![mk4 r32 mk4 r32](https://www.autonocion.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Golf-R32-Mk4-1.jpg)
![mk4 r32 mk4 r32](http://www.vehiclecy.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/golf_r32.jpg)
MK4 R32 PLUS
Its a very heavy engine and theres a lot of work to do, plus less space for the engine in the 5dr MK4s. Not so the R32, which never feels unduly stressed at motorway speeds thanks to a long sixth gear. You dont want to swap the V6 from the R32. Many cars of this ilk provide rapid acceleration through a combination of short gearing and an engine that’s constantly made to work at high revs, which makes them a real chore over longer distances. So the R32 is fast, but it is also a very accomplished high-speed cruiser. However, it still posts a claimed 0-62mph time of 6.5sec – half a second quicker than the GTi – on the way to a limited 155mph top speed (we couldn’t get the GTi past 136mph). The R32’s traction puts it on an altogether different performance plane to the front-wheel drive GTi, allowing it to get its power down without any wheelspinning.Īt 1541kg, the new Golf is no lightweight, coming in 64kg above is predecessor due to its larger dimensions and more luxurious cabin. In extreme conditions it can deliver it all to either the front or rear. By now, just about every MK4-based R32 in the country has probably had a decade-and-a-half of hard driving, and plenty of them have been modified. It uses a multi-plate clutch mounted ahead of the rear axle to apportion power to all four wheels.
MK4 R32 MANUAL
The six-speed manual gearbox is plumbed in to Volkswagen’s familiar Haldex four-wheel-drive system, as used on the Golf 4Motion. The engine is also hugely flexible, with sufficient torque to allow you to skip gears as you change up, and it will pull cleanly and strongly from just 1000rpm in top. Nail it hard and the R32 hauls with real enthusiasm to the 6500rpm red line before an electronic cut out halts proceedings at 7000rpm. Throttle response is rich, the tacho needle racing around the dial the moment you brush the throttle. By comparison, the turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder GTi musters 197bhp and 206lb ft. Torque remains the same at 236lb ft, but it’s now developed 300rpm lower down the range at 2500rpm. In its latest guise, the transversely mounted engine delivers 247bhp at 6300rpm, up 10bhp over the old R32 owing to a reworked inlet manifold.
![mk4 r32 mk4 r32](https://www.tuningblog.eu/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/VW-Golf-R32-Turbo-MK4-1.jpg)
The familiar four-valve-per-cylinder 3.2-litre V6 has a smooth and vibration-free character highly reminiscent of BMW’s in-line sixes. Turn the key and you’re greeted by a deliciously raspy exhaust note.