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http://www.vwvortex.com/artman/publi...icle_693.shtml
The R32- a 911 in a box.
I?ve always owned VWs, specifically Golfs and GTIs, but I?ve also spent my fair share of time in and around rather more exotic machines. Of all the cars to which I?ve been exposed, the one that I?ve always felt represented the best all around sports car is the Porsche 911, specifically the last of the air-cooled Porsches - the 993. The 993 in naturally aspirated form is blessed with appropriate power, balanced handling, and excellent brakes. The seating position is rather upright, contrary to the sports car norm, affording the driver an excellent view of the road and surrounding traffic. The back seats are somewhat functional, at least on a short-term basis, and the front storage compartment holds more than most would believe.
After spending a few days behind the wheel of the Golf R32, I couldn?t help but draw similarities between it and a Porsche 993. In fact from the driver?s seat (which with its shoulder-supporting wings and deep, deep bolsters would itself be right at home in the 993), it?s very easy to forget that the R32 is actually a Golf. The driver is also treated to what may be the best steering wheel ever to come out of Germany, its three spokes reaching out to a leather-wrapped rim of a most satisfying girth. The view through the steering wheel reveals a very purposeful gauge cluster, trimmed in silver rings for added effect. The R32 appears to be all about the business of driving, and that?s without even starting the engine.
A quick turn of the key fires up the 3.2-liter VR6 engine, which sounds sexier than any Golf should have the right to. The deep note of the dual exhaust can be played from idle and all the way to redline in all six of the gears, turning the gas pedal into a musical instrument. For added orchestral excitement, try a heel-and-toe downshift; the pedal arrangement and gear ratios seem to be made for this.
The biggest-yet VR6 creates plenty of torque down low, making even second-gear starts a painless affair. The 24-valve engine keeps pulling all the way through the RPMs until the power falls off softly as the rev limiter takes over. The only bump in the otherwise smooth powerband is the slight dip at around 4000 RPM, when the variable intake manifold apparently takes effect.
All of the power (240 horses according to VW) gets distributed between each of the four wheels via the R32?s 4-Motion all-wheel-drive system. The 4-Motion system does far more than just provide power at the rear; it totally transforms the nature of the VR6 in the Golf. I?ll admit that I?ve never been a really big fan of combining this powerful-but-heavy engine in the standard front-drive platform. The issue has always been one of balance and control. Perhaps it?s the added overall weight, but the R32 chassis makes better use of the powerful six-cylinder engine than any front-drive Golf could ever do. The end result is an appropriately balanced car that handles very well, on-throttle or off, and without any drama.
To complete the performance picture, I must not forget the brakes, which on the R32 are the same massive discs, vented both front and rear, as on the Audi TT 3.2. Scrubbing speed in the R32 is never a problem, even after repeated hard stops. A day of continuous lapping at the Gingerman road course last year resulted in no fade at all, despite the 3400-lb weight of the car.
These are the qualities the R32 possesses which remind me so much of the 993. Some will no doubt argue that there are faster cars than the 993, and that is certainly true. The same will be said of the R32, appropriately so. But unlike so many of the ?faster cars? with which they will inevitably be compared, both the R32 and the 993 are practical everyday sports cars, lacking the temperamental nature of turbochargers, the impracticality of genuine supercars, and the Johnny-Law-attracting, boy-racer visual effects of the WRC pretenders.
Is the R32 a perfect car? No, but I?m willing to overlook the fact that it?s slightly overweight, lacks xenon headlamps, and sits a little higher than the European version. The fact is this is the best performance hatchback VW has ever built, and may be the only all-wheel-drive Golf we see in this country for a long time. It has all the necessary elements of a true driver?s car without anything ?extra? to take away from it.
