Spy Shots: VW Golf R36
For those following the development of Volkswagen's hottest of hot hatches, it's common knowledge that the automaker has been hard at work adapting the engine from the R36 Passat to fit within the confines of the new Golf. Hans Lehmann and his clandestine photogs were able to catch this new breed of hatch undergoing cold weather testing, but according to the shooters, those R32 badges on the deck lid don't tell the truth about what lies beneath.The Golf R36 prototype benefits from the aforementioned engine upgrade, producing power somewhere in the neighborhood of 300 HP and sending it to all four wheels via a DSG gearbox. Although the exterior hasn't benefited from any extensive modifications, those gaping air intakes in the front fascia certainly speak to the R36's sporting creds.
If we ever see this thing Stateside, we hope that those roof-mounted driving lamps are offered as a factory accessory.
[Source: World Car Fans]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
MikeUF 10:54AM (3/13/2007)
Did this car really sell well enough in the US for it to come back to our shores. Im going to guess a 30K-35K price tag for a car that could never compete with an Evo and STI (was just too heavy). And 5-10K more then the MS3 and SRT4 which are producing 260 and 300 hp respectively. Seems the car really doesn't have a home or a buyer base here....or I may be wring
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Mike M. 10:59AM (3/13/2007)
I likie...especially because they finally got rid of the MOFO ugly chrome grill!! I also like the intakes!! Sweet!
Now if only they can give the Jetta this front and change the Corolla rear, I might consider buying a Jetta again!
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Jarret K.H. 11:09AM (3/13/2007)
This car sold extremely well when it came out as the R32. The car was an 04 and all 5000 that came to the U.S. sold almost instantly. There is a huge following here for this car and most volkswagens alike. I have an STI now, but came from a GTi vr6 and would seriously consider going back to VW for this car.
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david 11:32AM (3/13/2007)
Uh, no, the Mk IV R32 didn't sell "instantly" . . . at least not in the Midwest, anyway. The R32 was a wierd bird, sales-wise. When it first came out, no one really knew what it was or why they should want it (very much a sleeper). For a while, R32s were selling at/around invoice. After several very good reviews in the car mags, as well as word of mouth (esp. with the import-tuner crowd) sales of the Mk IV R32 really took off. The resale prices on these things have remained very strong since (e.g., original MSRP around $31k, current resale prices are typically in the $21k-$24k range on a 4 model-year-old vehicle).
Glad to see that VW has figured out how to shoe-horn the 3.6 and DSG into the current Mk V platform (if, indeed this is true and the vehicle in the spy photos isn't test-mule for the MkVI series). The current Mk V R32 is a bit of a disappointment, IMHO. No additional power, quite a bit of extra weight, compounded by the lack of a true manual transmission . . . .
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bgdc 11:45AM (3/13/2007)
Just offer a 4 door!!!!! The R32 would be my car of choice but because VW's marketing gurus are cowards, we're stuck with the 2 door GTI. Some of us - especially coming from bimmers/a4s/c class cars - want the small size of the GTI but still need the 4 doors.
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Jarret K.H. 12:13PM (3/13/2007)
Perhaps you took my "instantly" comment a little too seriously David. VW of America thought they would sell the lot of 5000 in two years, the actual time it took to sell all of them was 13 months. IMHO that is pretty quick. The R32 was the car that most VW enthusiasts had been waiting for. (i.e. more powerful VR6, all wheel drive, manual tranny, and the aesthetics of the Mk IV R32 are amazing.) I agree with everything else that you said, the R32 still has excellent resale value. Definitely due to its scarcity and following. We have to thank the VW Vortex Community's tenacity to get that car over here, they petitioned their asses off. I think that this car would still do very well here in the states. Manual tranny should be a given.
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Mike J 12:42PM (3/13/2007)
I am sure it will gain even more weight. I loved my MKIV R32 (eventhough it was a porker at 3400 lbs), the MKV will be around 3500, and I am sure VW will find a way to make it weigh more than most German station wagons. If they offer it with a true manual, I would probably get one, I am not a fan of DSG at all. Or how about a Polo R20, am I the only one that would be interetsed in a AWD 2.0T Polo?
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Ian 12:47PM (3/13/2007)
The thing to remember is, the R32s all sold pretty quickly around here... without one BIT of advertising dollars. It was all VW enthusiasts at first, and once word got out, other people took interest.
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Nick 1:43PM (3/13/2007)
I drive an Evo, but I still admire the R32. I think VW has a niche here that they can excel in, the hot luxury hatch. The R32 has an incredible interior and loads of refinement, so I don't consider it a direct competitor for the Evo or STI.
What will be interesting is how this will compare to the next generation Evo X which appears to have a higher degree of refinement in addition to a dual clutch transmission (which is really a necessity in the US market as many people can't/won't drive manual).
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tom grueskin 6:23PM (3/13/2007)
In many areas of the country, an R32 will sell for nearly the price of new one when they were on sale. VW did a good job of forecasting demand on it.
One of the best bits of good news in this is that they have a DSG box that will handle more than 250hp and however much torque the current box will take. That means more vehicles with that fantastic transmission.
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DPC car videos 8:06AM (3/14/2007)
This car is way overpriced, I drove an Audi A3 with the DSG Trans and that car was very fast and even cheaper then the current R32.
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ryan 1:09AM (3/15/2007)
Re: #5
Umm, they do offer a 4door gti. I own one. for six months now. Don't blame vw for not selling it in the states, blame vw of a for not bothering to publicize it or update the website.
My .02 on the r32: sweet engine (my buddy's got an audi tt 3.2), but the modest power gains are offset some by all the extra weight. An ECU upgrade on the GTI can easily put it in the same performance range. AWD is sweet, however. They need to seperate the r32 from the standard gti more. Bring on the r36 or, god willing, a realistic version of the 350hp R-GTI from SEMA.
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