2008 R32

[matt173407]

All

Have eben struggling to decide on new car and have started looking at the R32 , i have seen some posts about the MPG being anything from 6 - 20 mpg, just wondered if anyone on here owns one and what to give an honest review of them , apologies if this has been asked before

[Dr G]

Have a peek through the GTI/R32 threads on here, loads of info

[cuprabob]

I have one and average 26 to 28mpg on my daily commute which is mainly motorway.

Around town the mpg drops well into the teens

If you have any other questions just let me know

[wrighty78]

I had one for the first three months of this year - a very low mileage 08-plate car.

As Cuprabob has said, 27-28 ish on a motorway journey is achievable. Around town stop/start or country road fun both quite a lot lower.

I really wanted to like the car, but was left a bit underwhelmed. Two main issues for me: the first was that I didn't find it all that much fun to drive, being quite heavy, not particularly dynamic, and not all that quick for a modern 3.2ltr car. I actually found my old Mk4 4Motion more fun to drive quickly, even with its wallowy ride.

Second, far too much went wrong with it IMHO. In the three months I had it, I needed coil packs, new flywheel and clutch, and the self-levelling mechanism on the xenon headlights packed up. All this on a car with fewer than 6k miles on the clock. Fortunately all covered by warranty, but a real pain in the bum to have to keep taking it back to the dealers.

On the positive side, the interior is nice and the engine / exhaust noise on full chat is awesome.

If you get one, I'd recommend you spend a few hundred quid on the Haldex upgrade.

[matt173407]

is the task really £450 a year for these , thats disgusting! they should give you a cheaper fuel rate if they can charge so much tax !

[wrighty78]

Yes - they're the higher tax band.

You might be able to find an early Mk5 that snuck in before the bands changed (was it March 2006?).

[cuprabob]

Currently £425 if registered after March 2006

[SR06]

matt173407 said:

All

Have eben struggling to decide on new car and have started looking at the R32 , i have seen some posts about the MPG being anything from 6 - 20 mpg, just wondered if anyone on here owns one and what to give an honest review of them , apologies if this has been asked before

I had one about 2 year ago. Black with DSG and leather. Comfy car. I managed to get an average of 31mpg which was only 2mpg down on my Astra VXR. My daily average speed is 31mpg. Its not as thirsty as everyone makes out IMO. I even managed to get 29mpg from my Audi RS4 that I bought after the R32. If its hatchback size and comfort youre after then they are a winner.

[dibbly dobbler]

Hope you don't mind me butting in folks - what do you reckon the performance of an R32 would feel like coming from an E90 330i ? Cheers, DD

[Cost Captain]

cuprabob said:

I have one and average 26 to 28mpg on my daily commute which is mainly motorway.

Around town the mpg drops well into the teens

If you have any other questions just let me know

This really surprised me, I get 35-38mpg on a run in my A3 3.2 quattro. Even doing local driving between towns its always between 25 and 30 and around town always above 20!

[wrighty78]

dibbly dobbler said:

Hope you don't mind me butting in folks - what do you reckon the performance of an R32 would feel like coming from an E90 330i ? Cheers, DD

This won't quite answer your question but...

My e46 M3 feels significantly quicker than the R32 it replaced.

My guess is that the 330i would feel much the same in straight-line terms, but very different handling through the twisties. The 330 and the R32 both have about the same bhp, weigh about the same and have very similar 0-60 times.

The R32 will sound better! But unless you sorted the Haldex, I'd say the e90 is likely to be more fun as a "drivers car" (whatever that means).

That said... if you search YouTube for Tiff's comparison between a 130i and the R32, he seems to prefer the Golf.

[cuprabob]

Cost Captain said:

cuprabob said:

I have one and average 26 to 28mpg on my daily commute which is mainly motorway.

Around town the mpg drops well into the teens

If you have any other questions just let me know

This really surprised me, I get 35-38mpg on a run in my A3 3.2 quattro. Even doing local driving between towns its always between 25 and 30 and around town always above 20!

Maybe my right foot is a bit heavier.

These are actual figures. I can easily get the DIS to give 35mpg+ on a run.

[328]

The best I ever had out of ours (according to the computer) was 30mpg from Gatwick to Milton Keynes round the M25 and up the M1 late on a Friday evening - driving with deliberate care to see what I could achieve (but still travelling around - but not above - 70mph).

Of course, it all went to pot when I left the motorway for the cross-country bit to get home

[dibbly dobbler]

wrighty78 said:

dibbly dobbler said:

Hope you don't mind me butting in folks - what do you reckon the performance of an R32 would feel like coming from an E90 330i ? Cheers, DD

This won't quite answer your question but...

My e46 M3 feels significantly quicker than the R32 it replaced.

My guess is that the 330i would feel much the same in straight-line terms, but very different handling through the twisties. The 330 and the R32 both have about the same bhp, weigh about the same and have very similar 0-60 times.

The R32 will sound better! But unless you sorted the Haldex, I'd say the e90 is likely to be more fun as a "drivers car" (whatever that means).

That said... if you search YouTube for Tiff's comparison between a 130i and the R32, he seems to prefer the Golf.

Cheers Wrighty - excellent post

I am getting chuffed off with the crashy ride in the 330i so I'll either need to ditch the RFTs or use it as an excuse to change the car The sound in the 330i is also a big disappointment - although other than these two things the package as a whole is excellent.

I like the idea of going back to 4WD and the nice exhaust note definitely appeals but I was worried that the performance might feel a bit weak in relative terms.

Time to get my thinking cap on ...

[brisel]

I had a play against a 330i when I had my R32. And kept up with it

I'd certainly agree that the performance will be similar but the BMW will be more fun in the bends. If I wanted a more surefooted AWD car for our snowy winters it would have to be the Golf.

Getting rid of the runflats will make a big difference to the ride quality. What size rims do you have? 18 or 19" will be very harsh on our beloved potholed tarmac.

If you do get one, fit a cat back resonated Milltek exhaust then get it remapped to match the exhaust & 99RON petrol. Much more of a sleeper than the BMW IMHO.

[GetCarter]

dibbly dobbler said:

Hope you don't mind me butting in folks - what do you reckon the performance of an R32 would feel like coming from an E90 330i ? Cheers, DD

I've owned a 323, 328 and 2 M3's as well as an R32.

I'm sure the runflats are the main issue. I found the R32 good fun but just too heavy. If it's fun you're after, the lighter GTi would be more so. I bought the 32 as I needed 4x4 to get up my driveway in snow. It does have a nice noise and fab comfy seats, but performance is dissapointing, forget stats, straight line speed is fair, but 1500kg (or thereabouts) means it's not guick through twisties (too tall as well!). Mrs Get now has a Mk 6 Golf TSi and it's SO much lighter it's actually a lot more fun to drive than the R32 (though not as quick).

Hang on to the beemer! IMHO

[dibbly dobbler]

brisel said:

I had a play against a 330i when I had my R32. And kept up with it

I'd certainly agree that the performance will be similar but the BMW will be more fun in the bends. If I wanted a more surefooted AWD car for our snowy winters it would have to be the Golf.

Getting rid of the runflats will make a big difference to the ride quality. What size rims do you have? 18 or 19" will be very harsh on our beloved potholed tarmac.

If you do get one, fit a cat back resonated Milltek exhaust then get it remapped to match the exhaust & 99RON petrol. Much more of a sleeper than the BMW IMHO.

Cheers

I'm on 18s - banging and crashing around over every lump and bump (and there are plenty of them !). Traction seems crappy as well, particularly if it's cold and/or wet. Snow was just a joke !

Loving the thought of the Milltek - I'm not usually the type to do any mods but I can definitely see the appeal of that one

[chr15b]

I like mine, but thats because i see it as an extremely refined well spec'd medium sized car that goes very nicely

mpg is awful though

[dibbly dobbler]

GetCarter said:

dibbly dobbler said:

Hope you don't mind me butting in folks - what do you reckon the performance of an R32 would feel like coming from an E90 330i ? Cheers, DD

I've owned a 323, 328 and 2 M3's as well as an R32.

I'm sure the runflats are the main issue. I found the R32 good fun but just too heavy. If it's fun you're after, the lighter GTi would be more so. I bought the 32 as I needed 4x4 to get up my driveway in snow. It does have a nice noise and fab comfy seats, but performance is dissapointing, forget stats, straight line speed is fair, but 1500kg (or thereabouts) means it's not guick through twisties (too tall as well!). Mrs Get now has a Mk 6 Golf TSi and it's SO much lighter it's actually a lot more fun to drive than the R32 (though not as quick).

Hang on to the beemer! IMHO

Thanks Steve. You've hit the nail on the head - there's a lot that appeals about the Golf but I couldn't live with it if it was noticeably slower. I'm not really the type for throwing cars around corners (lack of opportunity mainly ) so outright handling plays second fiddle to my desire for something a bit more comfortable. I think of the Golf as more of a comfy cruiser - the 4WD and exhaust note are big plusses.

I suppose I could try my 330 with non-RFTs to see how much of a difference it makes

Definitely need to try an R32 though - should know right away whether it's got the grunt to be a contender

(OP - sorry, this is turning into a total hijack )

[catso]

Cost Captain said:

cuprabob said:

I have one and average 26 to 28mpg on my daily commute which is mainly motorway.

Around town the mpg drops well into the teens

If you have any other questions just let me know

This really surprised me, I get 35-38mpg on a run in my A3 3.2 quattro. Even doing local driving between towns its always between 25 and 30 and around town always above 20!

Well there must be something wrong with mine (or me) because I get an average of 23mpg and my absolute best on a long run was 29, never actually managed the elusive 30mpg...