First Drive Review
Doctors and lawyers used to drive Buicks even though they could afford Cadillacs because they didn't want their customers to suspect they were perhaps charging too much for their services. Such sensibilities seem quaint in this age of "If you've got it, flaunt it!"
But for those who still enjoy maintaining a much lower profile than their net worth might finance, the Volkswagen R32 is an excellent choice. To the casual observer, it's just a Golf, the fifth generation of the car that replaced the workaday Beetle in VW's lineup - in other words, a sensible economy car.
Underneath, however, the R32 bristles with power, sophistication, technology, and sumptuous luxury. Power comes from a 3.2-liter version of Volkswagen's narrow-angle V-6 that peaks at 250 horsepower and 236 pound-feet of torque. This engine is coupled to VW's Direct Shift Gearbox (DSG), which uses three shafts and two clutches to produce the swiftest and smoothest gearchanges of any paddle-shifted manual on the market. The transmission feeds the power to all four wheels to maximize traction, minimize torque steer, and deliver balanced handling.
It's the quickest production Golf ever offered. VW claims a 0-to-62-mph time of 6.2 seconds for the Euro-spec R32 we drove. But we got six flat out of the last-generation R32 we tested, and that was 0.4 second quicker than VW's claim. Top speed goes right up to 155 mph on the European version.
Such acceleration won't threaten the Evos and STIs of the world, but the R32 is much less of a boy racer than those rally-derived machines. It delivers its power smoothly and consistently without the vagaries of turbo lag. And its interior would do justice to a proper luxury car, with supremely comfortable leather sport seats, padded leather door panels, soft materials wherever your elbows touch, and a plush finish overall. Conveniences such as automatic climate control, a sophisticated sound system, and bixenon headlights are standard. The car we drove was also equipped with the optional navigation system. Think of the R32 as a powerful luxury sedan in econo-hatch clothing.
As such it doesn't have the lightning reflexes of a Mitsubishi Evo, or even VW's own GTI, which is more than 300 pounds lighter. Instead, the R32 responds a bit more deliberately when you turn the steering wheel, but in exchange, it is immensely stable at 150 mph on the autobahn, even on rough, formerly East German stretches that were rain-soaked. Here, the four-wheel drive combines with the low noise levels and a rattle-free, rigid body to provide truly relaxed cruising.
When you engage the DSG's paddles to raise the revs into the V-6's power band, however, the car's character changes completely. Not only does the forward urge increase, but the 3.2-liter engine also takes on a throaty growl when the accelerator is floored and the tach needle rises above 5000 rpm. Even with the windows up, engine sounds dominate the car and remind us why we like six-cylinder engines so much.
This combination of refined performance in a compact but luxurious package attracted buyers when the R32 first appeared toward the end of the fourth-generation Golf's run. Buyers in the U.S. snapped up all 5000 available examples here, and the cars remain in high demand, judging by the minimally depreciated prices they command on eBay.
Volkswagen hasn't decided whether it will export this R32 to America later this year or wait for the debut of the R36, a car that would use the 3.6-liter version of the V-6 to pump up about 300 horsepower. Unfortunately, the DSG used in the R32 can't cope with that much power, and a beefier version of the transmission won't easily fit in the Golf chassis. So the R36's arrival here could be put off for at least two more years.
While waiting for VW to make up its mind, you could simply buy the mechanically identical Audi A3 3.2 Quattro S-line, but it can run 40 grand. Volkswagen understands that the new R32 shouldn't cost much more than the last, which means about $30,000. At that price, the R32 would still provide a unique blend of performance, technology, and luxury in a subtle package.
