mk 4 Golf R32

Maximum Triceratops

Maximum Triceratops

Maximum Triceratops

Soldato
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Hi there, looking for opinions on the mk4 R32, namely from people who own or have owned one. Whats the drive like? reliability? performance?, I see it has a book figure of 0-60 in 6'6sec, seems a little slow for something with 250hp and 4wd, does it make up for it mid range?
Would you recommend one?

Thanks in advance
 
Not driven, but my friend has the 3.2 a3 which I've been in on numerous occasions, and has the same engine.

It would be hard to give you answers as its all subjective, best thing to do is drive one and build your own opinion.

http://www.r32oc.com/ may help
 
If you base buying cars on their paper figures you'll end up with as many short ownerships as I did in my young and stupid days

Drive the car and others that are similar, then make up your mind
 
I bought a 53 plate for my gf a little over a year ago. I own an S2000 and wanted her to have something that was bigger, more solid, and offered some 4WD traction in the wet, whereas my car doesnt inspire the same confidence.

Happy to answer any questions you have, but in summary and in my opinion;

The 0-60 time I do not think is representative of the performance of the car, the gears are quite short, and you will need to use 3rd to hit 60mph, and its the gear changes kill the time. That said, 2/3/4 gears are very useful for overtaking, and easy to put the power down. Traction is good, as you would expect, car is quick on the move, plus the brakes are good, and the V6 engine makes a nice warble.... Plenty of torque and car will pick up at 30-40mph in 6th no problem, but cruising in 5/6th can produce some exhaust drone.

But, it is a Golf, it isnt the lightest car, and the engine is far from frugle, I think my gf does 24mpg with mixed driving, and she is no racer.

Ive not had any problems with ours, but these cars are now approx 8 years old, so I expect some maintenance to be due in due course. I believe radiator fan failure is not uncommon, which can be rectified easy enough, the enthusiast I bought mine from had sorted it out. Has used a small amount of oil in 12 months, but not much. Road and wind noise minimal at motorway cruising speeds. Its by no means a drivers car, but it can cover ground quickly in a safe, comfortable fashion, which suits us well, and it keeps a smile on my face when I have to drive it.

I recall reading somewhere that the mk4's are holding their money reasonably well, as the shape of the mk5 was less well liked, and mk5's were higher volume in production. I prefer the more balanced dual exhaust look on the mk4, opposed to the closer tips on the mk5, but each to their own. Comes in 3 and 5 door versions, of which we have the latter, and again believe these command a premium, and quite frankly, I find the 5 doors very convenient. Factory fit options included sunroof, winter pack (heated seats etc), full leather, and factory fit satnav. Common mods include ECU remaps (but engine gains somewhat limited without more work), Miltek exhausts to enrich the noise....

I considered a 3.2 A3 (but disnt see the point and would rather an S3), and I view the R32 as a little bit more classy than an ST, or CTR, but each to their own.
 
The radiator issue effects all MKIV inc Bora. Theres a mahoosive thread about it on MKIV.net

One of the things that put me off ever buying a VW is the way VW dealt with the whole thing
 
Funny how mountains can be made out of molehills I guess. As I understand its a simple fix. Silly that VW could (and have in you) lose custom over something like this.

I ought to add, steering is very light, despite the engine being a real lump (front tyres need to have a notably higher pressure, IIRC something like +2/3 PSI vs rears to compensate). As a result theres not as much feedback, but, its great for someone like my gf who hates driving my car. I have also read that power steering pump failure is not uncommon if the car is left on full lock when manouvering for extended periods of time (and boy racers doing donuts in car parks). I presume this is a VW family trait rather than R32 specific.
 
MrM said:
I bought a 53 plate for my gf a little over a year ago. I own an S2000 and wanted her to have something that was bigger, more solid, and offered some 4WD traction in the wet, whereas my car doesnt inspire the same confidence.

Happy to answer any questions you have, but in summary and in my opinion;

The 0-60 time I do not think is representative of the performance of the car, the gears are quite short, and you will need to use 3rd to hit 60mph, and its the gear changes kill the time. That said, 2/3/4 gears are very useful for overtaking, and easy to put the power down. Traction is good, as you would expect, car is quick on the move, plus the brakes are good, and the V6 engine makes a nice warble.... Plenty of torque and car will pick up at 30-40mph in 6th no problem, but cruising in 5/6th can produce some exhaust drone.

But, it is a Golf, it isnt the lightest car, and the engine is far from frugle, I think my gf does 24mpg with mixed driving, and she is no racer.

Ive not had any problems with ours, but these cars are now approx 8 years old, so I expect some maintenance to be due in due course. I believe radiator fan failure is not uncommon, which can be rectified easy enough, the enthusiast I bought mine from had sorted it out. Has used a small amount of oil in 12 months, but not much. Road and wind noise minimal at motorway cruising speeds. Its by no means a drivers car, but it can cover ground quickly in a safe, comfortable fashion, which suits us well, and it keeps a smile on my face when I have to drive it.

I recall reading somewhere that the mk4's are holding their money reasonably well, as the shape of the mk5 was less well liked, and mk5's were higher volume in production. I prefer the more balanced dual exhaust look on the mk4, opposed to the closer tips on the mk5, but each to their own. Comes in 3 and 5 door versions, of which we have the latter, and again believe these command a premium, and quite frankly, I find the 5 doors very convenient. Factory fit options included sunroof, winter pack (heated seats etc), full leather, and factory fit satnav. Common mods include ECU remaps (but engine gains somewhat limited without more work), Miltek exhausts to enrich the noise....

I considered a 3.2 A3 (but disnt see the point and would rather an S3), and I view the R32 as a little bit more classy than an ST, or CTR, but each to their own.
Click to expand...

Thanks for answering my questions and I found the post most usefull. :)

Confirmed what I was thinking tbh.
 
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