2008 Volkswagen R32 consumer reviews

I just bought the car last month and so far I love it, it is very sporty, I even like the interior better than the A3 that I traded in.

I was very excited about the prospect of buying the 2nd installment of the R32. I was a bit hesitant because I truly wanted the car to come in a manual transmission (that's another issue entirely). I went back and forth between the 2008 WRX STI and the R32. I do not think the R32 is by any means in the same performance category as the STI. Rather it is comparable to the 2009 WRX with 265 hp (STI - 305hp). Anyway, I bought the R32. Initially I loved it. Sounds great, the interior is gorgeous, and the exterior is nice. However, the fun diminished quickly. The DSG (while quite quick), gets truly boring. The exhilaration isn't there for me. The car needs more power for its weight. If you're looking for a quick automatic, it's a great car. Reliability - not great. Within a couple of weeks the serpentine belt on my car broke. then the trunk latch had to be replaced. Lastely, there seemed to be a leak in the car. When it rained hard, I had a pool of water behind both front seats. If you're looking for excitement, look elsewhere. But the 2004 R32. If you want excitement, and a real bang for the buck, buy the 2009 WRX. I traded my R32 in for a 2009 STI - absolutely no comparison in performance or reliability.

I love this car! I have to admit, I am a previous VW owner (Passat, Cabriolet, Scirocco), so I am partial to VWs. That being said, I have also had a BMW( which was stolen) and a Toyota Landcruiser(also a great car, depending on purpose). The R32 handles well, is comfortable (no one in my family is under 5'11"), and I love the solid feel of the car. I do not care for wimpy, "plasticky" cars. I had a thule put on so I'm off to the slopes!

I have test-driven and read a lot about GTIs and R32s, and when I saw one in blue with 4400 miles on the odo, I had to get it. Utility and performance in a small package, what's not to like? After driving for two months, the reality kicked in. It's a very heavy car for its size. At 3700 lbs, it's heavier than a BMW 335i RWD (3300 lbs), and trails it in performance - 250hp vs. 335i's 300hp. The acceleration suffers mightily, with 0-60mph times at 6.1 seconds, which is shamefully low for a car with that much noise coming from its engine and exhaust pipes. The gearing on the 6-sp DSG transmission was obviously designed for the 4-cyl GTI, to keep it its powerband, and is very short-geared for R32's engine: at 80 mph, the engines buzzes at almost 4000rpm, hardly the comfortable "cruising" Volkswagen was pitching to prospective buyers of R32. There two reasons to purchase R32 over a GTI: naturally aspirated 6 cylinder engine with no turbo lag; and all-wheel drive. Both are huge factors in performance driving, and unfortunately, they come at the expense of extra 600 lbs in weight, and quite a bit of dough: GTI starts at about $23K, while R32 - at $32K. It is also very hard to drive smoothly at speeds below 5mph, as the transmission and the engine decide for themselves, when to engage or disengage. While inching into a tight parking spot used to be a welcome challenge on other cars, it is as frustrating in an R32 as it gets. Combine this lack of fineness with quite a bit of engine and exhaust noise, and R32's personality leans decidedly towards a nervous boy racer pocket rocket, rather than a grand touring car. On a positive note, R32 is easy to drive once at speed, its decent torque making freeway passing a joy; tight and well controlled suspension adding confidence in cornering and on uneven surfaces. The interior is no match for BMW, Acura, or even Honda ergonomics and quality of materials, yet can be adapted without too much drama. Seat controls are manual. Exterior is clean with a cheerful and friendly personality VWs are known for, and the blue metallic of my car is a joy to look at.

The R32 is amazing all round car. The tranny is great (smooth and quick shifting), its fairly powerful and fast considering its weight (the mid-range power is unreal), decent on gas (I usually range between 22-25 mpg per fill up), the exhaust note is out of this world, has AWD, it handles well, and its a looker (without looking over the top) with a pretty well stocked interior. But there are a few minor problems. 1. The tires aren't the best around, I've gone through 2 already and I've only had the car for a year. Avoid potholes at all cost, unless you have about $155 laying around. 2. The interior while it does look nice, there a few rattles here and there very once and a while. 3. It couldn't come in black. 4. You can never have enough power, the car could use it considering how heavy it is (about 3600 pounds). 5. The owner's manual is trash, it explains very little and is somewhat hard to understand at times.

Great car. You must drive it to fully appreciate it. It is definately worth the price. It's a solid feeling car, great interior. I've not had one problem with it at all. Neither has my friend who bought her's a few weeks after I bought mine. No one who actually owns the car has had any problems.

Owned this car for one year. During this time, I have had a mass airflow sensor fail, the trunk latch failed and the hood T-handle came off. To top it all off, the AM/FM Radio antenna stopped picking up any kind of signal. Sure, the dealer fixed everything under warranty but, who wants to go to the dealer all the time with a special edition car that keeps breaking. This cars reliability has been a source of jokes among my friends too. All this for $33,360, give me a break.

While not the "screamer" like the Subaru WRX STI or Mitsubishi Evolution, the R-32 can still mix it up in the "twisties". A younger car-buff friend says this VW needs 300hp to make it competitive. 250hp is more than enough for this "old dog" The sound of the car, the quality of the interior materials, the sure-footed feel upon entering and exiting a turn, and supple ride on less than perfect road surfaces make this car a bargain. My wife asked me why I wanted to buy a kid's car. At 66 I still have a kid inside. I've had much costlier cars, but few that made me smile as much.

There are so many things you potentially want a car to be, but it can be really tough deciding. For me I found everything I was looking for in this car. - I wanted sporty, but a sport car was too impractival. This is sporty - Wanted 4wd but I was done with SUV handling and the new Impreza was too underwhelming. Haldex 4wd is handling really well in slippery conditions for me. - Wanted an easy-to-find-a-garage car, but not see the same car on the road 100 times a day - Wanted to fit in 4 people but also be able to park in tiny parking slots with ease. I used to hate parking my big SUV. - Wanted a new car, but didn't want a huge fall-off in value when I drove out of the car lot. - Wanted a car that would put a smile on my face when I drove it, but not break the bank - Didn't want a sedan or a car that was overly refined. I tried the G35x but I felt like going to sleep at the wheel - Wanted a sweet interior, nav, ipod connection etc. Got that! - Wanted a squareback like a wagon (fit in big boxes) but didn't want a wagon - Wanted safety (mega airbags, solid crash results, stability control) Yes it costs more, but the resale values look really solid so it all works out there as well. Overall this is a really great car that does a bit of everything very well. It's like having a sports car, an SUV, a wagon & a mini :) The DSG gear box is fantastic - you have to try it. It's all the direct fun & feel of a manual with the convenience of an automatic. No torque converter!! There are some small misses.. It doesn't seem to have bluetooth (at least I can't make the phone button do anything). The haldex 4wd system is really good, but I wish it didn't have to slip before engaging (I like the subie sytem more). Also the iPod interface is really primitive (5 playlists that get controlled like CDs). Oh, and for the other reviewer who was planning to boost the power - better not, I understand this DSG won't take any additional torque. Great car

This is a great looking car and very fun to drive. I have owned it for 3 months and still havent seen another one on the road. The handling is amazing and the sound is even better. The DSG trans. is great i never drove a car with a better trans. The only thing I would want to be different is the fact that it doesnt have 300 HP and the fact that its soo heavy at 3,500 pounds. But i still wouldnt get rid of it I'm just gonna put more power into it to get it to about 350 HP.