that is available now

word..............

[adzy]

................. thread closed

[Corey_R]

lol... I'd happily close the thread... but alas, I'm a (biased) moderator of the MK6 forum only

[adzy]

lol... I'd happily close the thread... but alas, I'm a (biased) moderator of the MK6 forum only

Yeah keep it open LOL I just had to type that as Shakespear's post sounded like the final paragraph of a book

Good thing you dont close a thread at the first hint of a slight disagreement like some

[shakespeare]

Yeah keep it open LOL I just had to type that as Shakespear's post sounded like the final paragraph of a book

Good thing you dont close a thread at the first hint of a slight disagreement like some

Next chapter...

word..............

Thanks, I meant to add it....fixed now

[adzy]

I dont agree that the Evo X and the Golf R are aimed at the same market but thought I would post the results from Motor magazine anyway as it is pretty decent how the R went against it.

MOTOR test results:

.........Evo X.......................... Golf R
0-60 2.61 ............................2.66

0-100 5.30 ..........................5.37

0-180 16.89 .........................16.99

400m 13.56@165.77 ............13.65@165.76

Wakefield 1:19.6 ....................1:20.6

80-120 3.6 .............................3.6

100-0 36.7m ..........................38.38m

[G-rig]

Yes I have to say VW have priced the R very well in today's cramped Hot Hatch Sector, the EVO and STI cost more, deliver a little bit more in performance, but totally give the wrong message with their boy racer looks. Also they are very ordinary inside and let's face it for most of us we drive our cars on normal roads and carry passengers (friends, family, clients etc) so it's a good feeling when the interior is a nice place to be, and even better feeling when the car rides nicely on our roads, and euphoria when we get decent performance with all this too!

Sadly the R32 is no longer available, if there was a MK VI R32 then I probably would have bought that, but there wasn't and VW will probably never bring one out again, so we can mourn it's loss but shouldn't we move on now, as the R is the best new Golf that is available now

It's normal that MK5/R32 owners won't like it when a new model comes out but having owned a MKV R32 I felt that they were very over priced and not as fast as is led to believe due to their weight.

I think a MK4 R32 would have been good enough or a used MK5 R32. They did look nice but still similar to the other models which isn't any different now. The sound is what hooks everyone, but the new R is technically better in all ways. They were a fairly good unique car though, but the new one is much better value, and much faster.

Although speed isn't everything and the R32 is a special car and glad I had the chance to own one. Don't want to bag it out as the sound when you rev'd it was pretty good.

[robby_jai]

You're kidding me right?? Who the heck did the track test?? grandpa?????

I can flog my bog standard S3 around wakefield in 1:12

I would expect the Golf R to get around in a 1:11-1:12 in the hands of a professional driver. Those numbers dont seem right to me.

Even if it was a wet track you take away 4 seconds... which is still way off what is actually recorded

Wakefield 1:19.6 ....................1:20.6

[G-rig]

Yeah doesn't sound right.

[MACCAA]

It was bucketing down.
Don't really see the point of posting lap times if you can't directly compare them to others.
If it's p*****g down,come back another day.Otherwise,the information you publish is useless.
Also Robby,a wet track at Wakefield adds a lot more than four seconds!
I was at Wakefield last week when Luffy tested the Golf R.
Let's just say that the lap time was.......impressive.
Cheers
Len

[robby_jai]

ah!!! Pissing down rain!! fair enough!!!

That explains it!!!!

It was bucketing down.
Don't really see the point of posting lap times if you can't directly compare them to others.
If it's p*****g down,come back another day.Otherwise,the information you publish is useless.
Also Robby,a wet track at Wakefield adds a lot more than four seconds!
I was at Wakefield last week when Luffy tested the Golf R.
Let's just say that the lap time was.......impressive.
Cheers
Len