So the other day I took my friends R32 down to a buddy shop to have a customer sub box built. The whole time I am standing there in the parking garage he kept telling me how I was going to fall in love with this car.

I can honestly say after driving it I would still take my 8 any day of the week over his R32.

My impression from driving it is too smooth. The shifts between gears in both the automatic shifting and using the paddle shifters felt like it had no difference from one gear to the next. It is difficult to describe.

I could tell the car was quick, but it left me wanting more. I expected it to have a lot more torque feel for a v6. It had a ton of head room, which is rare for me since I am 6' 5". But the car felt top heavy when corner.

Like I said I was not impressed and it had far less room then our cars.

I don't know if anyone else has had the chance to drive a R32. I would like to hear your input on it.

 

I assume you are talking about the most recent gen R32... if you are, yes I have driven one. I was not overly impressed tbh. It felt very solid for sure, but its really not all its cracked up to be, as you said. Its not much faster than a normal GTi and costs about 5 grand more.

 

My friend just brought a 04 silver R32 in manual. VR6 Sounds good and seats look good, other than that... Doesn't tickle any fancies. The AWD system isn't exactly advanced to say the least and it is pretty much on par with a stock RX8 when it comes to straight line performance. Weighing more than 3400 lbs doesn't help either.

 

For a second there, I thought you were talking about the R32 Skyline... then I read that this...
So now I know you're talking about the VW R32.

 

Test drove one prior to getting my 8.

Felt faster, and IS faster in a straight line.

Grip I would say is probably around the same, but the turn in is slower, and the steering feel is a notch below.

Did like the interior better than the 8's though, as much as I like the 8's interior.

Great fun daily driver, not a great true driver's car.

That being said, if I didn't have a daily beater, I would've gotten the R32 over the RX-8.

 

When I bought the 8 in 04, the R32 was the other finalist. I liked the cars equally. The VW was faster and had more grip but the steering feel was not there. I thought it looks great in blue.

The deciding point came down to cost. Was going to be about $250 more a year for insurance and I was able to get the RX-8 for about 2 grand less than the R32s were going for.

It always catches my eye when I see one and I wish the RX-8 had held their value like the R32s have.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rv3e_Iw5lc4

Rx8 is faster in a straight line :P

 

That video was awesome.

 

thought the same..

 

2004 R32's, I love. Impeccable resale value, and are SO beautiful in blue. (I'm a closet VW fanboy)

2007/8 R32's, well... they just didn't take off so well. VW sent America its rejects that it knew would have a hard time selling in Europe. I.e., every US-spec 07/08 was DSG equipped. To this very day there is a 2008 still sitting on the lot at my local dealer. The 2004's sold like hotcakes, and all were 6-speed manuals. Go figger. At least give people a choice. A hot hatch without even a manual option is a waste.

As far as top-heaviness, hell anything feels top-heavy after driving an 8. That car spoiled me to the point where I get angry whenever I have to brake going around a corner. New car has pretty nice limits, but it certainly isn't the same.

 

Thanks, I didn't know what they were talking about.

 

Sorry I guess I should have specified VW. But the R32 title gets a lot of attention. :D

This is a new 08 R32 in blue. I love the color in fact when i first started looking at the 8's I wanted the winning blue. But I got way to go of a deal on my sunlight.

I will say the chrono style gages were cool, the seats had a solid feel I really like the steering wheel most of all.

But the driving experience of the car was just terrible, I kept waiting to be wow'd. At least I know others feel the same way.

 

My friend has a 03 VW 20th GTI, which has the Euro sport suspension. He loves it, but then again it just ate $1600 in repairs. The VW curse - when it goes it really goes downhill in a hurry.

Since it's based on a everyman's compact car, it doesn't feel particularly sporty from the inside since its very upright and the dash is geared toward mainstream use.

 

I'm looking forward to the R20.

 

That's a general problem for the whole VW lineup. All of their cars are a bunch of pigs. VW needs to do some serious work on reducing weight. Think about how great a really light car along with the TDI diesel could be. Unreal MPG and decent power.

 

I second that, is that Japanese A spec equal to an R3 version here? I thought the S2000 would take the 8, happy to see otherwise

 

I never understood why V.W. didn't offer the R32 with a longitudinally mounted and tweaked version of their turbo 4 (either 1.8 or 2.0). Obviously the name would have to change but throwing a transversely mounted heavy V6 motor over the front wheels of a two door hatch is the perfect recipe for nose heavy under steer. It seems like Audi and now Volkswagen have managed to perfect that model of inefficiency.

 

+1 My buddy has a jetta wolfsburg edition and hates it and has eaten a grip in repairs to the engine. $8500.00+

I wouldn't buy a german car even though all of my family has one, it seems like price for maintenance is a bit higher. Except for my 72 SuperBeetle cheapest car I ever drove. lol. Nippon for me!

 

VWs seem to gain weight faster than a middle-aged woman in Alabama when they get redesigned. It's true of most cars though.

Mazda has done a pretty good job of keeping weight stable on new cars.

 

Mazda has done about the same as VW in keeping weight in check.
From Edmunds;
02 VW GTI 2,932
08 VW GTI 3,100
08 R32 3,547
04 R32 3,409

09 Mazda 3 2,780
10 Mazda 3 2,868
08 Mazda 6 3,093
09 Mazda 6 3,258

I guess we are all from Alabama.

 

The domestics seem to be the worst. I couldn't believe how damn heavy the new GTO was when it 1st came out. Proportionally it's not a big car but it's almost 3800lbs IIRC. WTF?

 

the r32 is a sweet ride, more torque + handling in my opinion

 

"More torque + handling"...

Relative to what?

 

It has more torque, yet it's slower. Better handling? Probably when it is soaking wet or snowing out.

 

because i drove it..