Proper detailed video. Thank you for some fresh knowledge. Keep it up mate! Driving a mk4 V5 myself. I would really love to have the R32 as my next daily.
I’m in the U.K. and seriously thinking of getting a low mileage one of these as a Japanese import as they are cleaner than U.K. models and haven’t had the problems that you get with salted roads we do in the winter. Great video, that exhaust note is epic !
Hey commenter, glad you dig it and agree with my assessment. Jealous you have one though - great cars. Drive safe, take care, and thanks for watching :D
Weve had ours for 12 years now. Its been lovely. Couple of rust spots appearing but generally been reliable. Springs break. Coil pack can go. Other than that been rad, tyres, battery, brakes. Not bad in 12 years. The engine is the thing and luckily seems bulletproof. Its a keeper!
Awesome sauce Allosaurus Fragilis - sounds wicked! All cars have their issues and faults, but glad to hear the old MkV R32 is serving you well and still putting smiles on faces. Cheers for watching and take care :D
I just replaced all my fender liners due to a little bumper mishap…. I can tell you if you get rust in the front fenders… its because of all the foliage that accumulated behind the fender line. The leaves and such that drop down the windshield to the front wings is packed behind the front fender liners. Pull your fender liners from time to time.. that debris will collect water and it will sit in there causing front fender rot. The amount of foliage as compared to where normal rust locations seems to be the cause.
@@rodneynoriel1528 I cut back the felt in the wheel arches a whkld back. Should have inspected further probably. We sold the car to my brother in law and he's had the fenders ( we call them wings) replaced and the whole car repainted in original silver. I've still got its big brother, the r36, which I also love. Its front wings are going as well. Im just going to leave it and replace them, when they get bad. I think the rest of the body was galvanised and should be OK. My wife was sorry to see golf go but at least its to her brother. I'm hoping to keep the passat until I can't afford the fuel. Its slightly thirstier than the golf but just bearable. We have an UP for all the short trips. Our cars still rust here in scotland due to all the winter salt. Don't know if it's like that where you are. Hope not. Enjoy that v6!
My wife has had her R32 for ages and inspired by that, i tracked down an R36 for myself. They are very different, of course but it also makes that distinctive vr6 noise but its quieter, even with a supersprint exhaust. Makes more power but its a heavy car, so the golf is more agile and nippy, by comparison. I was hoping the passat would hold its value as well as the golf has done. We will see about that. I doubt it, tbh. The golf is the one that people want. They are both incredibly planted at high speed and both have that solid german feel, that i love. Both pretty thirsty, but we dont do a lot of miles. They are not show off cars and it just looks like an old golf and an old passat. Which is what they are.....
Awesome sauce Matsedi Seimela - well done and good luck with it. Have a ball and stay safe. Cheers for watching and commenting too, hope you liked the vid :D
Great video. I love my R32, and I'll never sell her! Mine is a fully kitted out 10-year-old Steel Grey Mk5, with 5-doors, DSG gearbox, sat-nav, and heated leather seats. No matter how down I'm feeling, just a turn of the key to wake that big lazy Vr6 up is enough to put a smile on my face. She's definitely the last of the small car, big engine generation.
Dave Zalstein manual with a milltek cat back exhaust and a cold air induction kit. Absolutely love it! Hoping to over 400bhp next year with forced induction.
Shifting 'May not be as fast as modern cars' - the DSG shifts in 8ms - I don't think anything beats that even now? When it came out Ferrari were still at 80-100ms...
Love your videos Dave , you seem like a decent bloke. I own a 2006 MK V GTI with the 2.0 FSI with 242 ,000 kms and have never had an issue with it . I live on Southwestern Ontario Canada and we have some pretty intense winter weather here and with a good service of snow tires this thing is king in the snow . The MK V chassis might not be a sophisticated as the present generation but the quality of the underpinnings is far superior. Control arms, knuckles ets are forged aluminum vs stamped steel on the new ones giving the MK V a solidity and weight that make it rock solid on the road. Granted it's not as fast or nimble as a MK VII due to increased hp , torque and weight reduction but after having test driven a MK VII I'll take my MK V any day as I think it is of better build quality. And you're bang on when you say the R 32 is gentleman's hot hatch as it is a classy machine without a doubt . Good review , Merry Christmas mate.
Haha, I am a decent bloke craigsle ;-) Enjoy your '06 GTI - great car and loads of fun - and thank you for the kind words. Have a safe and happy Xmas and New Year mate. Thanks for watching.
I just checked out this video, a great review btw. I just put a deposit down for a black 2008 R32, pick her up on Monday. I'm looking forward to it......feels like Christmas.
So sick! Congrats and well done Jamie Lampshire. They're such a cool car, I'm sure you'll have huge fun in it. Black is awesome, but three- or five-door? Manual or DSG? Stock or tuned?
Mine was a US version (3 door dsg only) in Deep Blue Pearl and I absolutely loved it. The sound is so intoxicating, I have a Passat GT now with the 3.6 version of that engine. The sound and smooth power delivery is awesome...
Great video Dave. I had mine from new 12 years ago and today, still puts a smile on my face. This particular R32's mileage probably rivals mine, I ticked over 65k last night!
@@DaveZalstein Thanks for the kind words. I've got the exact spec as the one in the video. Apart from an engine tune, it's totally stock. Can you believe that it still runs on the original battery ;)
Mines the same but 2 door. It’s definitely the sound (and “plantedness“ on a winding road) that captivates. Mine has a German after-market exhaust which makes the aural experience deeper and louder. A view from NZ
On my 2nd R32 mk5. Regretted selling my first one so had to buy another 2008 black manual. Does everything well. Ohh and the noise they make is pure magic👌
Best. Decision. Ever! ...twice haha. Well done Andrew Howard and congrats on doing it all again - very jealous. Cheers for watching too and I hope you liked the video :D
Great review of the best golf in my opinion I always wanted one in my early 20s I bought a 2006 model black manual in 2022 and bringing it back to its showroom shine Absolutely love it so unique and sounds unreal for a practical hatch back. Great video thank you
Oh man, thank you so much! Great to hear the positive feedback and congrats on the car - very cool. Have fun with it, look after it, and enjoy it. Cheers.
Love the mk5 r32! i drive a mk3 vr6 now, and my parents have a mk5 golf tdi, so i can just imagine combining thoes 2 and having this car, damn it sounds genuinely like a dream
Ace car, one of the best golfs. Imagine if vw had kept this engine and turbo'd it for the 7 r. Maybe with cylinder shut down for fuel economy. You just don't get that sound from a 4 pot r, hence the bullshit soundaktor. Interiors have moved on massively in 10 yrs thou, 7r has a high class cabin. Nice review, enjoyed.
Hmmm, good in theory but I can imagine how thirsty a turbocharged VR6 would be haha Would sound pretty incredible though, surely. As for how far interiors have come, check out the cabin of the Mk7.5 GTI: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-aI4cNWKW3Ns.html
lee williams mate I’ve been hoping and preying they put the 3.2 back In And turbo it it’s the only thing the Mk7 is missing even if they put the RS 2.5 In would be amazing 🙏🏽😫 please
I'm 62 , during a slight mid-life moment I got into my head I needed a R32 ! I spent a few months watching the UK R32 owner web site to get a feel for the market. ( great help )I become the proud owner of my luvly R32 - Black 3 dr DSG for the pre-arranged 6mth period ( my wife's rule ! ! ) this was nearly 5yrs ago .I love this car so much , can't think of anything I'd rather drive to work every day . You know when the alarm goes off on a work day and the beds so comfy , even after 5 yrs its the buzz I get from driving that 1/2 hr to work that stops me waiting for the next snooze He He. Its the best car in the world , if your thinking about it ……… Get one
@@DaveZalstein No, been umming and ahhing for months...wanted a 32, but wasn't sure which one...mind made up now, MkV, 3 door, DSG...been a Peugeot nut all my life, but that VR6 engine has lured me to the dark side...I've been thinking i should have grown out of hot hatches by now and be driving a 530d or the likes, but seeing the good doctor's post makes me feel better about my obsession with fast hatches at 50. Have my eye on a 3 door, white with the black grille treatment, DSG, 140K on the clock...I know little of the ways of the Germans, so the tech scares me a bit, but I haven't read or heard anything negative about the drivetrain. This video sealed the deal in my mind...I'll post again when I am a proud owner.
Nice review.👍🏼 I bought 2006 R32 two months ago and I am totally sold to it. It propably ain't the fastest car out there, but the VR6 sound with Milltek non-res exhaust puts a big grin to my face everytime I start the car and especially when I floor the gas pedal.😎
@@DaveZalstein Thank you very much. This is going to be the kind of car that I'm not going to sell. Of course, I'm careful. this is the kind of car that sounds good even in a relaxed driving style.😎
Awesome to hear Eric Janson - I'm totally jealous. I think it's a great car that does so many things so well. Enjoy it and thanks so much for watching :D
@@averinman8650 Deciding between the two is a good problem to have either way - enjoy them mate and stay safe. Cheers for watching and I hope you liked the vid :D
I love 'em too mate, but it ain't mine. And sadly, the owner sold it not long after I shot the video... to buy a Mk7.5 Golf R - this one: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-8OYh_nSC7CI.html
Great video. Let’s not forget the Original the MK4 R32! And the original (Here in the United States) had 250 hp same HP from the Audi TT 3.2. Our sister MKIV R32 from across the pond in Europe had an option of either getting DSG or the 6speed manual, also the other options for the MKIV R32 were 7 color options, sunroof, Navigation, 2 door or 4 door.
Dave Zalstein I love it! I had an evo but a new addition to the family meant it was time for something a bit less brutal on the body. No plans yet other than to maintain it how it is, the previous owner seemed to really take care of it. The sound is just incredible and that is enough for me for now. Well done on picking such a great location too. Gordon River Road is one of many amazing driving roads as you head in to Tassie's West.
Beyond awesome man, so good to hear. What a story. All the very best with it and enjoy it. I'm actually headed back to Tassie soon to video your car's former owner's new car... a new Golf R ;-) Perhaps a meet up could be cool?
Great review. This car is all about that wonderful engine. I've not yet owned an R32 but have had a mk3 2.8 VR6 Highline, mk4 2.8 V6 4Motion and currently have a 2.9 Corrado VR6. I have also had other Golf GTI's and while a modern turbo GTI or R is technically a faster and better engine I adore the VR6 for its character and sound.
tnetroP my wife has had an r32 for about 8 years now. Its been great, still looks good too, i think. Its still worth close to what we paid for it, which makes it a sensible car overall.
Fantastic video. I have a completely standard 3door manual in this colour and I absolutely love it!! Would recommend this car to anyone as it is just such a brilliant all rounder and most of all puts a massive grin on your face and turns heads everywhere it goes :)
I'm jealous Ed Boyle, very, very jealous and I'm sure a lot of other people are - such a fun and entertaining car. And I'm really glad you liked the video. Are you in Australia or overseas?
Dave Zalstein thanks mate. I am from Ireland but live and work in London, would advise anyone looking at one of these to check Insurance quotes and do the numbers with regard to running costs before buying as they are expensive to run.... I didnt do this and was in for a shock to say the least! A cracking alternative to R32 on a budget is the MK 5 GTI. Deffo worth checking out also.
Hey Love It Or Scrap It and thanks for the kind words. They're a bloody special little thing and finding the right place to shoot it was important. Glad you like the car and the video - cheers :D
I will Buy a Golf mk5 r32 this Year. I like this car and must own one of Them. But in the future i need a much bigger garage for all the vw's and audi's. Great video btw. Greetings from Germany
Greetings from Australia DanNew and thanks for your positive feedback - glad you liked the video. Yeah, they're such a classic car these days, good luck getting one and finding room for it haha. What else is taking up space for you?
A B5 S4 is awesome and I'm sure the Polo is still fun. I'm a fan of the Polo GTIs too, but yeah, an R32 is something very special. All the best with it all and thanks so much for watching and subscribing :)
It is a wagon, and same blue as your R32. Just wondering is there any chance that you can do a video for R36? BTW, I am in Hobart, is that close to you?
Oh man, the best :D I'd love to do one on the R36 and it's a car that's been on my list for a while. I'm in Melbourne, but if you're offering up your car, perhaps I could come down to Tassie again just for the video ;-)
Nice ! Some like the Gti better, and perhaps they do better at the track, and zip around quicker , but this R32 can embarrass V8 muscle at traffic lights. The torquey donk with AWD needs no lauch control to do 0-60mph in 5.8s every time hail or shine, often leaving the more powerful V8s struggling to find traction on real roads. I was quite surprised when I realised this car could take on cars like SS commodores and XR6 turbos without bothering with launch control, on average roads. I'm keeping mine, its a little muscle car!
Good luck with that. I think engines like these are unlikely to make their way back into modern cars... from factory at least. Cheers for watching though Benjamin Ben and I hope you enjoyed the vid :D
If I only still had mine! I upgraded it to a Mk6 GTI...wish I bought an R32 though. There are plenty out there, i'm sure if you asked around you could get your hands on one. :)
All good options there RobinYourHood 18. I do love a GTI, and the R always makes sense, but once you drive an R32 and hear that engine, it's hard to go with anything else. Let me know what you decide and good luck :D
Both are great cars is sure never sell anymore an R32. I loved the MK5 because of the Colour DBP and the OZ Charleston Exclusive Rims and the electr. Recaro Leather Seats but the real rough is the MK4 and i searched a Year for a perfect one^^
I'm a three-door fan personally, but this spec is just so on point. Awesome to hear you liked the video too. Hope you'll check out some of my others :)
So here’s a interestingly mainstream question if you could me. I am the place where i am getting an R32 Mk5 and Gti MK5 at almost the same price. Which one do you think is better at this time ? Considering i would prefer a reliable and not too expensive to maintain car or both are same in terms of maintenance ?
Hi Dhyey M Savani, and thanks for the question. If you're focus is on reliability and being not too expensive to maintain, I'd go with the simpler and cheaper GTI over an R32. The R32 sounds amazing but a GTI is still a great car and will most likely end up costing you less in the long term. Good luck with it all mate and I hope you liked the video :D Take care and stay safe...
I just purchase one recently I love it tho it needs a new flywheel & timing chain tho the previous owner may of went thru a pothole & he had also replaced steering rack I guess it will cost him thousands to get the new flywheel over all I will take care of it
I owned one of these for about 6 months. It’s fairly quick and fun around the corners. The paddle Shiters are amazing and it sounds great . Seats are very comfortable as well . Cons- the plastic interior is extremely cheap , along with the shifter. The middle of the steering wheel plastic was also very cheap feeling . Overall : I would just buy a fully loaded GTI and save your money . Overall I was not that impressed .
No way sevewone! Six months? I reckon if I had one, I'd struggle to part ways with it - I really dig 'em. Anyway, what did you swap it for? And, just out of curiosity, what are you driving now?
Hey carlos diaz, I'm gonna be honest with you mate, I have no idea. Sorry. Maybe check the US VW forums and ask around. I'm pretty sure they would've been sold in the US, but I'm in Australia, so not entirely sure.
the only way you can get em is by importing it to the U.S ... but then again youll have to check regulations and what not and by then we would be speaking about 20 to 30k .... 😏😏 ( they only were available on 3 door in the states dave)
Hi Kieran Proutm, the car is no longer with the same owner but it had around 53,000km on the clock and had been well and truly looked after, so I'd be comfortable saying most probably, yes.
Haha, hi Caroline Elton, I was merely associating the Mk5 R32 to being the perfect accoutrement for someone (yes a man) "of good and courteous conduct". Now, while indeed the word 'gentleman' refers to a male, there are plenty of females who equally fit or better the concept ;-) Clearly too, you sound like one of the latter - all class. I'm jealous of your car and I genuinely hope you enjoyed the video. Take care and do stay safe :D
Hey Hyeok, I know I call it Deep Blue Pearl in the video, but I'm pretty sure it's also known as Deep Blue Mica, and I think the colour code should be LB5R. Hope that helps.
Hey Claudelu Delu, it's definitely a V6 - hence the engine name being VR6 - but it's what's referred to as a narrow-angle V engine, or 'Vee-Inline' engine. It's basically in between being an inline layout and a full V layout. Hope that helps and thanks for watching.
Yeah it's not an inline engine though bud, the cylinders aren't in a line, they are offset, and they are angled in a narrow V shape. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VR6_engine
It's a vr6 because the angle between the cylinders is so narrow that they share a single head vs a traditional v6 having a head for each bank of 3 cylinders
I get the whole 15-degree cylinder banks V15/VR6 thing, but it's also still a six-cylinder engine, hence referring to it as a VR6 V6, as it is still a 'V' just a narrower one.
Hey mate, sorry I missed your comment until now. I think this car has got some upgraded suspension, but nothing too extreme or hardcore. Hope that helps.
A gti is better, has more potential power wise. Cheaper also. A single remap will bring a gti to 260+ a stage 2 285bhp. No turbo upgrade needed, a stage 3 300+with a K04 turbo.... U need big money if u want more power with a r32
Wha? You drunk woody555kl. Of course it's a hot hatch. Key to a hot hatch is getting a regular hatchback and lobbing in a bigger/more powerful engine. The R32 was precisely that and it's still plenty fast.