Well, I've been "S less" for a week now and have been mooching around an a Mk5 Golf R32. Here's what I think...

Plus points...

It sounds fantastic - real V6 rumble on start up and it howls as it speeds up.
There is power available at a flex of the right ankle. Pick up is bettter than in the Mk4 R32.
Handling is sharp and responsive, again better than the Mk 4. It turns in superbly and inspires confidence.
It is quite happy to burble around at town or commuting speeds. It is also quite happy to charge at the horizon like a stung bull.
It has loads of kit and is a very pleasant place to be - heated leather Recaro seats, dual zone climate, rain sensing wipers, auto lights, CD changer, "welcome home" lights, etc.
It feels very safe. On the M5 in the rain it was rock solid.
Build quality is impressive - shutlines are all excellent, there is a sense of solidity about the car.
I've averaged 28 MPG this week!!


Downsides...

The roof doesn't go down! (not an issue with todays weather!!)
It is not as svelte or sexy as an S2000.
The Mk4 R is a more meaty looking car.
Full throttle gives less than 4.5MPG on the trip computer!!
I swear the fuel guage moves before I can get off the garage forecourt!
I have to change up at 6.5k

I am very happy with the car. I loved my S but having crashed one I never felt comfortable or confident with using the full performance. I do in the R. It has a real depth of ability - family car, cruiser, hard-charging performance special. A car for every occasion, without the compromises the S forces on you.

Recommended - if you like that sort of thing!

 

always interesting to read about other cars - especially when, as in this case, it doesn't turn into purchase justification

plenty of people feel like you did about the S2000 and with more and more people never having driven anything like it (high powered rwd) before, this will only increase

as you (sort of) say, it has got to be on the shortlist for that sort of car

if I was going to buy a rapid hatch, I'd definitely look at the VW

 

Interesting to see that people are still going for the Mk V R32, when journos have felt that (although not in so many words) the GTI is a better car.

Did you test the GTI, and if so what made you go for the R32?

 

many people will not notice the handling and other differences between the models

they will go for the top of the range, with attendant bragging rights, that will be faster in their daily d/c drag races

and that will be enough

 

Very nice.

I've seen a few of these around my way, and I do much perfer the styling of the mk5 to the mk4.

If anyone is thinking of a hot hatch, they have got to look at the Golf. They may not be the most powerful or the fastest, but they offer so much more now in refinement over the competition.

 

R32 or GTi - it was a close run thing! I did test the GTi and there is very little to choose between the cars. I felt the pick up of the V6 was a little better but that was about it, performance wise.

It came down to an emotional decision in the end. My S2000's felt very special. I liked the fact that I was driving something rare, unusual.

So I went for the R32 as it is less common that the GTi, sounds better and is available (uniquely) in Deep Blue Pearl!!

Objectively the GTi is just as fast in the real world, just as well equipped and does 34MPG.

But hey - I spend my whole working life being objective! My car matters to me in a way that cars don't, for most people. It's more than transport so I went for the more unusual, more desirable choice.

 

Unless you're buying a kia or suchlike, it's impossible to be objective about buying a car.

I suspect the handling differences between the R32 and GTi are only really noticeable on the track.

I think the R32, apart from teh wheels, is slightly more subtle than the GTi. Especially when you go for the "I have kids" 5 door option

One question, how hard is the ride? Harder than the S? Ie does it cope with the average shitty british B road.

 

The R is 20mm lower than other Golfs (not sure if this includes the GTi) but I find the ride generally more compliant than the S.

My commute is a 20 mile mix of dual carriageways, a short Mway stretch and a long section of (busy) B road with a dreadful surface in places. Even with 18 inch wheels it absorbs all but the worst of the potholes. The sense of solidity, quality, extends to the ride.

I guess this is because its origin is a family hatchback, but, having said that, I found the Mk4 R32 to be a boneshaker.

 

Really, a car weighing that much ought to ride well.

Really, it's quite a large, sophisticated car, hiding under a Golf bodyshell.

Whereas the VR6 was a bit too heavy for the MK4, the MK5 seems to have grown into it somewhat.

The turbo four in the GTi's really quite different entirely.