So my pal in England has a Golf 4 motion with the V-6..... his wife drives it. He leans over yesterday and he innocently asks...."so how many orses does your MINI have?".....so I reply....."200"......"Oh" he says...."Lin's (herself) grocery getter has 230...."......
I called him a fat bald brit...... didn't do it though......

 

Well, HP doesn't equal performance if the weight of the heavy V6 and the softness of the suspension doesn't allow for good autocross times or for good mpg ratings.

V6 engines add to cost, complexity and weight which offsets power gain unless the VW is light. How reliable is it?

No V6 can compare to a MINI for highway mpg. You got him beat 26 to 33 at least.
If only you could drive slow enough to see 33 mpg. It's possible.

 

Yes, ask him how much his 4motion pig weighs!

 

The VW VR6 engine has proven to be pretty bulletproof. The new 24v units have been around for a few years and haven't had any major problems. The 12v versions before that were very nice too.

I had a 12v VR6 in my last car, and while it was a bit nose heavy, the power delivery was very nice. I never had any problems with it. Also, in the R32 they stiffen up the suspension a bit to help prevent the nose dive tendancy of the car.

Actually, if I were looking for a car right now, I'd be seriously considering an R32 (We don't have the Golf V here in the states yet). It is a very nice package.



The main advantage the MINI has is as a performance value (even with the JCW kit it's $5000 less than an R32) and obviously the MINI has boatloads of character design wise, where the R32 looks like every other Golf on the road to your everyday driver.

 

Are we turning into spec racers?

 

Ask him if he is happy to have paid so much more for a Golf that basically runs the same performance numbers as the old 1.8t version... and is not nearly so easy to improve the performance on.

Or maybe ask him if he is maybe... compensating for something with his snide commentary... maybe a bit of displaced anxiety?

 

2cool for President...I'm going back with that line, next month...thanks everyone.....:smile: