zzzz...

 

did you fall asleep in those seats? ooooooohhhhhhh those seats are nice.

Seriously, I like the R32, and alot of the stuff VW is coming out with these days, but it's just too damn expensive. That and the Mini is way cooler

 

I also saw an R32 the other day; it looked nice, if subdued. I wouldn't go to say it's a snoozer, but then again, I haven't driven one either. The seats do rock (I have sat in one). And yes, OUCH on the $$bottom line$$

also, moving to OT: Autos

 

"zzzz..." as in "visually uninteresting."

The seats did look great. but almost any do compared to the Mini's "Sport" seats.

 

$32K for a Mark IV generation VW Golf? No thanks!


I saw one at the Ft Lauderdale Auto Show a few months ago. The seats are nice but the huge side bolsters make them feel uncomfortable, at least to me.

Did not care too much for the thing. The interior is very similar to my brother in law's '02 Golf GL (For which he paid $16K new).

Read in Autoweek that the car does not handle too well in the twisties in despite of its 4Motion all wheel drive setup. Car is too heavy and has marked body roll, the Nemesis of the IV Golf/Jetta platform.

 

Yup AutoWeek sure did not like the R32!

"2004 Volkswagen R32
By THE EDITORS OF AUTOWEEK
2004 VOLKSWAGEN R32
DATE IN FLEET: March 29-April 12
AS-TESTED PRICE: $30,652
POWERTRAIN: 3.2-liter V6; awd, six-speed manual
OUTPUT: 240 hp @ 6250 rpm, 236 lb-ft @ 2800-3200 rpm
CURB WEIGHT: 3409 pounds
MPG (EPA COMBINED/AW OBSERVED): 21.74/18.63

RAYNAL: I was intrigued when I first heard about the R32. The most hopped-up Golf you can get, right from the factory. Fantastic, I thought. The more I thought about it though, I began to feel the R32 was nothing more than VW’s attempt to jazz up and try to sell some old Golfs, especially now that the all-new one is on sale in Europe now and arrives here next year. Gotta move old metal somehow, ya know?

I still feel that way, but man is this thing fun to drive. It’s ultra fast, has a great exhaust note, feels and looks superbly built, and the grip in corners borders on the unbelievable. I love, love the well-bolstered sport seats. And the driving position, and the brakes and the wheels and the body kit and... Sure it’s pricey (and feels a little heavy) if you think of it in terms of a hopped-up Golf, but not for the performance, which is wonderful.

MORRISON: Wow, talk about a blast! I too was a little skeptical about the R32, but the feeling lasted all of one minute before I encountered a piece of open road to hammer over. Holy six-year-old Golfs, Batman, this thing rocks! Absolutely awesome exhaust note, very good steering and an even better steering wheel, strong brakes and VW’s best shifter. While the chassis could still stand a body-roll reduction, this is definitely the best-handling Golf/Jetta I’ve driven.

The awd and related multilink suspension (bye-bye, torsion beam) finally gives the rear end some liveliness. For once, I don’t feel like I’m dragging the back tires around corners. As I drove this VW, I couldn’t help but think I might, just might, buy the R32 over Mitsu’s Lancer Evo and Subaru’s STi. Especially when, as I drove over the local maze of broken roads, I recalled how the Evo’s thrashing and lurching started got on my nerves a few weeks ago."

In addition, the AutoWeek review stated this:

"But the R32’s roll is nicely controlled—it doesn’t flop from side to side—and it is a soft roll that makes the R32 so comfortable to drive the rest of the week. You can’t blame the tires, either, since they’re already summer-only treads."

People with fat asses are usually uncomfortable with high bolstered sport seats.[/SARCASM OFF]

 

I think it's interesting that the R32 comes here just as they suspend sales in Europe because the new-generation Golf is about to launch. We seem to be always behind the times in regard to European cars. Well - not the MINI!