The R32 is a nice ride, slower than the evo and sti, All the cars have their problems that you will hear about. I believe the R32 has the same Ignition coil as all the other v6 vw/audi engines do and they have had major problems with them.. I traded my A4 for an evo because audi had my car for 6 weeks while i drove a rental saturn because the company was out of ignition coils.! No problems with the evo yet!!!

 

You probably have read this article...... but if not.... its a great read.
http://vortex3.rely.net/artman/publi...0.shtml?page=1

 

I'm not comparing two different cars, I'm comparing the same car with different options, one of which costs an extra $12,000
Umm, the 1.8T GTi has the exact same interior, except for the seats. You can also get it with the 6 speed but its faster with the 5 speed b/c the gearing matches the powerband better. Its not like the evo vs lancer where they put in major structure reinforcements/weight reduction measures. No, its just a golf with a bigger v6 and awd.

Your paying a $12,000 premium for a slower version of the golf with marginally better handling dynamics. To each his own I suppose.

 

i've had numerous vws, each with their own "quirks." They should have all of the gremlins out of the golfs by now, but who knows. might want to troll www.vwvortex.com and look in the forums for vw, they have a specific link for R32s.

saw one the other day, and the interior is gorgeous, as are all vdubs and the exhaust was orgasmic sounding. i am still a little bit wary about reliability in vdubs.

but i am still happy with my evo, coming from a devout dub fan (had 4). if i had to do it all over again, i would stick with my evo. wasn't impressed with the sti, either.

 

Hey slt,
The interior is different and the handling is independent rear. Plus the Heldex AWD makes a world of different. The brakes are way bigger too (the fronts are even larger then those on the Evo). Please dont compare it to a regular GTI/golf until you've at least been in one or read some specs on it. Not trying to flame but come on man do SOME research.

 

I've done research, i sat in a red one last week. Same basic interior, except the new golfs loose the cool pop out cup holder. I've read reviews, even by VW nuts. The car doesn't handle great. It handles well, but not great. And the fact remains that a $20k GTI is faster and is much easier and cheaper to make even faster. Put a swaybar and some springs on it and you've got a faster $21k car that also handles well. I love my VW, but I just don't get the r32's $$$$price. If you want a luxury sports cruiser, there are far more luxurious options out their IMHO. Its theGerman Cavalier after all.

 

I think the R32 is sweet. It is nicer looking and has a better build quality than the EVO. The only thing that would hold me back is that price$$$. If it was price aggressively near $25K, then it would be worth it. Performance-wise, it doesn't justify that price tag.

 

I agree with you. Interior is basically the same except for the seats.
And although AWD is great it's not worth extra $12k. I was suprized with the poor performance numbers the car got.

 

what's up kdogg?

i beg to differ from you on the build quality between the two. i have had a vr6 jetta (mkIII), a vr6 GTi (mkIV), and a 1.8t GTi (mk IV). the quality of the interior is better, but it is not screwed together as well. all three of my dubs rattled like hell, even with low miles (like 3-5k miles) and got worse with wear. i recently drove my old 337 with 30k miles on it. holy **** was that car loose and rattles out the wazzoo. yeah the interior looked great, but....... vw service sucks pretty much universally. coil packs on the vr6s, ignition coils on the 1.8ts, window motors failing, electrical gremlins and ****ty service left me bitter. i loved the cars and was willing to put up the the typical vw "quirks", but after i drove the evo, it was love at first site.

my evo now was 13.5 k miles on it and only one rattle, more of a sqeak as i go into my drive way. needed new rotors, due to manufacturing defect. needed an alignment and that is it. no clutch problems, no tranny problems, great dealership, i was never treated as well in my life. whole-heartedly recommend them to anyone. granted, i did buy mitsu's flagship car there, but still they treat me well.

anyway, drive em all and see which you like. if the evo could win over an avid dub fan of 18 yrs, it might win you over too.

sorry for the rant

 

Hmm, I think I need to drive both.

I wish I could borrow each for a week.

 

guack007-
honestly, the haldex setup sucks. the 3.2L VR sucks. the tranny probablly grinds 2nd gear like no tomorrow. im sure they fixed that '*** fire' heated seat problem they denied to no end. the R32 is a little too late for the enthusiast, especially coming in on the coat tails of an aging mark, INCREASING the potential loss of value right off the bat. DBW sucks, and you will get no mod-ability with a very adaptive motronic that will kill the buzz of any aftermarket part you put on until you have your ECU flashed.

Parts are expensive. Looks are great. smooth riding highway car with gobs of available torque. a 3.2L VR sitting over your front wheels, causing an inevitable snowplow effect mid corner.

there are plenty of arguments, but the Evolution is a car that is geared more towards the performance enthusiast rather than men with grey hair that desire subtlety.

just let it be known that this is coming from someone that owned a mk4 gti for 3 years. this is coming from someone that had his car pictured in show coverage of waterfest 2002- PVW. This is coming from someone who thought that VW was the greatest thing since sliced bread. This is coming from a once euro-minded autophile who was convinced on VW. This is coming from someone that realized that you cannot force performance onto a car that was never designed for performance.

Good luck with your decision. Both cars are respectable in their own ways. It is a decision that many of us had to make...

edit.
might i also add that the arrival of the R32 in the UK was less than great, attributed to the same mk4 gremlins that plagued so many of us. Many people in the UK have dumped their cars due to 'more of the same ****' for $30K. also, let me add that your R32 US Spec will lack HIDs, Koneig seats, etc.

 

If I were you I would go with the R32 for many reasons:
1. Better interior
2. Better quality
3. Sounds like a beast stock
4. Lots of potential
5. Smoother ride
6. 40 mph bypass valve (you have to hear it to know what I am talking about)
7. Smaller than the Evo and will be easier to park
8. the color Deep Blue looks very nice (check out the thread over the R32, I have pics there)
9. 6 speed gearbox
10. The R32 is new and rare
11. Very nice handling
12. More room than any other "hatch"
13. Fun to drive
14. It is Euro and you can not go wrong with Euro
15. Great car to cruise around in
There are many more reasons why the R32 is a great car, but I have to go to school tomorrow and wake up early.
If you want to see pics check out the other thread over the R32s
-Gonzalo

 

This I whole-heartedly agree with. As soon as I saw it was coming, I thought "Too little too late VW." Had it come 2 years earlier with 260-300 hp and under 30k, they wouldn't have been able to keep them on the lots. But, 240hp on the year the MKV is supposed to get here, against some stiff competition? That's a tough sell, considering the market right now. I still love the car, but, im not enough of a VWAG fan boy that I won't admit when they screw up.

And, DBW blows. I've driven DBW Audi's and dub's, and I despise the feel. Someday manufacturers will perfect it, but for now, it really mutes, delays, and just generally screws with the drivers feel for the throttle.

 

So basically you're telling him to go with R32 because chicks dig it
VW in Europe has worse reputation than Civics in USA.

 

My friend went to see the R32 and said that he liked it except that it is weak (he is coming from an E36 M3). This may be its fatal flaw. the design and execution is great, but the engine...comparable is size to the E36 M3 makes similar hp and torque numbers as the R32, yet the R32 fails to beat the M3's numbers. Still a nice car.