Specs:
- 3.2L VR6 producing 250 HP @ 6300RPM and 237 lb-ft @ 2500 RPM.
- Haldex part-time AWD, defaults to 90% front and 10% rear, maximum is 0% front, 100% rear.
- Twin Clutch 'Direct Shift Gearbox' with Auto, Sport, and Manual modes.
- 18" Omanyt rims w/ tires of size 225/40/R18
- Curb Weight: 3547 lbs.
- $32,990 base price, $35,430 fully loaded (nav)

The U.S. Spec version of the R32 was a limited production run of 5000, all of which were two doors and had the same rims and front seats, unlike the European version which had different options, including full Recaro bucket seats, alternate rims, and a choice of two or four doors. The only three options on the U.S. model were the paint color (in order from greatest to least number produced: Deep Blue Pearl, Candy White, United Gray Metallic, and Tornado Red), MFD2 navigation w/ iPod adapter or a standard VW radio headunit w/ a six CD changer, and a choice of Bridgestone high-performance summer tires or the shittiest Dunlop all-season tires ever created.

Some performance figures:
- MFR claimed 0-60 MPH: 5.8 seconds
- Top Speed: 130 MPH (electronically limited)
- R&T Skidpad Score: 0.85g
- R&T Slalom Score: 65.9 MPH
- R&T 1/4 Mile: 14.6 seconds @ 94 MPH
- R&T braking from 60 MPH: 134 feet

So, what's the verdict here?

Did you just put your own car up?

Yeah... is there a rule against that?

Of course not.

I'm going for neutral. It's not a truly uncool penalty box, but it's lamer than the MkIV IMO and as performance cars goes probably too much of a GT.

Just got a "hot or not" vibe from this thread is all

I like these cars, but 60-0 in 134 feet is in a literal sense scary

Not my style, too heavy, too many clutches.

The MK IV, although not as good a performer, is, from what I've heard, a much better drive. I've grown to love the Mk IV a lot more than I used to as a result of seeing various projects... especially HPA's full-out race car with a 100% stripped interior, roll cage, and hydraulic lifts.

About the Mk V, though... when it first came out here, all the magazines were throwing it into the Evo vs. STI war as a third wheel, where it always lost, as that battle has never been about anything but hardcore performance. Some even went to point out that it's a WRX competitor, not an STI competitor, and then quickly realized... "WAIT... STI money for something that barely (if even) beats a WRX?" Reading all these confused reviews only pointed me in one direction initially... this car seems SO much more a GT car than anything else... but for some reason... that's not the whole story.

My favorite review of the car, which shares the same ending view as myself, is from Autoweek, which starts "Not everyone will get the Volkswagen R32. And we aren’t saying that solely because availability of the all-wheel-drive, V6-powered Golf is limited to 5000 cars for the U.S. market," because it IS really clear... not many people do get it. Anyone who's ever asked "why pay that much money for an AWD Golf when you can get an Evo or an STI?" doesn't understand why I got this car: it's a midline. It's not a track toy, but it's not a cushy touring car either. I can cruise for six hours on the highway (well no, I'd run out of gas and have to stop, 14 gallon tank doesn't go far with this drivetrain) in that driver's seat and be as comfortable as can be, but then, I can take corners with a surprising amount of finesse and grip for a car of this mass and have the time of my life with that too.

I know why a lot of people don't like/don't get this car... it seems indecisive, like it doesn't know what it wants to be. That's why I love it.



Also, I've yet to vote. I can't decide where it actually goes on this cool wall, seeing as I own one, and it is, at the end of the day, a VW.

I'm a VW fan boy. I think this car is coooool.

The MkIV was compared against the STi and Evo as well, it was basically the same scenario except people seemed to like it more. The MkV has the superior chassis, though...despite the extra weight, the new suspension is worth a few seconds on a race track by itself.

When it comes down to sheer numbers and sizes, my car's actually a bit ridiculous. My friend ordered a RS4 rear sway bar for his A4 and was noting its supposedly large size of 22mm. Out of curiosity, I looked up the size of my stock rear sway bar to find that it is 22.6 mm. Kinda crazy, especially on a car with a shorter wheelbase.

Umm different cars use different sway bars...the stocker on my GTI is 23 mm, and 28 mm is the common reccomended performance street bar (hollow bars are in the 30+ mm range). It's not because the rear end is a million times stiffer in the rear or anything, it's probably got more to do with there being a less favorable motion ratio on the MkIV cars. In other words, it's potentially an apples to oranges comparison.

Ah... thanks for clearing that up. I only assumed because it seems like they're all in the same size range.

Yeah. And, of course, there's different suspension tuning philosophies when it comes to sways...on one extreme you've got the original Noble M12 2.5, which didn't even have any sway bars, and on the other extreme is...I dunno what. Something with ridiculous sway stiffness.

Some crazy son of a bitch I read about has a Mk V R with a custom-fabricated 32mm rear swaybar and nothing in the front, as well as the Haldex mod.

All a huge rear sway means is that its admiting the car tends to suffer from understeer and it's trying to correct an aspect of that. On that note stock for my car was 24 and cobra was 25.4

I voted cool. I'd rather save my cash and get a GTi, but the R32 is still a cool car in its own right...if for nothing other than the noise it makes.

As far as I am concerned the MK V is a step backwards from the MK IV R32. Uncool.

Voted Neutral based mainly on the fact I haven't driven/rode in one yet. Razor......

If my crew season is over before the weekend of the 7th, I will be in that area the weekend of the 14th FOR SURE. Can't remember exactly what my schedule is leading up to then, though. The surrounding towns have got some pretty decent driving roads... for Massachusetts, that is.

I vote cool, and I would have voted higher if it were possible. Here in SA, the MkV GTI is common as fuck, and so is incredibly uncool. Still an awesome drive, but uncool. The R32 sorts that out. plus it's a Golf with a V6 (VR6 anyone?), which makes it even cooler. one issue we have here in JoBurg, is being at +- 1700m, the R32 is about as fast in a straight line as the GTI, which is a bummer. But it sounds a gazillion times better, and that's a fact.

DSG only transmission killed for me, otherwise I would be driving one right now. It puzzles me why they did not offer it with a manual...

And, conversely, if I find one in blue with DSG (manual is available in Europe), sunroof and the Recaro seats, I will probably not be able to resist.
Oh, those seats!




Probably all the car you need for 9 out of 10 drives. And probably as much fun/satisfying/comfortable/reliable as most other cars in 8 out of 10 driving situations.

Not the best track toy – but you could still do it - and enjoy it.

Not the best back roads blaster – but still fun.

Not the best continent-eating Gran Turismo, but few will get you there quicker or more comfortably.

Not the best load carrier, but it is still a Golf, so practicality is its middle name.

Not the biggest crowd-puller in the looks department – but do you always need that?

A pedestrian car-ignoramus will not notice anything different about this "family box" (unless you rev it a little ).

A car-driving car-ignoramus will not notice anything different about this "family box" (unless you overtake him ).

Informed anti-car types will say it is pointlessly wasteful – a 1.4 diesel in the same body does a perfectly acceptable job.

Many petrolheads will criticise it for being a heavy, thirsty lump – and rightly point out that it's nothing special to look at.



On the basis of all that, I wouldn't say it was cool – but personally I'm still very tempted

Yeah this car definitely does a good job of ticking the "this car does everything" box...I used to really love that in cars, these days I'm more annoyed by compromise, but I still respect it a lot. I still hate the lack of a manual option in the US (VW has a really nice 6-speed in their A-chassis cars, and they have for nearly a decade) and I wish those seats were available in the US (though the ones that we DO get are very nice...if only they were available in cloth).