29 Sep 05
So where does that leave the keen drivers? In a state of mild euphoria if my day behind the wheel is anything to go by.
The Mk5 Golf is a vastly superior platform from which to launch a performance version, and the R32's narrow-angle V6 easily outclasses the GTI's 2.0 FSI turbo. It's the same 3.2-litre unit fitted to the previous version, but with an extra 10bhp courtesy of a reworked inlet manifold. Maximum power is now 247bhp at 6,300rpm; torque is unchanged at 236lb ft, but comes in 300rpm lower down the rev range.
The R32 is quick: Direct Shift Gearbox-equipped (DSG) models will dispatch the benchmark 0-62mph sprint in 6.2 seconds - six-speed manual versions are three tenths slower (6.5sec) - making it over half a second quicker than the GTI. However, this gap becomes a chasm once the speedo approaches triple figures.
On a derestricted stretch of autobahn near the launch site in Hanover, Germany, the R32 powered from 80mph to 130mph with a vigour that makes the front-drive version feel asthmatic. Only above 145mph did the limitations of that hatchback body begin to take effect, causing the car to labour up to its 154mph limit. If anyone feels the need to travel faster than this in a compact family car, I suggest they seek professional help.
Professional help certainly isn't required to extract the full potential from this fastest-ever Golf - the 4Motion all-wheel-drive system sees to that. The Haldex-designed, multi-plate clutch can apportion up to 100% of the available torque to either the front or rear wheels, depending on conditions. DSC on or off, wet roads or dry, wheelspin is rarely an issue and torquesteer is non-existent.
