Many years ago I remember lusting after one
of the first ‘hot hatches’ to come to Oz. It was the Golf
GTI - the first hot Golf to get Down-under. These really were
pocket rockets in the mid 70’s. Powerful 1.6 litre engines
and light weight. Sh*t off a shovel performance, but the
longevity was not there in those days. Especially if you hit
something! The light weight was achieved at a price. They were
not the vehicles to try derailing the Bangkok-Hua Hin express!
VW
Golf R32
VW in Australia has just released another
hot hatch, called the Golf R32, and our Down-under
correspondent John Weinthal has been trying today’s hatch on
for size. Here are the Words from Weinthal.
“Volkswagen’s hottest number for now is
the Golf R32; a lavishly equipped $63,000, three door, four
seater. R32 refers to the eager, big torque (320Nm @2800 rpm)
3.2 litre 177kW V6 engine up front. VW might have us see this
as today’s rendition of the car for which the term ‘hot
hatch’ was originally coined - the fabled razor edge styled
Golf GTI of the mid-seventies. But is it? VW also has a 110kW
four cylinder front-wheel-drive Golf called GTi. It has
essentially the same body as the all-wheel-drive R32, but
costs just AUD 37,000. Is that the real successor? Or could it
perhaps be my favourite VW sports sedan? That’s the AUD
55,000, 2.8 litre 150kW V6 four-door Bora 4Motion. This Bora
also has the safety advantage of constant all-wheel-drive.
“Reviewing the R32 was a hardship only on
corrugated dirt and Brisbane’s worst broken suburban excuses
for streets. I don’t know why, but every Golf I have driven
over the past decade has seemed like it wanted to
self-destruct on bad roads - then regained its regular
Germanic solidity on all the rest.
“Sure,
the R32 rides on 40 profile tyres on 15 spoke alloy wheels,
but that’s no excuse. Other hot cars wear similar rubber;
cars like the much cheaper and even quicker Subaru WRX,
Chrysler’s delicious Crossfire and perhaps the R32’s
nearest conceptual competitor - the even more powerful 184kW
3.2 V6 Alfa Romeo 147GTA which costs AUD 3000 less at a near
60 grand.
“There was much argument between father
and son over which we preferred between the Alfa and the Golf.
He wanted the Golf mainly because of its all-wheel-drive. I
would choose the front-wheel-drive Alfa for its utter agility
and incredible empathy with the driver’s will at all times.
“Both are quick of course with 0-100 kph
acceleration times in the mid 6 seconds bracket, the Alfa
being slightly the quickler. Both are as impractical for more
than two people as most three door hatches with body-hugging
bucket front seats.
“To Hell with practicality - both could
see you license-free in very short order, but you’d have had
much fun before that disaster struck. The Golf sticks to all
but the worst surfaces with terrific authority. Apart from a
very loud but nonetheless pleasing exhaust note it can feel
almost too refined for its role. It is the matured Golf
perhaps, which may or may not be a good thing depending on
your own state of development regardless of your age.
Personally I like a bit more involvement - the threat that
I’d better concentrate full-time.
“This R32 was ever so keen to protect me
from myself. And it backs up its idiot-proof all-wheel-drive
with the latest in electronic braking and stability aids and a
full house of front and side air bags.
“At a whopping 1540 kg the R32 is twice
the weight of the fabulously frantic 780 or so kg ’70s Golf
GTi. Thankfully it develops a little more than twice the power
from an engine of twice the capacity and which boasts a couple
more cylinders. While most of the 280 kg weight hike over the
current Golf GTi can be attributed to the four-wheel-drive
gubbins, the R32 also has a complete equipment package
including all the usual electrics, leather heated seats,
proper air-con, automatic xenon headlamps, cruise control, a
delightful six-speed gearbox and so on.
“This is an easy car to like. It’s such
a pity we can barely sample its true performance and handling
capabilities on our ludicrously speed restricted roads in
Australia. How the Germans must laugh at us!”
Another interesting review from John Weinthal,
unfortunately any Golfs here are ‘grey’ imports, but we
certainly don’t have the speed limit problems they have in
Australia.
