Mk4 VW Golf R32 vs Mk5 VW Golf R32, which one's best? 

Hydro Cronus I bought my first mk4 on friday ( washed it twice in 4 days,lol). I’ve never done that before and I’ve owned somewhere in the 200 range of vehicles. Now I’m looking for a second for my wife.

Literally just bought myself one too about a 2 weeks or so. Just absolutely love it!!

Im thinking about buying one. Put in a few inquiries with private sellers. I am beyond ecstatic. Im going from a 2007 automatic vw rabbit to a MKIV R32. Big upgrade.

@@MrMatt8478 I washed my mk4 R32 6 times in one week once.

It's a personal thing. I like the Mk4 but think it is square, bland & of a time when German cars were boxy & uninspired looking whereas the Mk5 for me has more classic lines & is a much more sophisticated, complete looking machine. I think the Mk5 is the ultimate Golf. Beauty & brawn. Regardless of the shape it takes having that VR6 sound in your life makes for a better day.

definitely has more of a motorsport look as well.

Lucky guy always fancied a r32 but put off with running costs like the look of mk 4 I've got 2 lupos one a GTI similar styling which one would u recommend

If the mk4 isn’t a future classic I don’t know what is

Factory exhaust is so tame though!

but the Radio is fine and better than Dynaudio

2005 mk5 r32 is best for road tax.

haha I've owned two r32's both mk5 06' I've always said … " I pay for smiles, not the miles." xD

Did you ever buy your third and if yes, what did you go, manual or dsg?

@@Sma11time. I did buy a third, however it was a DSG 2016 Golf R. Beautiful but sadly no longer have that

@@Benjonno2011 Im in Canada and thnking about importing a LHD 6Spd vr6.. but the money I can save and dump into one not imported is also tempting. VR-T is the goal. I have a 337 whp MK5 GTI now and she boogies but I LOVE the sound of a VR6T.

@@Sma11time. Yes you cannot beat the Vr6 mate

Hi Brandon, thanks for commenting. Things have changed a lot since that video was made and I was still learning the ropes with poor equipment so hopefully the later videos are a little more balanced in their production.

Techno? 😂

That's jazz, idiot.

Nope is mk5

​@@martenorio747no mk4 IS the best

That's very kind of you, thank you. Hopefully the content will bring the subscribers. Editing is definitely a skill I am getting better with over time - made sure this one wasn't rushed so glad you noticed, thanks again!

volkswizard what editing software do you use? Looks great. I'm thinking about having a go at car vlogging/reviews although I'm not sure anyone will want to see a video on my 7 year old Corsa! Ha

I use Adobe Premiere Elements which cost around £50 and was a massive improvement from Windows Movie Maker! Professionals use Premiere Pro but Elements does all I need for the moment. Start with your Corsa and see how you get on, I am sure there are loads of people who'd love to have a 7 year old Corsa if they've just started driving, everything has an audience so get filming! GoPro Hero 4 is really good too, I tried Sony before as cheaper and Shmee seems to like them but GoPro is like an Iphone, top quality and easy to use.

Maybe because the sound is much too loud

That's a fair point so thanks for pointing it out, I will make a special effort to make the level consistent, I am not sure why the start of the R32 one is so loud, so apologies about that.

Fuck België en die sossentaxen

Just got me the MK5 R32 and it's awesome. Don't regret it at all. She had much lower km's then the MK4's that were for sale in NZ and almost the same prices too. It's really comfortable and has a great sound and you can go from casual to fast real quick :)

@@LowPockets8619 I wish there were more manual ones here 😩

Thanks Matt, yes worth buying a good one now before they are all gone. Just beware of wing rust and jerky gearboxes if DSG. Otherwise they are tough cars and a sound investment :)

volkswizard yes my old one had the dreaded rusty wings. Didn't cost too much to sort out though and the dsg mechatronic can be repaired now for under £1k usually. As you said in the video those small faults would cost far less than the depreciation on a new Golf R. Plus the new Golf R sounds like a vacuum cleaner by comparison lol

opel astra h opc no worse :)

Totally agree, both are great cars yet so different.

I selled my MK5 R32 and bought an MK7 but 1 Year later Isaw a wonderful MK4 R32 with 50000km. 1 Owner fully loaded and now in the Garage is still the Beauty and wait until every Summer to make RRRRRRRRRR on the streets. But i never forget my MK 5 R32 DBP ,I drove him 3 whole Years from 28k km to 58k km, and his electronic Leather Recaro Seats. And I never forget the people who said the MK5 isnt the real R32. Both R32 are special for every Owner. I never sell 2nd time a R32 ^^. Thx Mr_Archer I totally agree too.

Mk4s are extremely well built, I run a Bora TDI daily and it's rock solid still.

110k on that car is nothing

Mk4 was at 240 on launch, Mk5 was at 250 due to a better intake manifold. Other than that i believe the engines are identical.

Daumex the MK4 R32 on paper was 240hp. But. It had the same exact motor as the MK1 Audi TT 3.2 at 250 hp. VW/Audi. Did this for marketing reason. They were afraid (at the time) that customers would not purchase the Audi TT3.2 if the R32 had same Horsepower as the Audi. Both motors from that generation are identical down to bore and stroke and compression!

@@maveric0738 It was the U.S./North American version of the MKIV R32 that had the same motor as the MK1 TT 3.2. In other markets (Europe, UK) the MKIV R32 made 240hp. VWoA wasn't sure the R32 was going to sell over here what with it being $27-29,000, and the original 5000 allotment was to be spread over two years. For this reason they wanted to spend as little money as possible, so instead of certifying 2 versions of the 3.2L VR6 for the U.S. market, they just did the one in the Audi TT, as it wasn't a limited run of units and the higher price ($40,000+) and longer availability (04-06 in the U.S.) of the TT 3.2s absorbed that cost easier. To appease the TT customer, it was available only with DSG and advertised with 250hp while the R32 stuck with the 6 speed manual and claimed 240hp.

Yia sas Konstantinos, eime poli eharistimeno pou s'aresi to film mou. Kali epitixia me to ayorasma to Mk4 R32 sou, einai oniro autokinito!

The Mk5 was also noticeably faster, you look at the speedo and it's a good 10mph faster than the Mk4 on same road because it's so much happier riding the bumps.

The mk5 golf r32 is faster than its mk4 equivelent for my money, both in reality and in testing (like the top gear test track for example shows both times from both marques) due to dsg and other handling factors besides. But you dont buy a Golf R32 for a fast car, its not the fastest of its type out there by far. That heavy engine up front on the mk4 and mk5, the heavy wheels, heavy brakes = understeer with aggressive driving styles and is hard to scrub off that speed without brake fade (as i found out on a trackday). You buy it for a refined quick-enough convenient car that sounds something special under load. A drop the kids off mobile that then turns into dad or mums plaything :) You mentioned the Ferrrari/Golf r32 sound comparision Volkswizard hehe :) just if your curious check my channel as there is a vid i uploaded of me in my R32 behind a 458 Italia in convoy, id say he had the full orchestra, i had the 4 band quartet lol, but still we did make a glorious sound together when it bounced off walls.

The mk5 may be faster, but the mk4 is far cooler

Bushlover1974 mk4 dsg??

25hp increase from stage 2 ? lmao stop lying you dumb fck =]]

@@JovanKorica1 North America only got the 6 speed manual, other markets had the choice of manual or DSG.

@@WolfyyRulezz why

mk5 is much worse build quality especially inside plastic and buttons

@@pauliusbertonis4108, also the Mk4, first years of the 21st century were a terrible era for VAGs interiors.

Ha 3 years later and I'm back. I now own another R32 😊🎉 good to be back.

I certainly hope that it is better then the mk4. What would be its purpose otherwise... I do however favor the mk4´s in/exterior. And since the engine is basically the same, it really comes down to the looks.

Thanks Glen - I'd say that's a fair summary!

We have 3door 6 speed mk 5 R32's in Australia, dont you?

NS Sherlock some people say 2 doors and some say 3 doors. the ones who say 3 doors they caunt also trunk lid

They did 3 door mk5 R32s

The Golf 4 is a 3 door hatchback, also the MkV R32 was available with 3 doors and manual transmission, at least in Europe

I can not argue with that sir!

volkswizard hi sir. I had the 4 gti for a long time. Bloody good car. Not the faster or the sharpest. Covered over 550kms on the original engine then sold it. Now still with my mk5 already 177k miles on it UK car in manual. Dsg no fun

volkswizard love your Clubsport S

Thank you for your feedback and positive comments, you certainly do some driving!

volkswizard Thank you sir. Most of it town driving. Followed your articles since mk2 days. I still have my mk2 gti uk car G reg. Getting another L reg 1991 16v four door. Very few here

Glad you enjoyed it! Younger viewer may not remember how desirable the Mk3 VR6 was back in the day, it had all the buzz of the Mk7 R but it wasn't available on cheap deals so you had to work to achieve your dream of owning one. Probably the most dangerous car I've ever owned as the engine was amazing but the standard suspension was somewhat unstable as it wasn't really a sporty car, Corrado was much better set up but both great.

Thanks Jay, glad you enjoyed it, Mk4 or Mk5 R32, both are very special in their own ways.

Thanks for commenting stevesje71, glad you enjoyed it. I'm pleased to report sound quality improves in my later films thanks to a £15 microphone but hopefully this doesn't detract from the overall enjoyment to be had from watching 👍

Thanks for watching the video! I'd forgotten about Passat CC 3.6 (Passat R36 is more well known but still under most peoples' radar), CC sounds great go for it!

volkswizard Do you have any thoughts regarding the CC, as compared to the r32? I'm a little apprehensive about the CC, but it is a lot of car (especially being more modern). Very interesting you suggested the MK5 r32 was comparable to a MK7 Golf - that they'd barely improved upon it in the 10 years of development since.

CC is a good car, a lot more low profile than an R32 so for many it wont be an alternative as it's not an R32 even though engine is similar. Depends on your perspective, as I am getting older one day soon I will look silly even in a Mk5 R32 so a more mature car with similar character will be welcome. Bare in mind Passat/CC is just a lengthened Mk5/6 Golf so not a significantly different car, electric parking brake will be the most obvious difference.

Hi W, thanks for taking the time to comment and feedback. Yes, both are the right choice!

Trying to find a Mk4 with a dsg gearbox is like rocking horse shi..... 😂

Some early cars are still £305 road tax (pre March 2006) but I agree £500+ is silly but they aren't losing money at the moment so in the bigger picture they aren't expensive to own as depreciation is one of the bigger costs of motoring

Can't agree more on the road tax, it's not so bad on the mk4 but it's a bit over the top for mk5. Also, don't be put off by fuel cost it's not actually that bad you'll be surprised if you drive on motorways, that said, it does go down quickly if you drive around town revving the arse off it, but it's all how you drive it.

JackNapier19 interior is better in a mk4 by miles! Not the last either a 3l turbo vr6 is in progress

Agreed my mk4 interior is quite a bit better imho

Sorry but the MK5 R32 here in the United States was not any faster than the MK4 R32. In fact the MK4 had exactly/ identical engine than that of its brother MK1 Audi TT 3.2. U.S. spec R32's MAF is larger diameter ( 3" ID versus 2.75") and Airbox is different.

mk4 is 100 kg lighter.. that helps

I can’t believe people are saying the interior of a mark 4 is better? Mine used to rattle and shake around. I had a mark 4 from new with these issues, I’ve had 3 and I’ve had 4 mark 5’s with no issues like this. I love the mark 4 but the shell is no way as stiff and strong as a mark 5. I love both cars as I’m a vr6 enthusiast 👍

True, it's matured well and that noise well never go out of fashion :)

the real last shit golf lol, i had a mk4 and it was fkin terrible. handles shit, was slow and very uncomfy

MK5 GTI and now the MK7 GTI

pfff MkV for exhaust, trans and interior and I might agree with you. Have you even been in a MkV R?

Ditto apparently you were never an owner of the MK4 R32! If you were you’d truly understand

whatever makes you happy. MKV

no no no anyone who has ever owned a mkiv knows it has one of the worst interiors of all time. hell mk3 interior leather was better

Really? The interior of the IV is abysmal.

Thanks Graham! Hmm R32 is simple with no turbo but timing chain replacement is an issue now. With GTI £350 cambelt change and you are good as new. If you can get an R32 with a new timing chain than not much else to worry about even as it ages which on GTI, all those hoses, sensors, etc are getting old now. Having said that never heard of a Mk5 GTI needing a turbo - let's call it a draw!

Thanks Andy. Your views are very much appreciated and valued.

Easy, upgrade the suspension in the MK5 like I did. Awesome drive, very spirited, sporty and full of character, with that lovely interior and I think nicer body style. Plus that awesome sound. Top it off, I have back doors!

It still boggles the mind why they ever made a 4 door R. Totally runs the sporty look.

Gary Mathe yes but some people need the practicality of 5 doors

I have currently a Jetta GLI 24v VR6 and I'm looking to buy a MKV R32 like you! Should I? Do you prefer your R32 MK5?

In the VW forums, people always wanted the choice in the U.S. When the MKIV R32 showed up here, DSG was the big innovation and we didn't get the choose it. Again with the MKV and MKVI, VWoA made the choice for us; DSG for the 5 and manual for the 6, the opposite transmission would always show up in the sister Audi TT car in the U.S.; MK1 3.2 had DSG, MK2 3.2 had both, and the MK2 TTS was DSG only here. The MKVII R finally got it right by bringing both transmissions over. The MK3 TTS is only offered with DSG in the U.S.

Hi Andy, thanks for commenting! Either R32 is a great choice but hope video will help you decide which one suits your needs best.

Lots of qs ime selling my mk4

Thank you abdulla, glad you enjoyed it and found it useful :)

AB. Digital Agreed, the whole car drives differently.

Thanks 👍

Paulius Bertonis Paul, you don't want a BMP R32...

Langers VW Just got myself 1 😍

I totally agree with you.

Thanks!

I second that..

Sounds great Coyote :)

Hello Theo S, thanks for commenting. Glad you enjoyed it. Yes the older I get the more I like the Mk5 but neither is a bad choice :)

Agreed but just think it doesn't actually go down in value, a newish performance car is cheap on tax but will lose £1000s per year (and unlikely to sound so good!)