Why was this car called an R32? I see that VW Vortex has a section for Golf V R32.

 

it was a 3.2L V6..and awd as they probably couldnt figure out torque steer yet.

 

https://www.roadandtrack.com/new-car...olkswagen-r32/

 

Thanks guys -- a cool and interesting history. Man, the R32 was an expensive car in 2008 at $33K.

 

The cost is probably why you don't see many around at all. Makes the current R seem like a bargain in comparison.

 

I don't know the numbers, but they also weren't very popular. Almost any other option made more sense at the time.

Since we live in the mountains and have a VW meet nearby, I see a few a year. Most are being driven slow while getting passed by modern GTI's.

I keep seeing a local lady that drives a bright red Golf R. She looks to be in her mid-50's. I'm betting she has a neat history of cars. Would love to catch her in a parking lot someday to say "hi."

 

im not sure if the R32 was that expensive in 2008 considering my 17' Golf R was 42k otd..and DSG one would come out 43k otd.

i dont know wat VW was offering before 17, but the 17's you only got a choice between MT or DSG in my area. both fully loaded no option to get a watered down one like those in other markets.. not that i wanted a watered down version. gotta buy an R fully loaded.

 

https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews...take-road-test

$33,600 and it didn't buy you a lot of performance compared to the competition.

 

i think those were pretty respectable numbers for a hatch back then without torque steer.

that said im happy with my Mk7’s.

 

you guys ever drive a MazdaSpeed3? LOL.... that car represented torque steer. that is wat R32 was able to go without.

with electric steering these days we are spoiled and tend to forget wat torque steer was. even my GTI with all this power has barely any torque steer... i cant tell if it's torque steer or just tramlining on various road surfaces.

 

Ah, so it's electric steering which has served to mitigate torque steer? Neat. I recall that some manufacturers messed around with unequal shaft weights which I thought was pretty clever.

I hear people dissing electronic steering, but we liked it in our TDI and continue to in the Golf. Maybe if I did high performance driving I'd find reason to dislike it.

 

One of my first cars was a first generation Taurus SHO. Haven't felt torque steer since owning it. All other cars have none in comparison. LOL

Electric steering has a bit of disconnected feel to it, but it's not a deal breaker for me. Each generation seems to get a bit better.

 

I think the electrizicle power steering has helped, but it is not the only change that has helped banish the torque steer monster of old. Equal length drive axles, front end geometry & alignment settings have also played a part. Our MINI & my GTI have electric PS & I like it it. My Miata with an old fashioned power rack has more feel, but I've grown so accustomed to the electric PS steering that I prefer it.

 

I fully agree with this. I think limited slip front differentials also aid in traction which can mitigate some of the problems. Torque steer becomes worse once you loose traction.

The Sentra SE-R I had and my neighbors Civic Si, both with limited slip diffs, do not have electric power steering, but still don't suffer from torque steer to any noticeable degree.

The SHO's I owned were hilarious. I had a seating position where I'd brace my arm against the door and grip the steering wheel tightly for launches. Even when sprayed with a 125 shot, you could get power down in second gear, but it required a death grip on the wheel and DON'T even think about changing lanes. The crown from lane to lane was near impossible to deal with. Gear changes were tricky also because you wanted that second hand on the wheel.

Front drive has come a long way. Look at the new Type-R laying the smack down on all of it's AWD competition.

 

Stopped by a VW Dealer today to get some sunny shots of Great Falls Green. Fortunately it was parked in a side lot out of view, so I wasn't torpedoed by a salesperson.

The sun does indeed bring out the green color, but I'm finding that the actual hue is really tough to capture with a camera.



2018 GTI SE Great Falls Green




2018 GTI SE Great Falls Green




2018 GTI SE Great Falls Green

 

Thanks for those pics!

What a unique color. Other than window tint, not sure I'd change anything about it's looks.

 

Nice photo,I like that color a lot. Alco are you starting to get serious?

I came very close to buying a new 2017 Alltrack a couple of weeks ago. Great price, nice car, but I just couldn't let my GTI go. It's barely broken in & I really like it.

 

< Alco are you starting to get serious? >

I'm not in the market yet, but I fantasize about a purchase that will likely happen someday. You and I are in a similar position, as my 165K Mile '06 Frontier still runs great and looks brand new and it'd be kinda nutty to get rid of it. It's that we don't have the space to park three cars, so the truck would have to be sold.

KBB shows the value of my truck at $3,800 which really surprises me. I'd have guessed twice that. Cars.com shows a $5,200 average. In any case, my truck won't produce much trade-in offset. I'm reluctant to sell it on my own, as I would fear for my safety. Maybe potential buyers wouldn't mind if I kept a pistol pointed at them during test drives? :-)

What I suspect will happen is that I'll drive my truck for several more years and dream about a new GTI. If numerous things start failing on my truck, it'll accelerate my GTI purchase.

It also seems kind of nutty to stable two MK7s in our garage, but who can deny the fun factor? :-)

 

when i first got my GTI i was like meh... especially in sport mode the steering felt real fake because it is a lot heavier to turn. but after a while i started getting use to the just point and shoot kind of driving in sport mode.. where bump steer is almost non existent.

these days i like it more than hydraulic steering cause i dont have to think about the car working against me while taking a fast turn with odd bumps and big dips on the road which can throw off my line. there is feedback but not enough to jolt the steering like hydraulic steering cars.

 

Don't ever drive a Miata with a proper alignment Ken. The steering is darned near telepathic. After that My GTI steering feels somewhat dead, but after a few miles it feels OK to me again & I'm smiling.

I had to laugh when you mentioned bump steer. If you've ever driven a live rear axle car in anger the darned things would hit a bump mid-turn & hop out 3 feet or so. I got used to it & would use a line that would have me hopping out to my exit of the turn.

Many years later when I ran my MINI on the same track the difference was almost startling. No hopping at all, I think partly due to the electric PS & mostly due to the IRS. Really crazy that my street car was lapping faster than my race car used to on the same track. The cars they are getting much better.

You will only need to buy one type of oil & filter. Seems great to me. ;-)