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Hatchbacks Volkswagen GTI Volkswagen R32 current and upcoming
41 messages, Last post on Nov 05, 2008 at 11:32 AM
You are in the Volkswagen GTI Forum. Your Host is pf_flyer
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...which is a reactive system that can be biased for either FWD or RWD, and performing in that mode until it detects wheel slippage, at which point it reverts to an AWD mode. 3.2 is very low to ground and has tuner tires; not well suited for rough roads. Not sure if R32 will be any different. Used by Volvo, VW, Audi, and possibly others.
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Replying to: kurtamaxxxguy (Mar 06, 2007 7:16 pm) It does the split for 100% front, 0% rear to 50% front, 50% rear due to the rear differential's drive shaft is driven by the front differential. Now here is The confusion is done by mostly VW's marketing dept, and all the car magazines, that were misled into believing the latter. VW's marketing Dept states that more than 75% of the power can go to the rear wheels, how ever That statement is technically correct, but definetly misleading. In theory, up to 100% of the torque can go to the rear wheels IF, AND ONLY IF, the front wheels have no traction whatsoever. The front wheels would continue to spin at the same rate as the rears, but all the torque would go to the rears if the fronts have zero traction. The possibility of that ever happening are practically nil. |
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Around the Block | 2008 Volkswagen R32 Rabbit in a Hot Rich Sauce 2008 Volkswagen R32 By LAWRENCE ULRICH Published: November 11, 2007 TESTED: 2008 Volkswagen R32 WHAT IS IT? Compact all-wheel-drive performance hatchback HOW MUCH? $33,630 ($35,430 as tested) . WHAT MAKES IT RUN? 3.2-liter V-6 (250 horsepower, 236 pound-feet of torque); six-speed sequential transmission. IS IT THIRSTY? Can you say gulp? The E.P.A. estimates 18 m.p.g. in town, 23 on the highway. ALTERNATIVES: Mitsubishi Evolution X and Subaru WRX STi (new versions of both coming soon), Mazdaspeed 3 FOR people who love hot hatchbacks — love meaning you’d spend $34,000 on one — the Volkswagen R32 will melt more than your wallet. Hearts, pavement, your resolve to stick to a budget — all may dissolve during a polka with this limited-run VW. First, I should explain what an R32 is. Only then will I try to justify its price. Start with a Rabbit — neé Golf — hatchback at $16,000 and change. Moving up, the 200-horsepower turbocharged GTI starts at $23,370. Released in 2006, that model restored the GTI’s waning legend as a pocket Hercules. The R32 takes a two-door GTI and adds all-wheel drive and a 250-horse V-6 that makes an especially joyful noise. The car isn’t far removed from an Audi A3, sharing the four-door Audi’s platform, its optional V-6 and its direct-shift gearbox. This acclaimed dual-clutch automated manual transmission delivers swifter and smoother gear changes than any rival automatic at any price. Other performance extras include a muscled-up body and stylish 18-inch wheels; a sport-tuned suspension; and sport seats. Only 5,000 R32s will be built for 2008, at $33,630 to start. My test car, with an $1,800 navigation system, was $35,430. The test car looked terrific with its Candy White paint, saucy wheels and dual exhausts poking out the rear. It also holds four adults and is small enough to maneuver and park easily. The R32 is one of those cars that you don’t get until you drive it. Even passengers respond instinctively: Every person I drove with would settle into the body-hugging seats, hear the engine’s rich growl and register the sharp handling before blurting out some version of, “Wow, this is really a great car.” It helps that the R32 is the goose-down, 400-thread-count pillow of hatchbacks, elegantly finished and stuffed with luxury. Standard fare includes heated leather seats, alloy interior trim and pedals, a tilt-and-telescoping steering wheel, heated mirrors, dual-zone climate control, rain-sensing wipers and a premium audio system. Inside, the sole demerit is an awkward navigation and audio screen. Mileage is poor — even allowing for the thirstier V-6 and all-wheel drive, coming in 6 m.p.g. below the GTI in both city and highway ratings. Added weight is largely the culprit: at 3,547 pounds, the R32 weighs 400 pounds more than the GTI. That’s a lot for a car so small. Like the previous R32 of 2004, the new model hums to 60 m.p.h. in about 6.4 seconds. That’s quick, but you’ll still want to duck down an alley when a bully in a Mitsubishi Evolution or Subaru WRX STI comes around. Yet the VW is a blast, stout but nimble and unflaggingly composed. Its slick transmission works great in automatic or manual mode, the latter delivering eye-blink-fast shifts via steering-wheel paddles or the handsome console lever. I’d rather drive the Evo or the STi for a day, but I’d rather own the VW. It is more grown-up and sophisticated, able to relax and cuddle if you’re not in the mood for some hot asphalt love. Sure, the R32 isn’t much quicker than the GTI and starts $10,000 higher. Yet the cars look and feel distinct. With a loaded GTI more than $29,000, paying $5,000 extra for the V-6, all-wheel drive and hotter styling seems defensible. Even limiting the conversation to German sport sedans, a lightly optioned BMW 328i, Mercedes C300 or Audi A4 — all roomier and more prestigious — can also be had for about the same price. So that leaves serious hatchback freaks. How many are there? Raise those college-educated, callous-free hands: VW needs 5,000 people who see the R32 as the hottest hatch around and don’t feel they’re getting burned. |
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| Always loved VW Rabbits, GTIs and the like, but for that price, I'll take an STI, thanks. | |
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The car isn’t far removed from an Audi A3, sharing the four-door Audi’s platform From what I know, the A3 is the ONLY Audi which currently shares a platform with VW (Jetta, Rabbit, GTi, R32)
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Replying to: v_d (Dec 11, 2007 4:27 pm)
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Replying to: rmorin2 (Dec 15, 2007 6:16 pm)
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Replying to: upstatedoc (Dec 16, 2007 2:02 pm)
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In the interest of full disclosure, I am the happy owner of a 2007 Mazdaspeed3 GT. I'm trying to figure out why I would consider an R32. I'm sure the VW has a higher luxury factor. In it's price class, that's not such a big trick. I'm sure that V6 has got to be faster. Uhhh, it doesn't appear so. Rain sensing wipers, auto climate control, premium sound, and automatic Xenon headlights. Check, check, check, and check. Hmm... German exclusivity and an intimate relationship with the dealers service dept. Maybe that's the difference.
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Replying to: rmorin2 (Dec 23, 2007 9:47 am) I'll take the "no nav" option on a car everytime. Navigation systems have become just as big of a road hazard as "driving while talking on a cellphone", IMHO. In my 200 mile-a-day daily commute, I've seen more drivers who pay more attention to their NAV systems instead of the road - resulting in cars swerving on/off the road, missed exits (which results in additional stupid behavior such as "driving back to the missed exit in reverse", "drivers slowing down the fast lane so they can make a U-turn in the median to go back to the exit", and my favorite - "drivers slowing down on a busy freeway completely clueless trying to figure out what to do after missing an exit".). If cars are going to have all of these electronic gizmos - the manufacturers might as well perfect an auto-pilot feature that eliminates the need for human intervention while driving... I prefer to use my built-in navigation system - eyes, ears, and mind... Nav systems are just another thing to break - as well as line the pockets of the manufacturers. Believe it or not, many people have relied on this system years before nav systems arrived - and somehow, miraculously - we survived. Imagine that???? |
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