Article Comments - 2008 VW R32 First Drive and Follow-Up Test

121 messages, Last post on Aug 19, 2009 at 3:27 AM

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What is this discussion about? Volkswagen R32, Hatchback

First Drive: 2008 Volkswagen R32 - You need to really like German hatchbacks to appreciate the R32's combination of performance and upscale comfort. If you don't, you won't. (more)

Follow-Up Test: 2008 Volkswagen R32 - If pinpoint refinement is your overriding priority in hot-hatch selection, the 2008 VW R32 is the obvious choice. But some will find it too thoroughly baked. (more)

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#94 of 121 Re: R32 vs. GTI w/DSG [upstatedoc] by johnfredc Dec 16, 2007 (6:46 pm)
Replying to: upstatedoc (Dec 10, 2007 11:50 am) Just a follow-up to my previous post (above). My new R32 is definitely the best VW I have ever driven. It never puts its foot down wrong, always has traction, corners at high rates with total composure. I do want to add, though, that I have yet to get used to the DSG. It's that "sequential" thing that gets me. Our other car is a 5-speed Boxster, and driving it after the R32 really points up how often one skips gears while down-shifting a manual transmission. You know: 5-3, 4-2, 3-1 shifts? I haven't figured out how to make them properly with the DSG. It took me several years to get speed-shift timing perfect with a manual... maybe it will take me that long with the DSG. I especially have trouble pulling smoothly but strongly out of toll booths after approaching just below speed. Flooring it is OK for me, but rarely for my most frequent passenger. Any advice out there? I wish the display constantly showed what gear the car was in for D and S modes. Also, I've read that some Japanese cars have programmable transmissions where certain parameters can be set by the driver. The DSG needs a mode between D and S. Plus, the throttle blips on downshifting (in S or paddle mode) spin the motor too much for anything but super aggressive driving. That's the beauty of a manual transmission, guys. Easy to finesse a shift. My old VR6 was like silk. The funny thing is that the most frequent comment about my R32 is "what a beautiful car"... I guess it is! It makes GTIs look all tarted-up and over-wrought.
#95 of 121 Re: R32 vs. GTI w/DSG [upstatedoc] by rmorin2 Dec 19, 2007 (8:40 pm)
Replying to: upstatedoc (Dec 09, 2007 9:41 am) I had 2 convertibles, a new 335i and the 05 MCS cabrio. It was getting near the expiration of the warranty and I was tired of driving 85 miles to the dealer. A friend has an 04 R32 and after driving it I was convinced I had to have one. Mine is being delivered on 12-28 as we will be out of town until then with relatives. Can't wait to drive it in the snow, it does have the all season tires. The R32 will be my daily driver, the BMW only goes out of the garage in nice weather.
#96 of 121 Re:Out of touch? [bepperb] by 600kgolfgt Dec 21, 2007 (4:56 am)
Replying to: bepperb (Nov 28, 2007 7:36 am) Of course, why people buy any small hatchback when a 2.5gt Impreza or Accord/Altima V6 Coupe can be had for 8 grand less is beyond me. For 35k one can do so much better. 135i please! At $35K, I would go with the 135i over the Japanese offerings. Japanese cars are reliable, to be sure. But the dirty little secret the Japanese automakers aren't revealing is the fact that they use imported RECYCLED steel from the U.S. and other countries. German manufacturers make their own galvanized steel. When a German and Japanese car get into a collision, you will see the difference. Damage that is repairable on a German automobile would be considered a total loss on a Japanese one. I saw that first hand when my wife's Passat was caught in the middle of a chain-reaction collision a couple of years ago. Two teenagers in a Toyota ran into a line of cars stopped at a stop sign. My wife's car was 3rd from the rear, right in front of a Lexus ES350, which rear-ended her, and sent her into a Mercedes in front of her. No one was seriously hurt - but to make a long story short, the Toyota received massive front-end damage and was totalled, the Lexus who ran into my wife was totalled, but my wife's car sustained damage to only the front and rear bumpers (she had to actually show the trooper the damage up close to prove that she was hit). The bumpers did such a good job of absorbing the damage that the actual steel body was untouched. The Mercedes in front of her sustained minor damage to the rear bumper. Japanese cars cost less than their German counterparts for a reason...You get what you pay for... Replies to this message: byronwalter (Dec 22, 2007 9:49 am) ddburns (Dec 22, 2007 6:30 pm) byronwalter (Dec 23, 2007 7:49 am) 600kgolfgt (Dec 23, 2007 9:55 am) byronwalter (Dec 24, 2007 2:09 pm) and 2 more... 600kgolfgt (Dec 27, 2007 11:45 am)
#97 of 121 Re:Out of touch? [600kgolfgt] by byronwalter Dec 22, 2007 (9:49 am)
Replying to: 600kgolfgt (Dec 21, 2007 4:56 am) If you go to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety you will note that in terms of crash worthiness, Subarus, Hondas, and some Toyotas are at the top of the various lists (the Passat doesn't do badly either but it is ranked lower than either the Subarau Legacy or Honda Accord): www.iihs.org Galvanized steel is not the critical factor in design... it's a mix of appropriate use of high-strength steels, crush zones, seat beat attachment points, and airbag positioning. Also I'm pretty certain that most of those Japanese cars are actually manufactured in the U.S, which helps to keep their price more inline while German car prices reflect the weakness of the dollar against the Euro. BTW, I've been driving Audis for about 10 years now. Replies to this message: ddburns (Dec 22, 2007 6:30 pm) byronwalter (Dec 23, 2007 7:49 am) 600kgolfgt (Dec 23, 2007 9:55 am) byronwalter (Dec 24, 2007 2:09 pm) 600kgolfgt (Dec 26, 2007 4:23 am) and 1 more... 600kgolfgt (Dec 27, 2007 11:45 am)
#98 of 121 Re:Out of touch? [byronwalter] by ddburns Dec 22, 2007 (6:30 pm)
Replying to: byronwalter (Dec 22, 2007 9:49 am) Well said byronwalter. Nice to see not all German car owners aren't quite so uninformed. I've owned them all German, Detroit and Japan. There is good in all and none of them perfect. The question is value, what one is willing and able to pay for. While we're offering opinions, a BMW ain't no Benz and Audis are way underrated. U.S. buyers just don't appreciate Audi engineering. P.S. You won't buy a BMW 135 for $35m. They will be $40m+ and stand in line. The price is going up as the Euro appreciates and the dollar declines. Replies to this message: byronwalter (Dec 23, 2007 7:49 am)
#99 of 121 Re:Out of touch? [ddburns] by byronwalter Dec 23, 2007 (7:49 am)
Replying to: ddburns (Dec 22, 2007 6:30 pm) Thanks, I priced a 135i and ended up around 40k... at that price I'd just go with the 335i. And that also tends to make the R32 seem not too unreasonable (but I like understated hatchbacks). My current Audi is the best car that I've ever owned. It's an '06 purchased in August of '05 and I have yet to have a single issue... not even a rattle. It uses that same two liter engine shared with the GTI. I've had the ECU reflashed for extra go but there's no way that it has the smoothness of the R32 power plant. And, yeah, the Audi has some really great bits to it. The door hinges are incredibly detailed from an engineering perspective. But then there's the engine fan belt that, I believe, calls for a 105k mile change. It's generally understood that ya better change it at 60k miles or else. And woe unto you if your Audi ever has an electrical problem. Anyhow I'm waiting to drive the new A5. Once I've given one a spin I'll cross shop the R32, STI, and maybe a couple of others. A smarter move would probably be to wait until later next year and see what's available with a diesel power plant. Cars like the R32 are very thirsty.
#100 of 121 My Decision by rmorin2 Dec 23, 2007 (9:45 am)
I had an 05 MINI Cooper S Cabrio as a daily driver. Bought a new 335i convertible in April through the European Delivery program as my weekend, good weather car. I wanted a car that was fun to drive, yet practical as a daily driver. Yeah, I know the R32 is a little pricey but with AWD, a nice interior, plenty of cargo room and some exclusivity, you don't see many of them on the road, I went with the R32. My only concern is reliability although in recent years VW reliability has improved, still not a recommended car by Consumer Reports. My R32 will be delivered to my house on 12/28 and I am looking forward to a road trip to Williamsburg, VA on the 29th.
#101 of 121 Re:Out of touch? [byronwalter] by 600kgolfgt Dec 23, 2007 (9:55 am)
Replying to: byronwalter (Dec 22, 2007 9:49 am) Galvanized steel is not the critical factor in design It's the difference between your car being considered a total loss or not. Stop by an auto recycling place (a.k.a. junkyard) that specializes in imports and compare for yourself... Replies to this message: byronwalter (Dec 24, 2007 2:09 pm) 600kgolfgt (Dec 26, 2007 4:23 am) byronwalter (Dec 26, 2007 11:55 am)
#102 of 121 Re:Out of touch? [600kgolfgt] by byronwalter Dec 24, 2007 (2:09 pm)
Replying to: 600kgolfgt (Dec 23, 2007 9:55 am) "It's the difference between your car being considered a total loss or not. Stop by an auto recycling place (a.k.a. junkyard) that specializes in imports and compare for yourself... " Okay, if I follow this correctly, because German manufacturers make their own galvanized steel (like the R32), German car bodies experience less deformation from impacts. Japanese cars, by contrast, use recycled ungalvanized steel and suffer more structural damage. The key points would then be that the steel is not recycled and galvanized, thus this steel resists deformation during collisions. Does anyone here know if it is true that steel has more tensile strength when it isn't a recycled product? Seems to me that would be more a function of the foundry's smelting process than anything else but I could be wrong. For example newer higher end cars seem to be using certain amounts of high-strength steel in specific locations to enhance the structural integrity of the passenger compartment. As for galvanization, I was unaware that this provided more structural rigidity. You sure about that? Your example cites a situation where a Passat suffered little damage in a collision in which the car was third from the rear. I don't believe that this wasn't a particularly good antedotal example as the energy of the impact had been dissipated by virtue of your wife's good fortune of not being the direct recipient of the forces imparted by the teenagers in the Toyota. As for the expertise of the guys that work the junkyards... they might be very good but they only see the aftermath. Personally I'll go with the research of the IIHS lab boffins. I wanna know which car will sacrifice itself to keep me breathing and there are several cars (Japanese) that do better than the Passat. BTW, couldn't find any crash test ratings for the Golf V (R32) at the IIHS web site Replies to this message: 600kgolfgt (Dec 26, 2007 4:23 am) byronwalter (Dec 26, 2007 11:55 am)
#103 of 121 Re:Out of touch? [byronwalter] by 600kgolfgt Dec 26, 2007 (4:23 am)
Replying to: byronwalter (Dec 24, 2007 2:09 pm) Personally I'll go with the research of the IIHS lab boffins. I wanna know which car will sacrifice itself to keep me breathing and there are several cars (Japanese) that do better than the Passat My wife has a 2003 Passat, which is based on the previous generation Audi A6. The newer Passat suffers from bean-counting cost-cutting measures - as reflected in the lower scores. At this point, I wouldn't trust any agency that is underwritten by the insurance industry. Here's a link that provides some background on auto body construction. Take note of the paragraph describing the difference between the materials the Japanese use v.s. U.S. and Germany. http://www.everything2.com/index.pl?node=auto%20body The improvment in Japanese car safety comes from the subframe, not the exterior body shell itself. So even though passenger safety is increased, the fact remains that a Japanese car made with recycled steel is more than likely to be declared a total loss in the event of a severe accident than a galvanized steel constructed European or American car will. Replies to this message: byronwalter (Dec 26, 2007 11:55 am)