Ok, I know its probably been asked, but Ive never considered the Mk5 R32 until now. In truth the S3 is what Id prefer but they are very pricey and R32s seem to be good vfm when you consider the hardware you get.

Having not driven one but read a lot of positive reviews in the motoring press, will it give me something that my Remapped MK5 Gti doesnt ? Outright performance, fun factor, handling?

Ive considered the very desirable ED30 but they do demand a hell of a lot of money for a Gti and the only benefits I can see over the std GTi, apart from exclusivity, is the potential for 300bhp after a remap. .

My main issue with this is that the 250bhp ish that i have now is difficult to put down on the road (impossible in this poor weather) Im not sure about 300bhp through the front wheels ?? (correct me if Im wrong) Is it really useable?

And I actually prefer the MONZAIIs and full leather trim Ive already got over the ED30 items, so styling wise Im a bit indifferent, although the Pescaras look good against Silver and White cars.

I guess you will tell me go and drive one but appreciate the input anyway.

 PS- Will I get buggered by the fuel and Tax costs?

Cheers

Paul

You aren't going to get much more in terms of fun factor, performance or handling in an R32 over a remapped GTi in my opinion. At least not in the dry and as it doesn't matter how much extra grip or traction you have in relation to your stopping distance I'd argue you won't be able to use more of the performance available in a R32 without being reckless on public roads.

However what I think you do get with an R32 is a better all round car. It might not be so much quicker but what you get is a package you can enjoy much more whatever the weather and also have more refinement.

Problem is the R32 does this while burning a massive amount of fuel and not being all that quick.

Personally I'd take an S3 over one any day not just because they are so much faster but also because they have less of a 'cheap seats' feel that VW seem to have engineered into all the MKV's.

How about forgetting VW's totally and going for a MKII Audi TT, they really do feel special inside.


 

Sounds like your mind is made up in your first post - you don't like the style of the ED30 and prefer the luxuary and traction of the R32!

Sounds like the only thing putting you off is the running cost of the R32 - killer MPG and high tax.

You are always going to have to make a compromise for one thing over the other!

I'd take the remapped 300bhp ED30 though as I'm still a boy racer at heart!

I really do like the 20TFSI engine, purely because you can get tree stump pulling torque with a remap, and 22mpg. Or you can take it easy with the family in an get 30-35mpg. Its such a flexible engine. Ive done the VR6,G60 thing and even the HondaVTEC thing but you cant beat the delivery of a Turbo, especialy one as responsive as this.

I would certainly have an ED30 no problem its just I think 24K for decent spec one is taking the p!ss, its a GTi at the end of the day. Bog ones at 20K but as Ive got pretty good spec Gti now Id be very reluctant to fork out for a lower spec car even if it is a special edition. 

Anyway, 24K gets you into S3 territory price wise so it would be a non starter. There must be some real hardcore Golf fans out there to pay S3 money for a Golf Gti. 

Looked at the A3 20TSI but the overwhelming majority Ive comminicated with (including owners) were underwhelmed by the boring drive and the poor ride quality, the very things that make the Golf Gti great. Only the build and quality of materials seem to impress.

Not sure why but cant get excited about the R32..Maybe I should try the DSG and mix it up a bit, try something new. My fear is that it would make me lazy and I would pootle about in full auto mode.

And if the high running costs are to be believed you may as well forget the whole golf thing and go the EVO/M3 route.....but I guess thats another debate.

Cheers gents

Paul  

DSG would suit the R32 very well indeed as far as I can see. I have it on my GTi and 70% of the time I do leave it in auto which is fantastic for undemanding driving. However get it on to some B roads and you have a car you can make lightning fast changes in without taking your hands off the wheel. I'm not the best driver in the world but the confidence this gives ie  simultaneous brake, shift down 2 gears with utter perfection, apex a corner and then back on the power is driving pleasure of a different sort. Sure it's more fun to do it yourself and get it right but in the real world of bad days and the occasional mistakes we all make the DSG box allows you to concentrate on different areas of your driving all the more.

I'm sure my technique at the wheel has got better since I had the DSG equipped car as I've been able to isolate it and work on it and better yet it's translated over to manual cars when I'm lucky enough to drive one.

As for the M3 or EVO route either of those is in a totally different category to the S3 or GTi in terms of outright performance. As a bit of a leftfield choice if I had a budget of 20K+ my money would go on a late model E39 M5 from a BMW dealer with full warranty. Then you'd have a car that's a true classic, far better than an E46 M3 in any case and much classier than the japanese rally rep.
 

It may not be that much faster on paper but from the lights, when exiting corners , and in the wet weather which we have a lot of here, the 4wd of the R32 makes a huge difference  in the real world ,compared the FWD only ED30, . This is offest in the ED30 however when not on the throttle, such as when entering corners off the brakes and quickly changing direction, its much lighter weight gives it the advantage here.

The sound and character of the staggered 6 in the r32 sounds infinitely nicer then any turbo 4 ever will thought, ( but drinks more too) !

In the dry, there are many cars that are quicker than the R32. In the wet... totally different story.

 I think it's all down to how you like your power delivered.

I have owned supercharged (polo G40), VR6 (Corrado), Turbocharged (Scooby WRX), and now MkV R.

 I love low end grunt, and loathe turbo lag.

The G40 was so much fun, and felt like a rocket - it wanted to go fast.

The VR6 - much faster than the G40 (but didn't feel it), gave more pleasure driving slowly, cruising and using the torque. Sounded awesome when accelerating too. A bit nose heavy, and entry speed into the bend had to be monitored

WRX Scooby, The car has a split personality, bland - gutless 2.0, but once on boost, it's mental. However, the couple of seconds between nailing the throttle, and getting any acceleration totally do my head in. From now, I will only ever consider sequential turbo cars (one small, one large) - without noticeable lag. Maybe I was spoiled by having previously owned a supercharged car (obviously no lag). AND, the ride is VERY hard, and not nice for daily driving.

 The R32 - Superb grip, but doesn't feel fast. It is fast, just very well composed so doesn't feel as exciting. The exhaust note isn't quite as nice as the 12v VR6 either. In wet weather, I'd rather take the R. The interior is nicer too.

Note: I haven't driven a turbo'd Golf so feel free to ignore everything I say. But so far I'm unimpressed by turbocharged cars.

However, the ED30 offers much more bang for the buck, and is more tuneable (and cheaper to make gains). Out of the box on a dry day, I reckon the ED30 may well beat the R32 on the 1/4 mile.

 And yes, you will get hammered for road tax on the R32, and fuel economy is not good (the way I see it, petrol is meant for burning, so who cares about mpg)

 AND, you can get the ED30 in white (would look awesome with some grey RS4 wheels)

Thanks guys. Guess what Im after if a useable 300bhp,(so then 4wd) and a Turbo which equals S3. Although maybe not as thirsty as the R32 Im sure that sort of power and 4wd friction will still guzzle the fuel.

Its a lot of cash for a hatcback but maybe the bank needs to be broken next year. What is debt for after all?

Cheers

My friend gets anything from 18mpg to 31mpg in his mk5 R32.    You will definatly be spending MORE money on fuel if you have an R32 over a GTI, thats for sure!

But u will get a different driving experience,  you'll find that in the R32 you'll be able to apply full throttle earlier and more often.  Traction just isn't an issue.

Thats the biggest difference between R32 and GTI - everytime you experience wheel spin, or feel like you have to HOLD back on the throttle in the GTI,   the man in the R32 has ALREADY planted his right boot and gone merrily up the road.
 

Tokyo Dub:

In the dry, there are many cars that are quicker than the R32. In the wet... totally different story.

 I think it's all down to how you like your power delivered.

I have owned supercharged (polo G40), VR6 (Corrado), Turbocharged (Scooby WRX), and now MkV R.

 I love low end grunt, and loathe turbo lag.

The G40 was so much fun, and felt like a rocket - it wanted to go fast.

The VR6 - much faster than the G40 (but didn't feel it), gave more pleasure driving slowly, cruising and using the torque. Sounded awesome when accelerating too. A bit nose heavy, and entry speed into the bend had to be monitored

WRX Scooby, The car has a split personality, bland - gutless 2.0, but once on boost, it's mental. However, the couple of seconds between nailing the throttle, and getting any acceleration totally do my head in. From now, I will only ever consider sequential turbo cars (one small, one large) - without noticeable lag. Maybe I was spoiled by having previously owned a supercharged car (obviously no lag). AND, the ride is VERY hard, and not nice for daily driving.

 The R32 - Superb grip, but doesn't feel fast. It is fast, just very well composed so doesn't feel as exciting. The exhaust note isn't quite as nice as the 12v VR6 either. In wet weather, I'd rather take the R. The interior is nicer too.

Note: I haven't driven a turbo'd Golf so feel free to ignore everything I say. But so far I'm unimpressed by turbocharged cars.

However, the ED30 offers much more bang for the buck, and is more tuneable (and cheaper to make gains). Out of the box on a dry day, I reckon the ED30 may well beat the R32 on the 1/4 mile.

 And yes, you will get hammered for road tax on the R32, and fuel economy is not good (the way I see it, petrol is meant for burning, so who cares about mpg)

 AND, you can get the ED30 in white (would look awesome with some grey RS4 wheels)

When you get back, me, you and Craig = Track Day. We should probably all swap cars during the day as well. :)

Got it cheers.

Will bear it in mind. Discussing a possible private px deal for a used S3.

Lets see what happens.

Thanks

 tokyo a white ed30 like this

 Sorry to reply with a question, but do you have DSG? The reason I am asking is that the DSG seems to be able to put the power down more easily than a manual. My car is over 300bhp and yes I do get wheel spin if I am clumsy with the old right foot, but to get more control you will have to spend a little more money on the likes of suspension mods. Out of the box the R32 is a very capable tool, but I would only consider one if you can live with fuel consumption in the very low 20's and £400+ tax a year.

As you have said right at the beginning, go and test drive them both to make up your mind. IMO......you'll not be disappointed with either. What would I choose?.........Edition 30!

 A Bmw 335d? If only hey, lol

Hard decision...i'd probably go for the Edition 30 due to fuel consumption and the tax thing, its a joke!

 shame no-one can afford to put the ed30 lump in a r32.

Would be interesting to see how the handling (ability to change direction) improves on the r32 with the lighter engine.