Drove an R32

[angryswede]

I liked it. My girl HATED it. prbably because it's not an audi.

getting back in my a4 though, i realized how crappy it's running. sad state I have to say.

[Anthony]

What did you like about it, and what did she hate about it? It's got to be more than the fact that it's not an Audi, so find out, I'm curious. My girl actually liked the R a lot more than I thought she was going to...

[angryswede]

here's a run down.

I really liked that it had juice off the bat. A lot of torque. in 4th, if you gave it gas, it got up and went, which was nice (especially compared to my barely running a4).

I thought the exhaust sounded awesome, throaty but not loud. not as loud as my neuspeed in my avant with dynamat in the back for sure.

The handling felt great, I really liked that. A BIT more body roll than my avant, but the ride quality was way better (my avant's like lil john, low).

The gearbox felt ok, I hadn't driven a manual in a while, so I was kinda clunky.

the seats felt good. i'm a big guy (6'2", 235 lbs << but on a diet), and they felt ok. i wish they would have had a "wide" seat option on it, that would make it more comfortable. thinking about it, I think the seats feel very similar to the b6 a4's.

I liked the dash and the aluminum / etc. looked really clean.

all in all, a thumbs up from me. a 30k thumbs up? I don't know. For a stock / sporty car, i'd say that would be the way to go though, unless you can afford a porsche or b6 s4. (mitsu's and subaru's don't have the engineering / fit and finish I'd like)

what she hated (the bit we talked)

1) it's a volkswagen. apparently (unfortunately) the "girl" i my girl is coming out and she's liking that I roll an audi. (I like it too, but don't really care)

2) it's too small. she was really bugged by the cost and how it looked like a golf. she'd rather roll a bone stock a4 (or 6) for that price. she's not performance minded at all though and is bummed I 'ruined' my a4 (mind you it was full 4x4 non-sport before I put suspension on it)

3) too loud.
she said she couldn't hear what we were talking about in the front. not that that really matters though, because I think in 1.5 years, i've had 4 people ride in my back seat

4) it won't fit enough shit in it.
not a big deal to me, I don't carry around everything in the world with me (she does)

5) it's a volkswagen golf basically. a passat or "higher end" car would be find, but since that's the base model (a badass base model) it's a no go.

I'm kinda bummed, I really liked it. I'd like to drive it more without an annoying salesman (our guy was an ass) to be sure, but I'd love to rock one.

like i said up top, for 30k, i don't know. but if I coudl find one around 22k or so, i'd hit it in a second. super good - low key sports car that's not a sports car. not as low key as a s4 avant, but definitely only a touch more obvious.

[I am armed]

It's definantly an "enthusiats" car...

[Anthony]

All I gotta say, is you need to drive my VR6, you'll be hooked! If you don't care about the AWD, or what your girl thinks, then I think you more than likely will go that route. The engine is fantastic, with power anywhere you need it. Once you throw a good set of tires and some better suspension on it, it's one amazing car!

[angryswede]

that's what I liked about the r32.
good power
suspension was really good stock. I'm backing stock cars again. I got back and forth every couple years. now i'm all about stock cars.

I'll check a vr6 out also.

[Anthony]

Modding the engine is one thing, but there's almost always room for improvement with any stock suspension. I'm not big on the US-spec R32 suspension. Too soft.

[A4Kevin]

Wiat till the A3 Sportback. You will get the 3.2 and have more room.

[Anthony]

I'd wait as well, good point Kevin. Although it may be hard to wait that long...

[angryswede]

I checked into that and the s3, I guess it's not coming over till next summer / fall I think. Might need a car sooner than that. ideally whatever I get now would hold the space until the rs3 comes out :)

[Thrawn]

What happened to your V50 ideal? There's always the S60R and the V70R if you want go-go juice with utility. The R32, or Golfs in general have great cargo space. I've transported two sets of wheels in my GTI, and I'm not sure there are too many sedans that can do that. I have buddy in the same position, but I think he finally sucked it up and decided on a V8 Touareg. Good luck with your decision.

[Anthony]

Yeah, I didn't think the GTI was going to be able to handle all of my cargo hauling needs. Once those two back seats are folded down though, it's impressive!

[Mark]

RS3 gets my vote for hatchback as well . . .

[blacka4]

I hated it..I know compairing the haldex to torsen AWD is like compairing apples to oranges, so I am not going to do that..all I have to say is that its way to heavy up front and body roll is outragious and I would never downgrade to the VW after owning an Audi.

[Anthony]

I thought my GTI would be a downgrade over my A4, but I was wrong. Even after one year of ownership and use, I'm still very much impressed with the fit and finish of the VW, especially for such an aged platform.

[angryswede]

I saw a v70 r today and it was nuts. I just don't think i want to drop $40k on a car. the v50 would be sweet, but i'd want the R which isn't even announced yet. I still have to check those out. I like the size of the r32 though.
it's all just speculation anyways. I was evne thinking of selling my truck and getting a range rover or something, but driving an suv around everyday doesn't sound too fun.

Originally posted by Thrawn
What happened to your V50 ideal? There's always the S60R and the V70R if you want go-go juice with utility. The R32, or Golfs in general have great cargo space. I've transported two sets of wheels in my GTI, and I'm not sure there are too many sedans that can do that. I have buddy in the same position, but I think he finally sucked it up and decided on a V8 Touareg. Good luck with your decision.