New R32 Golf

ciarsd

Read all about it here :cool:

http://www.vwvortex.com/artman/publish/volkswagen_news/article_1472.shtml

ando

yum yum, but IMO it just doesnt look as good as the Gti

ciarsd

and maybe a little underpowered given the GTi's performance?

Fabritzo

Prices for the new Golf R32 start at €32,200. It's a bargain. I agree about the Gti looking better too. I wonder how they compare head to head, with the extra weight and power losses of the four wheel drive system.

lomb

Fabritzo wrote:

Prices for the new Golf R32 start at €32,200. It's a bargain. I agree about the Gti looking better too. I wonder how they compare head to head, with the extra weight and power losses of the four wheel drive system.

maybe the ex vrt price is but i doubt thats the retail price unless im mistaken?

fletch

Looks good from the rear...not so from the front

ciarsd

lomb wrote:

maybe the ex vrt price is but i doubt thats the retail price unless im mistaken?

I'm not so sure either - seems too good to be true, maybe thats a continental price?

bazz26

Fabritzo wrote:

Prices for the new Golf R32 start at €32,200. It's a bargain. I agree about the Gti looking better too. I wonder how they compare head to head, with the extra weight and power losses of the four wheel drive system.

The GTi starts at about €35k/€36k here so I cannot see the R32 being cheaper. More like around €45k, probably will not be sold here anyway as high road tax, VRT and UK demand for most RHD versions made will dominate.

528i

the 2.0l turbo is more tunable, and should see 250bhp easily.

unless they bolt turbos onto that V6 I can't really see it being a success..

AMurphy

Nice,
Regarding a turbo - 2liter vs a N/A 3.2-V6 with Direct FI.
maybe with tuning one could get more PEAK hp out of the 2L, but with the same tuning effort what would you expect out of the V6, less?.
Thus far in the US the 2L engine has been derated, probably more of long life lugger than for performance.

I'd expect the V6 to have a flatter and higher torque band overall and be smoother running into the bargain.

However, when and if there are some serious or even minor oil leaks with the V6, you'll need to remove the engine to fix them.

As for the price, they are $32K here, and historically anything costing $# here is €# x 2 in ROI, so my guess is much higher than €32K in ROI.

drdre

guys i am interested in gettin this. i just got a 1.4 golf 2 months ago but my insurance is cheap so i woul like to get a bigger engine car. i looked at gti but i really like th r32. where would i get irish prices or even germany prices as i would import it if its cheaper.

thanks

ubu

What age are you? theres a huge difference in insurance for a 1.4 golf and a 3.2 V6 whatever about the 2.0T, the R32 from the previous golf was never officially sold here because the market wasnt big enough for it so i would suspect it would be the same again this time, maybe not though, you'd need to get in contact with VW Ireland to confirm this, as for price, the skys the limit really, anywhere from €45-€55k would be my guess.

Regarding importing from germany, remember that its gonna be right hand drive, if that doesnt bother you, the fact that it will be have a massive effect on its re-sale value here should.

HashSlinging

Dont see the point in this car as the R36 is coming out in a few months.

528i

AMurphy wrote:

Nice,
Regarding a turbo - 2liter vs a N/A 3.2-V6 with Direct FI.
maybe with tuning one could get more PEAK hp out of the 2L, but with the same tuning effort what would you expect out of the V6, less?.

exactly, a simple superchip (for around £500) upps the boost on the GTi for significant power gains- usually 20-25% increase, while a normally aspirated engine isn't anything like as tunable, unless you throw thousands at it for race spec internals etc.

Corben Dallas

R32 was always faster than GTi ~nes pas?

like the exhausts

bmoferrall

drdre wrote:

guys i am interested in gettin this. i just got a 1.4 golf 2 months ago but my insurance is cheap so i woul like to get a bigger engine car. i looked at gti but i really like th r32. where would i get irish prices or even germany prices as i would import it if its cheaper.

thanks

Huh? You don't drive an M5 by any chance drdre?

This R32 looks awful. I can't believe VW would sign off a design like this, especially when the new GTI looks so good.

bmoferrall

528i wrote:

the 2.0l turbo is more tunable, and should see 250bhp easily.

unless they bolt turbos onto that V6 I can't really see it being a success..

250bhp through the front wheels? That could never work :rolleyes:

ando

there's no way its going for less than 40K in Ireland. Sure the Focus RS was going for €52k when it was first released and this R32 is more powerfull. I'd say the R32 is gonna be over 50K

bazz26

bmoferrall wrote:

Huh? You don't drive an M5 by any chance drdre?

This R32 looks awful. I can't believe VW would sign off a design like this, especially when the new GTI looks so good.

Visually I don't see any major difference between the two cars since they both use the same Golf body. The GTi has a black grill with a red line running around it, the R32 has a chrome grill (robbed from the new Passat?) and maybe bigger wheel arches and body kit.

impr0v

ando wrote:

there's no way its going for less than 40K in Ireland. Sure the Focus RS was going for €52k when it was first released and this R32 is more powerfull. I'd say the R32 is gonna be over 50K

Yeah, i'd say it's safe to expect in or around the 50k mark, if it appears at all.

bmoferrall

bazz26 wrote:

Visually I don't see any major difference between the two cars since they both use the same Golf body.

I suppose the front isn't too bad, if a bit too fussy. I guess I was reacting more to the rear- and rear 3-quarter views which, to my eyes, don't look good at all. The tail pipes look silly in the middle.

Sometimes, all it takes is a few subtle changes to spoil a good design.
For example, take the Alfa Brera concept and its production equivalent. Very similar when you analyse them but, overall, one is stunningly beautiful while the other is merely good looking.

Before:


After:

528i

I hope that doesn't have more that 250bhp to the front wheels, otherwise that'll never work :rolleyes:

bmoferrall

The 250bhp was a sarcastic reference to my own car which does just that, and does it very well.

unkel

LOL, but in fairness of all mainstream cars only Alfa can get that kind of power to work in a FWD car (156GTA)

AMurphy

528i wrote:

exactly, a simple superchip (for around £500) upps the boost on the GTi for significant power gains- usually 20-25% increase, while a normally aspirated engine isn't anything like as tunable, unless you throw thousands at it for race spec internals etc.

Not knowing what's out there in the world of aftermarket mods, kits and snake oils, I'll agree with you (for now at least). However, for regular driving pleasure, effortless, hands-off operation, etc. off the showroom floor, I'd go with the V6, or even an inline 6, and you should know that if you drive a 528.
So If you know someone not happy with their r32 and want to flog it, let me know.

how does it compare Lb/HP with a Z350, or any AWD version of the Nissan/infinity models. engine is almost the same size, etc.

jayok

LOL, but in fairness of all mainstream cars only Alfa can get that kind of power to work in a FWD car (156GTA)

Do they get it to work though? I just remember seeing the 147GTA on Top Gear and the wheel spin was ridiculous. Does the 156 behave the same? I know it's a heavier car, etc.

Also, I thought that the recommended max BHP for any front wheel drive car is 240 for some reason? Don't know what this means for the torque though? Say 240BHP with 100Nm vs 240BHP 400Nm, can a front wheel system handle 400Nm of torque?

bazz26

bmoferrall wrote:

I suppose the front isn't too bad, if a bit too fussy. I guess I was reacting more to the rear- and rear 3-quarter views which, to my eyes, don't look good at all. The tail pipes look silly in the middle.

Sometimes, all it takes is a few subtle changes to spoil a good design.
For example, take the Alfa Brera concept and its production equivalent. Very similar when you analyse them but, overall, one is stunningly beautiful while the other is merely good looking.

Before:


After:

Yeah point taken, concepts very rarely make it to production untouched and are usually watered down to keep costs down. Maybe the Audi TT was one of the more noticable ones that transformed from concept to production untouched. Most things in the concept are by definition new concepts which will be seen introduced gradually but the practicality is that they are too expensive to develope for large scale production. Usually the market for which the car is entended determins the amount spend on developement from concept to production hence what can be carried over. As with the above Alfa I'm sure the production car shares alot of parts, etc with existing production models in order to keep costs down overwise the car is unprofitable. Still is a nice looking car though even in production form.

bmoferrall

jayok wrote:

Do they get it to work though? I just remember seeing the 147GTA on Top Gear and the wheel spin was ridiculous. Does the 156 behave the same? I know it's a heavier car, etc.

Also, I thought that the recommended max BHP for any front wheel drive car is 240 for some reason? Don't know what this means for the torque though? Say 240BHP with 100Nm vs 240BHP 400Nm, can a front wheel system handle 400Nm of torque?

(apologies for the lengthy OT post)

In fairness, Clarkson was in hooligan mode when he drove the 147 GTA around the Top Gear track. I wouldn't judge the car based on that carry on:
http://www.fimonet.com/alfa/alfa147gta_gb.wmv (12MB)

From what I've read, the standard set up of the 147 was softer than the 156, in order to counter the (mainly UK based) criticism of the 156's harsh ride on B roads.
This can easily be corrected with uprated suspension kits. Also, the steering of the 147 was criticised for being too remote by comparison with the 156. I would also presume that the 156 has a lower center of gravity, something which, again, could easily be corrected by lowering the ride height.

To confuse the argument that 250bhp is already too much for a FWD car, Autodelta in London will do a 3.7L, 328bhp conversion of both the 147 and 156 GTAs. Provided this is accompanied by Autodelta's LSD and coil-over suspension kit, the results are supposed to be very impressive. When tested on the Top Gear track it beat the times of, amongst others, the BMW M3, Audi S4, 350Z, Impreza STI:
http://www.fimonet.com/alfa/Topgear%20Alfa%20147%20GTA%20Autodelta.avi (18MB)

JC also roadtested it for the Times and was very impressed ("Verdict: Mad amount of power and astounding grip make this the hottest hatch ever"):
http://driving.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,12529-1089132,00.html
If you ditch the woeful body kit you've got a good looking (esp. in 156 form) sleeper that will bite on demand.

This is a (somewhat irresponsible) video of the Autodelta version hooning around their headquarters in London:
http://www.fimonet.com/alfa/autodelta147gta37andy.avi (50MB)

For my own part, the only time I've experienced torque-steer was on a bumpy B road while trying to outrun a Sierra Cosworth :rolleyes: .
I've only ever experienced wheel-spin on damp surfaces; the ASR (anti-slip regulation) will briefly cut power, leading to potentially embarassing moments on traffic-light grand prix grids. Overall, the ASR seems to do a good job of containing both ills.
Power delivery is very progressive so, with the right application of throttle, you can make very smooth getaways.
The front suspension has a different setup to the standard 156 and is supposed to help cure understeer, along with the ASR. In my opinion, it does a very good job (based on the occasional experiment at roundabouts).

A swedish review of the 156 GTA:
http://www.datapage.ie/images/gta/videos/Alfa_156_GTA.mpg (33MB)

5th Gear's review of the 156 GTA:
http://www.fimonet.com/alfa/alfa_gb.wmv (10MB)

Some good videos above so, hope you all have broadband

drdre

bmoferrall i donot drive m5,:D

i have a 2005 golf

bmoferrall

drdre wrote:

bmoferrall i donot drive m5,:D

i have a 2005 golf

OK drdre. Just thought your post about the R32 was suspiciously naïve. Anyway, I'm sure you're a real person now

bmoferrall

Some clips on board an Autodelta 156 GTA in Mondello last week:

Overtakes a Porsche Turbo and, possibly, an e30 M3:
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=393SIHB2 (8MB)

Mixes it with some faster cars and, eventually, overtakes a VX220 turbo:
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=39A6YM8Q (50MB)

(Download speed may be a little slow)

More details on cars involved here:
http://www.alfaowner.com/Forum/showthread.php?t=37568