Still looks smart today, as does most VAG group cars from around the same time (late 90s/early 2000s). The benefit of simple/elegantly designed cars is that they age quite well.
Oliver Newell Those are criticisms from people who don't understand design and usually have no taste. VAG group cars are properly designed, they always maintain some crucial basic features of design that are required to make something look good. There are rules in design and in esthetics in general, like proper proportions, relations in size or shape between various elements that are just best done a certain way. A lot of car makes design cars that DON'T follow the basic rules of esthetics and just want to make something that pops out at you because it's different, but that wears off really quickly and what you end up is not a properly designed car that will look bad in a few years. Well designed cars will ALWAYS look fresh and good because the rules of esthetics applied to them when they were being designed don't age or grow old. A BMW 5 E39 will ALWAYS look good, in 100 years as it did when it came out. A Honda Civic that's out today will not look good in 5 years.
I am the original owner of a MK4 2003 24v VR6 GTI, 6-speed manual, and it's been my daily driver for about 16 years! The car is a blast to drive, and it still puts a smile on my face. Fit and finish is amazing, and I love the black "animal skin" interior! I still feel that the MK4 performance Golfs, like the GTI, R32, 337, and the 25th Anniversary Edition, were stunning in looks. Especially the last 3 mentioned. The MK4 GTI was a bit plain looking, granted, but the others looked hot.
My mom had a deep purple mk3 vr6, but i was to young to realize what a beast that car was (i was 11). I still remember the first time i read an article about this mk4 r32, it was like a supercar to me back then! I really fell in love with it. Today im lucky enough to own a lapiz blue mk7 r!!
That is a car you need to enjoy for everything it’s worth. I had Jetta the 24v 2.8 vr6 and it was just great. Trying to make anymore power out of them is just sooo much money
Oh.. oh! I used to own one of these in Silver and with a Manual, was always a pleasure to drive around in, either it was for cruising or just slamming the throttle through tunnels. Thanks for bringing back good memories!
The Mk4 Golfs were mechanically poorer than the Mk5 and other later cars, but the design has aged much better. I have a Mk4 GTI 1.8T as a daily driver. It takes a lot of abuse and hardly ever gets cleaned, yet people always seem to like it.
I'm not sure I agree with the mk5 being better. I owned a mk4 V6 4Motion and sold it for a mk6 GTI. The mk6 was a much more modern car. But the mk4 was definitely built better. It was also more reliable. Obviously that's just my experience and maybe others find differently.
I love how you were talking about how if there was an obstacle you would be able to stop and then a second later you had to brake hard because of the 2 bikers! Brilliant!
You know what, I *have* always wondered how the VW Golf R32 Mk4 drives. I prefer transverse engines as there is no lateral block movement due to crankshaft acceleration and deceleration. Looks great, sounds amazing . . . let's go !!
One thing about the older models[even this one] is that they always seemed de-tuned. The 3.2L could have easily 300+HP from the factory... but that's one reason why the aftermarket really exploded in the 90's. My old 2.0L was only 115hp but after a chip, cat back and intake modifications [fairly cheep stuff] it was 140hp and just really starting to come alive. If I had more $ to spend on it, I think 175-180 wouldn't have been out of reach. If I had had the 2.7L VR6.... WOW! Nice video; Love the R32 !
I still have a regular MK4 (2L) and I can’t get a rid of it. Even if it’s not fast, I like the old design and it’s always fun to drive. Built quality is great for what I paid.
It's nice to see a vintage car featured for a full Autogefuhl review, and I admit that I fondly remember this car from when it was new. This particular example seems to have aged rather well. Excellent work with this video, as is to be expected.
Well all Autogefühl reviewers ( presenters ) do a real good job, for me I basically need a few highlights in the end I do my own research and study of anything that I am interested in anyways, but since you feel like comparing AJ to Thomas I have to say with Thomas I can watch the entire video without skipping, with AJ I fast forward to the details that just interest me :D Besides Thomas has a car color named after him and he has an official Thomas fan group in good old Murica :D , as they say "You ain't nuttin till you have an official fan club" :D
Fantastic review & video Thomas. Beautiful example of a Mk4 Golf R32. Yes your right the prices in the UK are sky high for this model of R32 and is a classic now. Not many on the road either. Yes the Golf R is new and completely different car with a 2.0 4 cylinder engine and the R32 with a 6 cylinder 3.2. I own a fully loaded Mk5 R32 now and they are also getting rare in the UK too. I love mine as the sound from that engine is a beautiful tune. Yes it will never be able to keep with a Golf R or the new GTI due to the weight of the car too. But I bought mine for cruising and the sound. 👍
One of my favorites. As far as mid 00's go and naturally aspirated cars you cant beat the S2000 and the R32. Great cars. Ive owned a s2000 and while I didnt have a R32 I did have MkIV GTI 1.8T with a few mods. Fun cars. The only other Golf that has come close to that R32 is the new Golf R. MkV was UGLY and MkVI was better and MkVII is nice. But it is ashame they made the MkIV R32 in DSG. It should have been strictly manual gearbox only. I dont know what the hell they were thinking. And also It also really isn't fair to compare cars now a days in power to cars from the 90s-00's. Cars have gotten insanely faster in the past decade. Even your basic low end models of sedans are making 200-300HP with some models. Cars like the R32 and S2000 making 240hp were sports cars and back then had 50-100hp more then normal base models. It is just a different time. HP has increased so much since then. Nice watch by the way!
Golf mk4 stirs up the most memories for me. Despite being from 2003 still looks somewhat fresh and modern in my eyes and that is testamont to its minimalist design. I think i'm right in saying that the mk1 Leon also had this engine and Haldex 4wd system for the Swiss and Austrian market.
I love that you call this kind of blue "Thomas Blue" because my name is also Thomas and this is also one of my favourite car colours! My favourite is actually the blue of the original Audi RS2 that was built by Porsche. That is my dream car.
Imagine 3 turbos!! One electric to medium rpm to stop turbo lag, then one per bank from Medium to just over redline rpm, Intercoolers in front of each wheels with automatic high pressure water mist+fan spray onto each intercooler switched when the compressed inlet air temperature exceeds a predetermined temperature. A warning when water level gets to 10%, after water is empty the computer derates output to ensure inlet temperature does not raise too high to a safe level for engine longevity. Most likely a great vehicle for the tracks but a bit crazy for the street. Amazing boot space, good work VW!
Oh man ! A friend of mine had one back in the day. It was a beast. Such a cool car back then and still now. Yet another great review from Thomas and Autogefühl ! Keep it up :-)
Sure is nice that the Mk4 R32 still gets attention in this day. Kids seem to be more attracted to electronic gadgets and fuel economy. But anyway, very nice review I like to hear what others think about the r32.
Excellent review, as ever! I had one of these a few years back... what a great machine... superb build quality - those seats are fantastic... I WILL own another 😎
Excellent. We need more reviews of cars of this time, the last era before electric technology & turbochargers became more common. Also no parking sensors, lane assist, electric assisted steering, etc... Back when driving was about using your skill all the time.
Hey Thomas, I do Love a retro review. Nice for us poor people to give reviews like this when we Swop one modern classic for another. Cheers from Scotland 🏴
I owned this car from 2004-2017 same color but a 6 speed Manual... is still in pristine condition and runs like new. Only sold it because I got an eGolf and then a Tesla Model 3 and didn't drive it anymore...also a great car, but very different! The MK4 R32 is still one of the the BEST golf's and for sure the BEST sounding car for under 50k! Also the rear seats DO fold flat, you have to pull the base of the seat up and then they fold into the foot well and the the back of the seat can go flat. Also the VR6 is WAY WAY better than current 1.8T and 2.0T as it didn't burn oil like the Turbo GTI's do. I had a MK5 GTI for only 2 years because it kept burning tons of oil and would always be a quart low and black, while the R32 would always be golden and at perfect level. And BEST looking Golf over time for sure! Thanks for reviewing it!
Wow , It looks Immaculate Thomas , I remember i drove the very first VW Touareg V10 in the UK , I was doing some Press event at the time with that car, I remember it got so much attention on the UK roads , Almost the same attention as this R32 Golf , Great video Thomas , Just deliver to my house No questions asked !! haha
I had a 2005 Audi A3 3.2. And I had the Golf V6 4motion before that. Great little pocket rockets for there time. You don't see many on the road these days, unfortunately. Funnily enough, I still have a V6 today😁
Great video, very in depth and overall good review. I'm an owner, also named Thomas 🎈, and I agree with almost all what you said. The only thing was that, in my opinion, the fact that it is a bit unrefined is part of its appeal especially in manual. But of course it's only an opinion 😊
Just back from round trip to Koblenz via France, Belgium, Holland and Nurbergring. 2300km with under 100 litres of fuel often on unrestricted autobahn with 4 on board with full luggage : 2001 Audi A2 1.2 with 380000km!
The MK4 was massively over built in certain respects like interior fit an finish and panel gaps (door closing etc). VW knew this and scaled back the quality for the Mk5. Still looks good now and hasn't aged badly at all
Honestly, as quick and efficient as today's Golf R is, I'd still take one of these every time. THAT NOISE!! :-D Modern hot hatches seldom sound this good. I also love the clean simplicity of the interior, which still looks good for a 22 year old design! Plus this is one of the few "modern" Golfs that is rare enough to be cool. I wonder if the current cars with all their computerised features will stand the test of time as well as this...
So? If you want faster you can turbo it. Plenty of VR6s out there tuned to over 1000hp... Modern cars are so focused on BHP and lap times they've forgotten how to be characterful and engaging and normal road speeds. This R32 sounds good just parking up in the supermarket car park!
Wow. Such a wonderful flashback of a great hot hatch. I really miss the 3 door hatchbacks. Now (at least in the US market) we can only get the Golf R with a 5 door hatch layout -- which really lacks the aesthetic of the old models. 😕
11:48 LOL I lost this handle recently but on the drivers side and was confused as to where it went, I couldn't find it again. Never knew you could just pull it off like that.
My dream car. Not sure I’ll ever be able to afford it though as they are going up in Value and I can’t afford to insure a good one at the UK at my age.
@@Romans5_3-4 I have a 2.0LMK4 at the moment. But the ultimate goal would be something like an R32 for the weekends. Trying to build my no claims bonus up. Should have 3 years soon
