crabpot
Awesomesauce
- Location
- Kirkland, WA
So I was bored today and heard that VW dealers in the area had begun receiving the new 08 .:R32's. So I drove out to Chaplin's in Bellevue to take a look at one.
They had two when I got there, and both were blue. They had a dealer markup of $5,000.00 over MSRP :eyebulge: which means they were selling for $38,995.00. One of them was sold and was being picked up today, but one was still available. I guess the second one was sold but the guy backed out at the last minute and as a result it was available for a test drive. My favorite part about test driving at Chaplins is that they salesperson doesn't ride with you, they just hand you the keys and tell you to have fun.
The first thing I noticed seeing one in person vs. seeing pictures online, is the dual exhaust pipes are larger then I was led to believe in pictures and they look AWESOME. The other thing was the wheels look a lot better in person then in photos but still pale in comparison to huffs IMHO. The brake calipers and roters are also much bigger then on the GTI.
Finally I jump in the drivers seat excited to drive the new .:R, this one already has 249 miles on it. Turn the key and the exhaust note is totally unmistakable, it has a low deep rumble that is just awesome. I take off heading west on I-90 and and rev it up a bit and honestly was a bit disappointed. While it was fast it didn't seem any faster then my GTI with APR and you can feel the added heft of the AWD. Although the suspension is definitely stiffer then a stock GTI, but I have H&R sports so it felt a little bit soft side to me. One thing I really liked about the .:R32 is the brakes, they have quite a bit more stopping power then the brakes on the GTI.
While I wasn't blown away by the horsepower, I do know that those VR6's take a few thousand miles to really get the full horsepower and torque out of the motors. I have to admit, if you are looking for an overall performer without mods then an .:R32 would be the way to go. But if you want to buy a car and do some mods then a GTI is the way to go.
My APR chipped GTI feels just as fast as the .:R32 and you can really feel the added weight of the .:R due to the AWD. But I have to say nothing beats the look and sound of the exhaust on the R32, and down low the exhaust just sounds incredible. Also when comparing the GTI to the .:R32 the fuel efficiency of the GTI is pretty hard to beat.
All in all the .:R32 is a pretty great package, although I just don't know if the price difference between the .:R32 and GTI is justifiable especially with a 5k dealer markup. Although if history repeats itself, the resale value alone would be reason enough to get an R32.
Now if I could only afford an .:R32 rear bumper and exhaust for my GTI, I would have one sweet ride.
They had two when I got there, and both were blue. They had a dealer markup of $5,000.00 over MSRP :eyebulge: which means they were selling for $38,995.00. One of them was sold and was being picked up today, but one was still available. I guess the second one was sold but the guy backed out at the last minute and as a result it was available for a test drive. My favorite part about test driving at Chaplins is that they salesperson doesn't ride with you, they just hand you the keys and tell you to have fun.
The first thing I noticed seeing one in person vs. seeing pictures online, is the dual exhaust pipes are larger then I was led to believe in pictures and they look AWESOME. The other thing was the wheels look a lot better in person then in photos but still pale in comparison to huffs IMHO. The brake calipers and roters are also much bigger then on the GTI.
Finally I jump in the drivers seat excited to drive the new .:R, this one already has 249 miles on it. Turn the key and the exhaust note is totally unmistakable, it has a low deep rumble that is just awesome. I take off heading west on I-90 and and rev it up a bit and honestly was a bit disappointed. While it was fast it didn't seem any faster then my GTI with APR and you can feel the added heft of the AWD. Although the suspension is definitely stiffer then a stock GTI, but I have H&R sports so it felt a little bit soft side to me. One thing I really liked about the .:R32 is the brakes, they have quite a bit more stopping power then the brakes on the GTI.
While I wasn't blown away by the horsepower, I do know that those VR6's take a few thousand miles to really get the full horsepower and torque out of the motors. I have to admit, if you are looking for an overall performer without mods then an .:R32 would be the way to go. But if you want to buy a car and do some mods then a GTI is the way to go.
My APR chipped GTI feels just as fast as the .:R32 and you can really feel the added weight of the .:R due to the AWD. But I have to say nothing beats the look and sound of the exhaust on the R32, and down low the exhaust just sounds incredible. Also when comparing the GTI to the .:R32 the fuel efficiency of the GTI is pretty hard to beat.
All in all the .:R32 is a pretty great package, although I just don't know if the price difference between the .:R32 and GTI is justifiable especially with a 5k dealer markup. Although if history repeats itself, the resale value alone would be reason enough to get an R32.
Now if I could only afford an .:R32 rear bumper and exhaust for my GTI, I would have one sweet ride.
Last edited:
