Opinion on Mk 5 R32?

[golfvr6]

went to the local dealer and checked out the mk5 r32 on the weekend - nice car - just have to find the $60K for it!!!

it wasn't as expensive as I thought - the mk4 was $65K? this starts at $53K plus on-roads for the 3 dr manual. DSG adds $1500. 5 doors adds another $1500.

the only options are sunroof ($800), parking sensor ($1500) and recaros ($4K) - but the stock leather interior is pretty nice.

comes in blue, white, grey and black

dealer reckons 3-6 months wait.

i'll try and organise a test drive to see what its like..

maybe i can sell the vr6 and half the house to afford it!

[shadowblue]

I dropped by the local dealership a few weeks ago just to say how good the Jetta's going and they had their 5-door DSG R32 demo out the front. I idly commented on the Jetta-like grille and the salesman said "wanna take it for a spin". (They'd have to know with the 2 month old / financed TSFI I wasn't a good sale chance). It was also worth a look under the bonnet to see how they squeezed the V6 in

My opinion: Bit familiar (seat, dash, controls) until I took off. Different sort of power, just feels really really strong rather than quick. But it doesn't give that special feeling and sound of the 2.0T, floored, dropping two gears then rapidly spinning up to the redline - again and maybe again after its lightening upchanges. The 4-motion was fearsome - like there was a massive magnet under the car sticking it to the road (and the AWD traction is one thing I miss with the Jetta vs. my old Liberty). The paddle shift was a hoot. And its got this massive grumbly noise (sure its only a V6?) coming out of the real business central twin pipes.

Would I like one? Well at the moment I'm loving the Jetta. Maybe I'd keep an eye out for a second hand one in 5 years, seriously - but when the price makes more sense. I've never driven a GTI so I can't compare the 2 (but the probably Jetta gives me a bit of an idea). I'd say they're really different cars - but is it $15000 better? The 4-motion's impressive though.

Saw a 3-door R32 driving though Wyoming today. Actually, I've seen a few other Jetta's and GTI's and plenty of other Mk5's aroung the Central Coast lately.