The Truth About Cars shares their take on the uber Golf, er, Rabbit.
Always one for an interesting (and usually extremely honest) review, Robert Farago of TTAC has dropped his well written and amusing two cents on the new R32. While I highly recommend that you head over to TTAC and read it for yourself, I can sum it up for you – the GTI is a “better driver’s car, for less money”.
Technorati Tags: TTAC, The Truth About Cars, volksbloggin, oneighturbo
Archive for the 'R32' Category
This would have been so much fun to go to but it falls on the same weekend as Petit Le Mans.
TrackDaze High-Performance Driving in conjunction with The Volkswagen brand announce the VW Ride-n-Drive on Sunday, October 7th at Summit Point Motorsports Park from 8am to 5pm
Volkswagen enthusiasts and potential customers are invited to come and test drive some new performance models on an actual 1.1 mile road course race track. The cars available to sample for this great event are several of the amazing VW performance models, to include 2008 R32’s and GTI’s. Not only will attendees have a chance to sample these vehicles, they will have a certified instructor riding along providing tips on proper High-Performance and Safe driving technique. For directions and more information please visit: Event Details
A first in our long overdue How-To series!
Please bookmark, digg or download the PDF (180k) for your convenience!
Vehicle performed on: 2000 Volkswagen New Beetle 1.8T
Other models: MKIV 1.8T’s (All models), Audi TT’s, Audi A4’s
What you need:
Philips-head and/or Flathead screwdriver
Arc joint pliers
Rags
Electric cleaner
MAF cleaner
Beverage of choice (Diet Mtn Dew for us. Ommegang if it was later in the day!)
Time: Noob – 1.5hrs, Experienced: 30-45min
Legal: We are not responsible for any problems you encounter during this how-to.
Intro:
This is a very simple process. If you’ve been experiencing hesitations, rough idle etc, your MAF (Mass Air Flow) sensor may be the culprit. If you have a CEL, this could be it. Within the housing sits the sensor (need pic). This can become dirty or if running an oiled filter like K&N. Some say that these filters do not effect the MAF, however I ran one and had gone through 3 MAF’s. I’ve since moved on to a mod’d OEM air-box running the OEM paper filter and have had no issues..
Take a swig of beverage.
Step 1:
Depending on your set-up, I find it easier to take the air-box out as well. I am running a Forge T.I.P which is a heck of a lot stiffer than OEM so just pulling the MAF out is a pain.
You will have 2 philips-head screws to the rear of the air-box. These along with the tabs hold the cover down.
Leave in place for now. If you do take out, unlock the SAI hose, just under MAF. * See pic above
Take a swig of beverage.
Step 2:
Gently press tab to unlock and pull plug off MAF. Tuck up and out of way.
Take a swig of beverage.
Step 3:
There are two (each side) philips head screws that hold the MAF to the air-box. Remove these. Unlike the air-box, these come out completely. Since they are a bit of a pain, I recommend putting a rag under your work area. If you do drop one/both they will fall here rather than into the engine area.
Take a swig of beverage.
Step 4:
Loosen clamp around neck of TIP (Turbo Inlet Pipe). Just push this down the pipe and out of the way. * See pic above
*If you have the OEM tube, you will have one of those self squeeze clamps. They are a nightmare/dangerous and I suggest switching to a normal clamp like I have. You will need a very large set of arc joint pliers.
Take a swig of beverage.
Step 5:
Slowly pull MAF off/out of air-box and then out of TIP. This is one of those figure it out on your own. What I mean is that it’s semi-tricky and you just have to wiggle/play it out. DO NOT DAMAGE ANYTHING!
Take a swig of beverage.
Step 6:
Take cleaner and spray the sensor, screen* and plug area. It will dry fast and you can wipe any extra off. BE EXTREMELY CAREFUL.
* The screen is to control air flow/turbulence across the sensor.
That’s it.
Take a huge swig of beverage.
Step 7:
Reverse order. Make sure all is snug and bolted down. You don’t want any air leaks.
Take this time to look over your engine too. This is a great way to learn and examine your car.
While pulling the MAF plug off, I noticed the red plastic didn’t look right. Looking closer it has started breaking off, becoming brittle?
Our 1.8T’s run very hot. If your still running the cloth VAC lines, inspect them for drying/cracking. Another big CEL among 1.8T owners. If possible, buy some silicone hose and replace all. Silicone is indestructible when it comes to engine heat.
If you do loosen you air-box cover, take this time to look at the filter. Shake it out but do not let dirt get on top of the filter, MAF sensor side. I usually bang straight down on flat surface. OEM filters are very cheap to replace at your oil change interval. Hopefully with a 1.8T your running a synthetic oil and at a 5k or more change depending on driving habits and environment.
Let us know if this How-to helped out in the comments. We are planning many more.
- the 1.8T dub crew
Legal: We are not responsible for any problems you encounter during this how-to.
Technorati Tags: VW, Volkswagen, Volkswagen MKIV, How-to, oneighturbo, Mass Air flow
When I first saw this post I was looking forward to a nice race. It is but the title is highly misleading. What it does show us is that an R32 with a twin turbo set up is a BEAST! and this guys setup is super stealth.
Not knowing what year the BMW is, my New Beetle could give this guy a fair race. Right now the Z4 comes in at 215hp or 255hp for the 3.0.
*We do not condone street racing.
Watch this video to see a VW Golf R32 easily outrunning a BMW Z4, something always nice to see!
via GermanCarBlog via dailycarvideos
Technorati Tags: VW, Volkswagen, Volkswagen R32, BMW Z4, oneighturbo, German Car Blog
I’m not sure about the small hatch for Porsche.. I’m also not to warm about the Panamera design. The smaller version seen below looks better in the form but something is just not right to me.. oh and a front engine? I guess time will tell..
*note: I’m using ecto to post this.. testing the new alpha.
With impending European Union limits on carbon dioxide emissions, makers of high performance vehicles like Porsche have been scrambling to find a way to meet the new requirements (whatever they may be). One obvious way is to make smaller lighter cars, and German magazineAutoZeitungis reporting that Porsche will follow up the introduction of the Panamera sedan with small front-engined hatchback.
It wouldn’t be the first such configuration from Stuttgart, although it seems likely to be smaller than the old 924/944 lineup. The magazine is reporting that the new car will use a flat 6 from the Boxster/Cayman with all-wheel drive on a VW platform. That engine choice would preclude the Golf platform since the boxer engine wouldn’t fit in the transverse engine layout. So if this comes to pass, a variation of the Audi A4 architecture is likely to underpin the new model.
Another more likely option might be to use the Golf platform with a variation of the the R32 drivetrain. This would certainly provide the necessary performance and it wouldn’t be out of line with what Porsche did with the Cayenne. MotorAuthority has a rendering of what such a car might look like, and it’s definitely better than what we’ve seen recently in spy photos of the Panamera. This car would definitely be a lot closer in spirit to what a Porsche should be.
- autoblog via MotorAuthority
How does our current Golf R32 compare to the first one, of 2002 vintage? Neil Carey has a chance to find out.
That’s the question I asked in my post regarding the press release on the ‘08 R32.
Since we cannot pull of a test review of both of these (I guess we really could at the dealer) Evo has done an excellent job of comparing the two. In a short but sweet article they point out the differences which become more apparent on the road than on paper.
I’ll take mine in white, red if it’s an MKIV! 
Two VW Golf R32s – on the left, the mk4 version introduced in 2002. On the right our more recent mk5 model.
Text: Neil Carey / Photos: Andy Morgan | July 2007
Two VW Golf R32s – on the left, the mk4 version introduced in 2002. On the right our more recent mk5 model.
The humble Golf has come a long way in its 33 years. It has grown in every dimension, and it’s the same story with the performance. Back in 1977 the original hot Golf, the much celebrated mk1 GTI, was armed with a measly 110bhp 1.6-litre motor and used (and needed, for that matter) only the front wheels to transfer that power to the road.
Skip forward to today and the premium Golf is no longer marked out by the letters ‘GTI’. It’s now the R32 that tops the range, and it has moved the game on considerably, with an additional 136bhp, four-wheel drive and, if you tick the right box at the dealership, a race car-inspired paddle-operated gearbox.
I don’t know about you but that title had me in tears.. The R32 is an incredible machine. A wonderful daily river and awesome weekend track car. As an overall deal it rivals the Evo and STI in this. However, yes it is “more” powerful than the MKIV R32 but only by… hold on…. 10hp!!!!!!! It has the same TQ numbers…
It was also thought that the U.S MKIV R32 had the 250hp 3.2L out of the Audi TT which then would put it at the same #’s as the new MKV R32! hmmm… (wiki)
Now VW has ever advertised it as a competitor to the EVO/STI race. That has mostly been stirred up on the streets, track, internet. I am not sure how VW will tackle the new MKV R32 advertising but there will only be 5,000 made and a good number are already accounted for.
I think a good number of enthusiast will agree that VW needed to drop a bit more in this model…. snore. I guess you can take it to HPA, APR or EPI.
- Motorsport inspired R32: a race car for everyday driving
AUBURN HILLS, Mich. — Volkswagen of America, Inc. announced today that its hottest hatchback, the new 2008 R32 will make its highly anticipated debut in the United States this fall. The Mk V R32 features bold new interior and exterior styling cues packaged with increased horsepower and performance. With a heritage of responsive driving and dynamic performance characteristics built into its bloodline, the R32 is ready to comfortably tackle the streets or rip up the local track day event. The choice is yours.
The R32’s muscle is provided by its namesake, the awesome 3.2 liter naturally aspirated narrow angle VR6 engine, which provides 250 horsepower and 236 ft. lbs. of torque. This unique and potent engine is combined with Volkswagen’s gripping 4Motion® all-wheel-drive system. Rounding out the drivetrain package is the highly praised Volkswagen dual clutch DSG® transmission, which allows for seamless gear changes and helps the R32 to accelerate from 0-60 in approximately 6.4 seconds.
Continue reading ‘R32: It’s back in ‘08 and more powerful than ever!’
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