2008 Volkswagen R32 Road Test Review

”Nice car!”

He’s leaning out the window of his car, going the other way, but in a split second he recognized the 2008 Volkswagen R32 and offered probably his supreme compliment.  Or at least the best he could come up with on such short notice.

It’s a testament not only to his ability to know what he’s seeing, but also Volkswagen making in the R32 something worth noticing.  Indeed, to most observers the Volkswagen R32 is little more than a two-door Rabbit (VW no longer uses “Golf” in the U.S.) with special wheels, even if that’s noticed.

That’s R32 to you But the performance car-conscious will recognize the hallmarks that make the Volkswagen R32 different.  To begin with there’s the aforementioned wheels, 18-inchers with an open 10-spoke design that shows off the large blue-painted brake calipers front and rear.  Standard tires are sizeable 225/40R18 summer compound stuffing the standard VW wheelwells.

Experienced VW spotters will notice a front fascia unique to the R32, the biggest instant giveaway.  Where the Volkswagen Rabbit has a monochrome face and the Volkswagen GTI has a black bib, the R32 sports a “brushed aluminum-look” grille surround, along with standard bi-xenon headlamps and a deep front spoiler.  Out back, Volkswagen added a roof spoiler and centered dual polished stainless steel exhaust outlets as clues.   That and the overall sense of too much car stuffed into too little automobile, makes the two-door sedan noticeable without standing out.

Perhaps our mobile admirer had seen the inside of the Volkswagen R32.  The interior is set off by engine-turned look plastic, though more important are the high bolsters on the front sport seats.  They’re flat out annoying to climb over getting in or out, and they’re a snug fit for average derrieres and a veritable vice for anyone larger.  But there’s not much more in the way of bum grabbers than the R32’s front seats, allowing the driver to use the contoured steering wheel to actually steer rather than hang on in the corners.  They’re also significant noise reducers, effective in reducing the terror level in the right front seat.

The two-door Volkswagen is allegedly a four-seater, and indeed even adults can fit in the lower forty, but for the fully grown, getting in and, worse, getting out is challenging despite front seats that bump up and forward.

The Volkswagen R32’s primary function, however, is not mass transit but rather rapid transit.  The model’s namesake is a narrow-angle V-6 displacing 3.2-liters.  With only 15 degrees between the banks, the transversely-mounted six is a snug fit in the R32’s engine compartment but yields a naturally-aspirated 250 horsepower with a ready response to the right foot.

Tech specs for piston necks Technical engine specifications for the certifiably gearheaded: Bore and stroke of 84 mm by 95.9 mm.  The vee engine has a one overhead cams per bank, making a double overhead cam engine, of sorts, in the R32’s single aluminum-alloy cylinder head.  The engine has variable valve timing, four valves per cylinder and a healthy 10.85:1 compression ratio.  Yes, premium fuel is required.

The R32 is available only with a six-speed DSG transmission.  The dual-clutch gearbox has no clutch pedal, but instead a conventional “gear box” is manually shifted sequentially by tipping the shift lever for and aft, or by paddles on the steering wheel.

The transmission is ideally suited to the engine.  Unlike the traditional automatic, there’s no torque converter slop but rather a firm nexus ’twixt engine and road.  The transmission shifts faster than manually possible and as a bargain gives a crisp bark between gears.  There’s little flywheel effect, which also makes for great throttle-blipping sessions in the driveway.

Unlike most manually-shifted automatic transmissions, the R32’s gearbox will allow downshifts to revs high enough to give engine braking.  On the other hand, the transmission shifts up automatically even in manual mode if the throttle pedal is pushed past a detent hard to the floor, letting the transmission’s computer rev the engine to redline in each gear for maximum performance.  It’s the driver, however, who makes the conscious right-foot decision to opt for automatic upshift mode; the transmission won’t upshift without that full push.

Sounds = Looks In full push mode, the Volkswagen R32 sounds like it looks.  The exhaust note has a baritone warble at full throttle, a product of its narrow-angle V-6 firing order.  At highway cruise it makes a constant subdued thrum to mix with a steady whoosh from the tires.  Quiet it isn’t, but the sounds aren’t noise but rather like sound track for a movie, the R32’s theme.

Ride is firm but the strut front and multi-link rear four-wheel independent suspension sops up ripples on the gollywiggling roads like whitebread on milk.  The R32 is balanced with front and rear tires starting to talk at the same time, and even bumpy pavement requires minimal steering adjustment in mid-turn.  Volkswagen’s 4Motion all-wheel drive can transfer up to 75 percent of the engine’s torque to the rear wheels for a front drive dramatics-free shove out of the corner and a total absence of torque steer.  The 2008 Volkswagen R32’s suspension inspires confidence like an Eagle Scout’s promise.

On the road, braking in traffic will become an effort of distance management with the car behind, and although we didn’t have the chance to track test the R32, those big blue calipers and the big shiny discs should survive track day abuse without significant event.

Begging for track day If anything, the 250-horse R32 is too quick for the public road and begs for a track day or at least a vigorous flogging at an autocross.  Yet with the transmission in full automatic mode and a light foot on the pedal on the right, the 2008 Volkswagen R32 will complete everyday errands anonymously and discretely, nothing but a slightly rumbly exhaust and a too-tight T-shirt look to betray its alter ego.  No one needs ever to know.  Except, of course, that driver who leans out of his car window and shouts “Nice car!”

Philbert J Thrombockle comments: Volkswagen calls this hotrod hatchback the MkV R32, for the fifth generation of the R32.  This is only the second such edition, however, to reach the U.S., and did so only after persistent demands from American enthusiasts brought the model Stateside in 2004 to a rapid sell out of the approximately 5,000 units.  Much the same is happening with the Mk V, with 1,000 of the planned 5,000 unit run pre-sold.

Purchasers oughtn’t look for discounts.  Sales will move along quite smartly without spiffs or distress sale prices. Our Deep Blue Metallic 2008 Volkswagen R32 listed for $32,990 and, with an iPod adapter/navigation system listing $1,800 and $640 distination charge, the bottom line comes to $35,430.

That’s playing in the shallower depths of the BMW 3-Series pool, about the same as a BMW 328i Coupe…with no options.  Without a side-by-side comparison, we’ll dub the R32 the faster car, and with its all-wheel drive, more capable of coping with unruly pavement.  But the BMW is smooth and a more sophisticated operator.  It’s no slouch on a road course, but it will take a major step up on the order form to buy seconds of the lap timer.

The EPA estimate of 18/23 mpg city/highway is pessimistic for highway operation.  We were able to record about 25 mpg at a constant 70 mph.  We didn’t do significant city crawling, but even while playing on backroads, our mileage approximated what the EPA said it would be.