Mk5 R32

Vision

Vision

Vision

Associate
Joined
10 Dec 2009
Posts
497
Contemplating buying an R32 for ~10k and looking for some input please!

Very early stages so is there anything that should be ringing alarm bells here? Would consider alternatives such as a Focus ST, which I do like, if the consensus was against me on an R32. There's also the GTI, which could be mapped etc?

Just looking for early thoughts on whether the budget it suitable, common problems etc. They seem a fair bit rarer than the ST.

Also, would the DSG be the one to go for? Not had any experience with this type of box.


Cheers
 
As said I think an Edition 30 is a better car. The R32 adds noise and 4WD but also adds fuel consumption, weight and less agility compared to the GTi. The Edition 30 is very easy to get over 300bhp if that is your thing but the R32 does seem to have a cult following, that I have never understood.

Drive both, make your decision. I think 10K will get you a nice model of each, so go with your nose.
 
Ed30 even without a remap would be my choice.

I love the noise the r32 makes tbh but I've always found them just always found the ed30 a bit more "Me". You've always got the easy opportunity for more power
 
Possibly a good shout of the ed30 guys, is it simply a remap for a decent boost in power?

I'll look into it more but in terms of interior spec, how do they differ?
 
Interior seems vastly the same. Edition 30 are not hard to remap, look for a reputable mapper who knows their stuff.

R32 has an awesome noise, especially from the rear end. The 4wd is great, but it just isn't as economic for the power output it gives - circa 250bhp. Not worth it to be honest unless you really want one.

If you want power, and mk5 gti looks, edition 30 is a perfect choice. I think it shares a lot of it's parts with the audi s3, but don't quote me on that.

Best thing to do is try all three and see which you want to throw your money in.
 
Pretty similar if they have full leather.

The power is comparable as standard due to the haldex loses on the r32, but yeah remap for an easy additional 40+bhp

It shares the turbo and some of the components of the s3 engine, but is not (contrary to popular belief) the same. Do make reliable big power though
 
The R32 does sound amazing but personally i don't see the appeal as the GTi is meant to be a better drive by pretty much everyone. It's not really that powerful compared to the GTi (especially the ED30) given the weight penalty it has, i guess it has 4WD in its favour..

The ED30 has a bigger turbo (K04?) than the regular GTi so will map to around 300bhp no fuss at which point it'll be walking away from any R32 that isn't supercharged.
 
sovietspybob said:
The R32 does sound amazing but personally i don't see the appeal as the GTi is meant to be a better drive by pretty much everyone. It's not really that powerful compared to the GTi (especially the ED30) given the weight penalty it has, i guess it has 4WD in its favour..

The ED30 has a bigger turbo (K04?) than the regular GTi so will map to around 300bhp no fuss at which point it'll be walking away from any R32 that isn't supercharged.
Click to expand...

You forgot about the HPA TT R32.
 
The reason the R32 has poor fuel economy is because it's a 3.2L V6 not because of the Haldex (which doesn't engage and therefore has barely any transmission losses unless you're wheelspinning the fronts).
What you get with the R32 is less of an event: it just accelerates, it just goes round corners, there's just less drama than with the more 'driver' oriented GTI or Ed30. You get to waft around in leather and kit (not that the Golf sets a standard for quality but it's a nice place to be) since the R32 is very highly specced from standard whereas the GTI (not sure about the Ed30) is much more mainstream and most won't be well specced.

The driving characteristics are very different being a large capacity n/a engine vs a medium capacity turbo'd engine; the R32 will pull happily from idle (even my 2.8L MkIV, 50bhp down, is happy at 30mph in 6th @1,200rpm unless you want to accelerate up a hill) but start to sing as it passes 2k revs while the other two won't be as happy at low revs but will feel faster (and as others have said can be made faster easily/cheaply) due to a large shove of torque as the turbo kicks in.

What you also suffer with the R32 and probably the Ed30 is a large amount of scene tax which in my view unfortunately pushes the price uncomfortably high for what they are.

Personally (which is why I ended up with the car I did) I prefer the power delivery of the n/a engine, the ability to turn into a road while rapidly accelerating (without it failing in a wheelspin-induced cloud of smoke) courtesy of the 4wd and the relative comfort of heated leather seats, cruise control etc and being able to waft everywhere without caring about revs unless I'm trying to make progress.

Try them and see :)


(ps the R32 will get better mpgs than an Audi S3 2.0TFSI apparently, is the Ed30 actually that great on fuel? ;))
 
Haldex kicks in anytime you're on full throttle though doesn't it? That's where I was personally going rather than fuel economy. I love the r32 but I've never found it to feel much quicker once on the move than the gti ( and I like a na car so used to the smoothness). This can only really be down to the bit of extra weight and losses when the system kicks in, even if its only 10-20% ( can't remember how much it punts to it).

Agree on scene tax though, I had a quick look at the r32 recently ( before looking at ed30's) and just thought nice ones were obscene money

It definitely isn't better on fuel than the s3 or edition 30 (mk4 at least, I've only ever driven mk5's on a short stint), but in fairness there isn't really much in it - not as if any of these cars are econoboxes
 
Last edited:
The Haldex kicks in when the front wheels start to slip - how quickly it does depends on the version of the controller, I think on my one it's up to a sixth of the circumference of the wheel. It's possible that with some of the newer controllers it kicks in with full throttle but I've not heard of it doing that with my era of controller. The newer controllers also direct more power to the rear wheels, certainly with 'race' controllers you can fit you can actually have the option of full time 4wd although I do wonder what the long term effects of that are on a system which actually was only designed for temporary 4wd.

Agree with you that it doesn't feel quicker on the move, it's because of the smoother power delivery primarily I think and there is just less drama - but yeah the 4wd stuff does add an extra 100kg or so which significantly reduces the bhp/ton compared to the Ed30.

My fuel reference was more a joke aimed at 86jr's S3 where he has apparently managed to average about 15mpg during his time with it! :p
 
I've owned my MK5 R32 for nearly 18 months now and haven't looked back at all. There's no denying it's a heavy car that's not the most fuel efficient and is pretty costly to get more power out of the big N/A lump, but it's quite a different drive when compared to the GTI. THe drive of the R32 suited me far more :)

When I test drove a GTI and R32 back to back my impressions were that the GTI was far more agile, fun on the twisties and felt fast (i.e. you felt like you were making decent progress) while the R32 felt more planted and sure footed in the twisties (a combination of haldex and weight) and had bags of torque pretty much anywhere in the rev range.

As Miniyazz said, you can certainly waft around more in the R32. It grips like nothing I've driven before and no one can say it doesn't sound good! I came from a B6 Passat with the same 2.0t engine that the GTI has in it so was no stranger to how good that engine is, but the silky smooth power delivery from the V6 and DSG won me over completely. It's as quick (if not a little quicker) than a standard GTI, but it's acceleration is deceptive to say the least. Less drama and more V6 howl lol
 
I think these days an R32 is a car you buy because you want an R32, it's not really a car that presents as the solution to a general 'what car should I get' sort of situation.

If you want one, you want one and a GTI won't satisfy your desire for it. If it doesn't make you feel like that, the GTI is probably the car for you.
 
miniyazz said:
The Haldex kicks in when the front wheels start to you'll be able to t- how quickly it does depends on the version of the controller, I think on my one it's up to a sixth of the circumference of the wheel. It's possible that with some of the newer controllers it kicks in with full throttle but I've not heard of it doing that with my era of controller. The newer controllers also direct more power to the rear wheels, certainly with 'race' controllers you can fit you can actually have the option of full time 4wd although I do wonder what the long term effects of that are on a system which actually was only designed for temporary 4wd.

Agree with you that it doesn't feel quicker on the move, it's because of the smoother power delivery primarily I think and there is just less drama - but yeah the 4wd stuff does add an extra 100kg or so which significantly reduces the bhp/ton compared to the Ed30.

My fuel reference was more a joke aimed at 86jr's S3 where he has apparently managed to average about 15mpg during his time with it! :p
Click to expand...

The awd/4 x4 is the thinking mans choice, drivechain power loss maybe, but youll be able to tank it round corners a lot better. Map it and win win.
 
miniyazz said:
My fuel reference was more a joke aimed at 86jr's S3 where he has apparently managed to average about 15mpg during his time with it! :p
Click to expand...

Jumping on bandwagons only works when you get the facts right, it was not an S3 it was a stage 2+ 280hp A3.
 
Having owned lots of Golf's including a Mk5 R32, the engine makes a lovely noise and is silky smooth but as soon as you get over that noise, it feels heavy, numb and not that fast.

You'll have a lot more fun in a GTI, especially with a Stage1 remap which will transform the car. I can highly recommend bluefin, had my MK6 GTI mapped for over a year now (260bhp) and grin every time I drive it.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom