RE: Volkswagen Golf R32 (Mk5): Spotted
Discussion
With these spotted stories there are always loads of people chipping in with "my car's better" or "for the money you could get this" or picking holes in the car in questions. But this one is notable for the number of owners speaking up about how much they like their example of the car and, even more so, ex-owners saying they miss their old R32. That speaks pretty highly to me of a car that has a bit of x-factor.
The R32 mk5 was the first car I ever bought new. I was sold by the sound.
It was a fabulous car to do big miles in. At night the dash and headlights were fantastic. The road noise was low the engine note sweet but unobtrusive when cruising.
In the light of day it was probably not the best built golf model. The interior materials and finish felt worse than any Golf before or after.. not bad.. but not up to vw's usual high standards.
As for the engine, I think it is probably the best sounding sports car at this price point but no sports car I've ever owned at any price point has ever managed to use so much fuel to go so slowly. I think the problem was it was slow enough to be able to keep it pegged in the high rpms for a very high percentage of time, but large enough capacity to consume more fuel than is possible for anything less powerful. I found myself filling it 2-3 times every week for my 500-600 mile use. Yet.. it was still lovable.
p.s. To those comparing it to a Civic. You have misunderstood this car. The Civic is a one trick pony by comparison. An R32 is what an RS6 is to the Nissan GTR. It'll make it work surprisingly hard on the track and then carry its occupants home with all the creature comforts of first class flight on concord.
It was a fabulous car to do big miles in. At night the dash and headlights were fantastic. The road noise was low the engine note sweet but unobtrusive when cruising.
In the light of day it was probably not the best built golf model. The interior materials and finish felt worse than any Golf before or after.. not bad.. but not up to vw's usual high standards.
As for the engine, I think it is probably the best sounding sports car at this price point but no sports car I've ever owned at any price point has ever managed to use so much fuel to go so slowly. I think the problem was it was slow enough to be able to keep it pegged in the high rpms for a very high percentage of time, but large enough capacity to consume more fuel than is possible for anything less powerful. I found myself filling it 2-3 times every week for my 500-600 mile use. Yet.. it was still lovable.
p.s. To those comparing it to a Civic. You have misunderstood this car. The Civic is a one trick pony by comparison. An R32 is what an RS6 is to the Nissan GTR. It'll make it work surprisingly hard on the track and then carry its occupants home with all the creature comforts of first class flight on concord.
Edited by Niffty951 on Friday 18th May 11:41
I've currently got the Astra GTC VXR. I can comfortably say it is faster than the R32 when thrashing it, but the R32 was more effortless to be fast at a moments notice and in lower RPM. The DSG and low down torque made it very responsive and I miss that in London traffic.
I dont care for fuel consumption generally, but the VXR is noticeably heavier than the R32, so not sure what the fuss is about. At my highway cruising speeds, the R32 could break 30mpg average if all highway, where the VXR has never seen more than 27.
So yeah, in a drag race the R32 is slow. But its brilliant when not ringing out peak power, and I think that is what people that own them will generally love about them.
I dont care for fuel consumption generally, but the VXR is noticeably heavier than the R32, so not sure what the fuss is about. At my highway cruising speeds, the R32 could break 30mpg average if all highway, where the VXR has never seen more than 27.
So yeah, in a drag race the R32 is slow. But its brilliant when not ringing out peak power, and I think that is what people that own them will generally love about them.
CrippsCorner said:
Has anyone mentioned that the R32 has a smaller boot than the GTI? It may sound like a small issue but with a buggy to get in there it means the R32 is pretty much a no go for me! Shame, because I really liked them.
cause battery is in boot, its still pretty big, i got a dishwasher in mine no problem the battery is also inaccessible, so when your OH calls you out at 4am in the snow with a flat battery and your remove all the boot padding to find the battery is under a bolted down plate /facepalm
Edited by Dave Hedgehog on Friday 18th May 13:48
Dave Hedgehog said:
cause battery is in boot, its still pretty big, i got a dishwasher in mine no problem
the battery is also inaccessible, so when your OH calls you out at 4am in the snow with a flat battery and your remove all the boot padding to find the battery is under a bolted down plate /facepalm
It's more to do with the space taken up by the Haldex and rear diff. The MK4 R32 had a smaller boot too compared to 2wd versions and it's battery is under the bonnet.the battery is also inaccessible, so when your OH calls you out at 4am in the snow with a flat battery and your remove all the boot padding to find the battery is under a bolted down plate /facepalm
Edited by Dave Hedgehog on Friday 18th May 13:48
Edited by cuprabob on Friday 18th May 15:24
Always fancied an r32, but got a 3.2tt instead, cheaper and I always loved the look.
If anything it has taught me that bigger isn’t always better, I find it a pleasure to drive, and whilst it “only” has 240bhp, it’s a joy on track and road, and it gets the same mpg as my cupra r did so not terrible (33mpg on a motorway trip, 27 round town with heavy foot)
If anything it has taught me that bigger isn’t always better, I find it a pleasure to drive, and whilst it “only” has 240bhp, it’s a joy on track and road, and it gets the same mpg as my cupra r did so not terrible (33mpg on a motorway trip, 27 round town with heavy foot)
I had a 2005/55 diamond black five door DSG for seven years, so benefitted from the lower tax bracket and some nicer features like damped boot release and more interior lights which I think were dropped in later models.
The fact that I kept it for seven years says a lot, it really was a great all rounder.
Good bits:
- Engine seemed bullet proof and the sound was just spot on as standard.
- Interior was very roomy for a five door hatch.
- I thought it looked great when clean, even in 2017.
- Xenons were very good.
- DSG box seemed to suit the engine nicely.
- Standard seats were great.
- Lots of cubby spaces.
- Running costs were reasonable.
Bad bits:
- In hindsight the performance was pretty average, but it was quick enough.
- Again in hindsight, the economy was pretty bad. The E63 I part exchanged it for is more economical.
- Build quality wasn't that great. Bottom half of interior was hard plastic, the inside door handles got scratched very easily and towards the end of ownership I kept finding bits of trim had fallen off.
- Rust. This was the final nail in the coffin. I cherished the car and pampered it, but still didn't prevent the front wheel arches from bubbling up. I had even had all the arches waxoyled, but didn't help. This convinced me to part ways with the car, otherwise I might have held on to it for another year or so.
Overall, it was a great car. If VW offered up a choice between a Golf R or a new Golf R32, I'd take the R32 every time......but for the moment I'm enjoying noise and build quality of the E63 too much.
The fact that I kept it for seven years says a lot, it really was a great all rounder.
Good bits:
- Engine seemed bullet proof and the sound was just spot on as standard.
- Interior was very roomy for a five door hatch.
- I thought it looked great when clean, even in 2017.
- Xenons were very good.
- DSG box seemed to suit the engine nicely.
- Standard seats were great.
- Lots of cubby spaces.
- Running costs were reasonable.
Bad bits:
- In hindsight the performance was pretty average, but it was quick enough.
- Again in hindsight, the economy was pretty bad. The E63 I part exchanged it for is more economical.
- Build quality wasn't that great. Bottom half of interior was hard plastic, the inside door handles got scratched very easily and towards the end of ownership I kept finding bits of trim had fallen off.
- Rust. This was the final nail in the coffin. I cherished the car and pampered it, but still didn't prevent the front wheel arches from bubbling up. I had even had all the arches waxoyled, but didn't help. This convinced me to part ways with the car, otherwise I might have held on to it for another year or so.
Overall, it was a great car. If VW offered up a choice between a Golf R or a new Golf R32, I'd take the R32 every time......but for the moment I'm enjoying noise and build quality of the E63 too much.
Yes they have a few floors but so do most cars when you want to pick holes in them.
I have addressed most of the glaring ones on mine, VWR/Racinlgine springs and shocks, H&R Anti Roll Bars and SuperPro Anti Lift kit have sharpened up the handling without killing the ride, a Custom Remap from Vince at Stealth Racing sorted the throttle lag and flat spots in the rev range (not to mention added a peak gain of 32lb/ft) and a Lucifer Exhaust (Miltek copy) off the R32OC makes it sound amazing without droning away like a 4 pot would.
Oh and my favourite mod of all which was a lower engine mount insert (poly bush to fill the holes) which massively reduces the engine movement making the car far nicer to drive in traffic and th shift much better.
OK the MPG is still pretty bad at 26.8, the haldex a little clumsy and yes it isn't the fastest thing you can get for the money but who cares about MPG when it sounds this good, has no turbo lag and is still a comfortable mile muncher when needed.
I Love mine, had it 3 years (longest car ownership in 19 years) and don't plan on selling it, only reason it may go is for a B7 avant as we need a bigger boot for the pram.
I have addressed most of the glaring ones on mine, VWR/Racinlgine springs and shocks, H&R Anti Roll Bars and SuperPro Anti Lift kit have sharpened up the handling without killing the ride, a Custom Remap from Vince at Stealth Racing sorted the throttle lag and flat spots in the rev range (not to mention added a peak gain of 32lb/ft) and a Lucifer Exhaust (Miltek copy) off the R32OC makes it sound amazing without droning away like a 4 pot would.
Oh and my favourite mod of all which was a lower engine mount insert (poly bush to fill the holes) which massively reduces the engine movement making the car far nicer to drive in traffic and th shift much better.
OK the MPG is still pretty bad at 26.8, the haldex a little clumsy and yes it isn't the fastest thing you can get for the money but who cares about MPG when it sounds this good, has no turbo lag and is still a comfortable mile muncher when needed.
I Love mine, had it 3 years (longest car ownership in 19 years) and don't plan on selling it, only reason it may go is for a B7 avant as we need a bigger boot for the pram.
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