Don’t get fooled by the R32 badge on the back — spy photographers have snapped a new round of images images showing the upcoming Volkswagen Golf/Rabbit R36. For those who believe the 250 hp engine in the R32 isn’t enough, Volkswagen is developing this 300 hp version.

The engine, known from the recently official Passat R36 gets the air to breath through bigger air intakes.The prototype also has also a slightly different front grille, which could change even more by production.

Compared to the R32, the air intakes in this R36 prototype look huge. As with the R32, this R36 gets the power to the ground with all-wheel-drive and a DSG gearbox.

Last week, we brought you a new round of images showing the upcoming Volkswagen Golf/Rabbit R36 in testing. An interesting photographs have since surfaced online showing what appears to be a production-ready R36 on display at an unknown location.

Making a GT From a GTI

By Ed Hellwig, Senior Editor
Date posted: 06-28-2007

At 4.3 miles, the Landeck Tunnel in the Austrian Alps is one of the longest enclosed roadways in the world. It's an impressive feat of engineering, but a mile or so in, we're feeling a little claustrophobic. Opening the windows doesn't help as the air is thick with diesel exhaust, so to break up the monotony we move on to Plan B.

Two downshifts and a burst of wide-open throttle later, our 2008 Volkswagen R32 is filling the tunnel with the refined burble of its sport exhaust. Up to redline and back down again, the engine is flawlessly smooth with an occasional crackle when we abruptly let off the gas. The R32's V6 has never sounded so good, and yeah, we're feeling much better now.

A few more runs through the six-speed direct-shift gearbox (DSG) and we're through the tunnel, headed toward roads with fewer ceilings and more turns. Wind noise overcomes exhaust growl at this point, but the 2008 Volkswagen R32 has plenty more to keep us interested.

An Unexpected GT
As satisfying as it is to soak up the sound of the R32's V6, this is not a car that relies on cheap engine hop-ups to deliver the performance goods. Although it's based on VW's latest Mk. V chassis for the GTI, the R32 adds a 3.2-liter VR6 engine and Volkswagen's 4Motion all-wheel-drive system, neither of which is available on the less expensive GTI.

With this kind of hardware, obvious comparisons are made between the R32 and the all-wheel-drive Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution and Subaru WRX STI, but the Volkswagen isn't a hard-core rally wannabe. "We think of it as more of a grand touring car, really," says David Goggins, director of product and marketing strategy for Volkswagen of America. "We know it's not the fastest or the most extreme-handling car out there, but we think it has a unique combination of performance and comfort that's not offered anywhere else."

It's that logic that has led to the use of Volkswagen's DSG instead of the previous R32's six-speed manual. "DSG fits the personality of the car better," Goggins explains. "The R32 isn't a stripped-down, all-out performance car, but instead a true long-distance tourer." He also points out that by limiting the R32 to one transmission choice and one two-door body style, it was easier for Volkswagen of America to make a business case for the car in the U.S. With only 5,000 examples of the R32 scheduled for sale here, he has a point.

Europe Has Nothing on This R32
Even if the R32 hasn't been designed as a pure performance coupe, it still has a formidable spec sheet. Tweaks to the computer software have added 10 horsepower for a total of 250, while the torque peaks at 236 pound-feet. The twin-clutch DSG gearbox isn't any different from the one offered for the standard GTI, but Goggins notes that it has been specially tuned for the U.S. "We were given three shift programs to choose from," he tells us, "and we went with the most aggressive setup — more aggressive than even the European model."

The R32's suspension settings have been carried over from Europe with no changes. Spring rates and damper settings were just slightly retuned to compensate for the added weight of the larger engine and all-wheel-drive system, but careful attention has been paid to the setup so as not to compromise ride quality. Standard 18-inch wheels and tires provide the grip while the front brake discs are more than an inch larger than those of the GTI.

The 4Motion all-wheel-drive system is the same featured in the previous R32. Its Haldex center differential continually distributes torque to the front and rear wheels in varying degrees depending on conditions.

Crossing the Alps
Winding our way up a set of switchbacks in an Alpine pass not far from Lake Como, the R32 proves capable if not nimble. Negotiating one of the numerous hairpins is a matter of getting on the brakes late, snapping off a downshift with the shift paddle mounted on the steering wheel, dialing in about three-quarters of a turn on the wheel and matting the throttle on the way out. Then repeat. Then repeat again.

There's not enough power to get the tires loose and the electromechanical steering isn't overly fast, so there are no worries about getting the R32 crossed up like a rally car. When we go too deep into a corner, the R32 understeers until we scrub off enough speed to get our line right again. When we dive in a little early, the all-wheel-drive system simply yanks the nose around until we're headed in the right direction.

Even with the R32's optional all-season Dunlop SP Sport tires, there's plenty of grip. That's probably why the stability control rarely intrudes, but with guardrails as spindly as sprinkler pipes, we're not exactly pushing the limits.

The R32 feels more comfortable when the hairpins turn into sweeping bends. It rolls a little, settles in midcorner and sticks without needing any steering adjustment. Road feel is excellent for an electrically assisted steering system, and the thick rim of the steering wheel isn't bad either.

If there's anything that could use work, it's the Sport program for the DSG's shift schedule. It feels nervous, dropping a gear when we don't need one and often doing so with a clunk. Soon we simply leave the DSG in its normal mode for the rest of the trip and never miss the quicker shifts Sport mode promises.

No Autobahn Required
Once out of the mountains, the wide-open autobahn through Austria begs for a top-speed run, but unlike its German counterpart this road has an 80-mph speed limit and the police are very aggressive. Although smooth and silent on the highway, the R32 isn't brutally fast. In fact, Volkswagen claims only 6.4 seconds to 60 mph, a tenth slower than the 2004 R32.

At this point, however, we don't mind much. Unlike some of its competitors, the R32 feels equally at home while cruising on straight roads as it does blasting through canyons. Seats borrowed from the GTI grip well without forcing you to climb into them, and when you look around the well-appointed cabin, it doesn't feel like all the money went into the engine bay.

The engine-turned aluminum accents are unique, and of course there's some obligatory "R32" badging. Nearly all of the GTI's optional equipment is standard, and the $1,800 DVD-based navigation system is the only option that'll cost you extra. (Even the all-season tires are free if you choose them.) The R32 starts at $32,990, so with the navigation, you're looking at nearly $35,000.

Do You Really Want To Have It?
Paying more than $30,000 for what is essentially a top-of-the-line Rabbit isn't an easy sell. But with only 5,000 headed our way and a good chunk of those already spoken for, the 2008 Volkswagen R32 is clearly aimed at a specific customer.

Caught between a BMW 328i on one hand and a Mitsubishi Evo on the other, the R32 occupies a very small niche in the market. More like a splinter, really. It's like a GT car stripped to a core of function and practicality, a compact long-distance car with high-tech engineering.

Considering its downmarket hatchback profile, it seems as if it costs more than it should. Then again, the R32 also does more than it should, too. For the right kind of driver, the R32 won't seem quite so expensive, and he'll be glad to own it every time he drives through a tunnel.

Cool White Light
By Erin Riches, Senior Content Editor Email
Date posted: 11-12-2007


You climb out of Bakersfield and go up the slope of the Sierra Nevada on California Highway 178 and the road wanders past Lake Isabella and through the Sequoia National Forest before emptying into the red expanse of the Mojave Desert. The high-speed sweepers flatter both the 2008 Volkswagen R32 and the driver holding its flat-bottom steering wheel.

Nothing seduces like flattery. You might even think the VW R32 is the last car you'll ever need to buy.

A Richer, Denser GTI
While other manufacturers are obsessed with taking the fat out of the limited-edition, high-performance variants of their consumer-market models, VW has used more cream to whip the three-door GTI into the faster, stronger 2008 Volkswagen R32. That the latter weighs 400 pounds more than the former offers you some insight into the R32's decadent approach to speed.

Instead of a wound-up turbocharged inline-4, the R32 has the easygoing 3.2-liter VR6. This is the original, unadorned VW variant of this engine instead of the fancy all-aluminum, direct-injection version found in the Audi A3, yet it still has four valves per cylinder with variable timing on both the intake and exhaust cams. And with 250 horsepower at 6,300 rpm and 236 pound-feet of torque at 2,500 rpm, the iron-block VR6 is only fractionally less powerful than the Audi V6, too.

Since there's a bit too much torque to put neatly through the front wheels, the six-speed dual-clutch Direct Shift Gearbox (DSG) drives all four wheels through the R32's 4Motion all-wheel-drive system. This third-generation Haldex system has a pronounced front-drive bias, but the central clutch pack can redirect all available engine torque to the rear wheels if, say, the fronts ever go airborne or something.

Such hardware — and its associated electronic gray matter — would turn any hot hatch into a hefty one. The R32 is even more so, since it's outfitted like the most luxuriously appointed GTI ever. The leather upholstery that comes as standard equipment would make the cut in most premium-brand cars, as would the extreme level of calm that settles over the tightly built cabin while cruising at highway speeds.

Only two options are available on the $33,630 R32 and our test car had them both. The navigation system (which features a twist-knob controller that seems archaic these days) has a rarefied price tag of $1,800. The all-season 225/40R18 Dunlop SP Sport 01 tires, which replace summer tires of the same size, are appropriately free of charge.

Precision, Not Quickness
Acceleration numbers from the test track don't adequately describe what the 2008 Volkswagen R32 is like at wide-open throttle. Objectively speaking, this car's 6.0-second run to 60 mph and its quarter-mile performance of 14.6 seconds at 94.9 mph are too slow for a $35K coupe, even though this performance represents a 0.7-second edge over the GTI.

Moreover, your right foot (even one buffered by a ratty trail-running shoe) will never let you live with the illusion that the R32 is capable of pulling away from a stock 2008 Subaru Impreza WRX.

Of course, the Subie driver could miss a shift. You see, for all the satisfaction that comes from working a clutch pedal and a gearlever, the great advantage of the R32 and its automated DSG is that you will never put a (left) foot wrong. As the VR6 stretches up past its redline of 6,500 rpm, a perfectly executed upshift is just a nudge of your thumb away.

If there's anything not to like, it's the 3.2-liter's nonchalance. Its power delivery is always smooth, but it lacks the redline-or-bust insistence that characterizes the high-strung turbo fours of the R32's rivals. This sort of relaxed attitude in a hot hatch will be refreshing for some, but we just feel it's a touch dull.

As GT as Any Hatchback Has Ever Been
Yet even if you let the DSG loaf along like an automatic (a charade it performs convincingly in Drive), eventually you'll find yourself at triple digits on the open highway.

Empty, straight stretches of open road bring out the best from the long-legged R32 — its relaxed drivetrain, solid structure and supple suspension. An electronically limited top speed of 155 mph in a hatchback-size car might not seem special, but this car's ability to approach that threshold with the imperturbable composure of a neurosurgeon might be.

The R32 is really more of a GT than a GTI. That's why its lack of cruising range comes as a surprise. We drove our test car some 1,300 miles and were never able to get close to 300 miles on a tank. A 14.5-gallon fuel tank is the primary obstacle, and the DSG's two overdrive gears aren't enough to compensate for the engine's fundamental thirst. Our test car averaged 18.7 mpg, which, if you do the math, yields just 270 miles of range.

Handling: Numbers Versus Feel
When you're talking performance and fuel economy, curb weight can't be discounted as a factor, and it undeniably affects handling as well. So while the R32 might be a compact car, its 3,547 pounds has serious consequences.

That's why the VW's 67.8-mph slalom speed is so remarkable. Here's a car that's 400 pounds heavier than a WRX but still just as quick as the Subaru through the cones of our slalom test. Had we been able to test an R32 with the grippier summer performance tires, the test results likely would have been even more impressive.

On public roads, a committed driver can maintain a brisk pace in the VW R32. The electric-assist power steering is accurate, chassis response as you turn into a corner is reasonably quick and the body roll (though substantial) is easily managed. Thanks to all four tires working hard on your behalf, understeer is rarely a problem, even though Evo and STI diehards will be quick to note the R32's lack of rally-style limited-slip differentials between either the front or rear wheels.

The fact that the Volkswagen isn't a rally car doesn't faze us, but it's worth discussing its limitations in communicating with its driver.

It's not that the R32 doesn't talk. It's just that compared to less expensive cars like the Mitsubishi Evo or the Mini Cooper S, the VW sends less information through the steering wheel and driver seat. The result is a sense of GT-style isolation that's fine on cross-country drives, but you want to feel locked into the daily experience with a performance car, and the R32 doesn't deliver.

With Brakes, Bigger Is Better
Although the blue, four-piston front calipers draw your eye, the functional upgrade to the R32's brakes lies in disc diameter. The 13.6-inch front and 12.2-inch rear rotors are each an inch larger in diameter than the GTI's.

Even so, the R32 stopped only 2 feet shorter from 60 mph than the best GTI we've tested — 124 feet. Weight is undoubtedly a factor, and here again, grippier tires would have helped. Still, the R32 resisted brake fade better than the GTI.

The Refined Sport Compact
Although the 2008 Volkswagen R32 is not best-in-class in any particular area, it is exactly what VW intended, a highly refined touring car capable of making rapid progress, be it on autobahns, freeways or two-lanes.

Excessive weight keeps the R32 as engaging to drive as it should be, yet its test-track performance speaks volumes for the fitness of its chassis.

Though Volkswagen is bringing only 5,000 '08 R32s to the U.S., this hatchback's influence extends beyond its niche audience. It's no coincidence Mitsubishi and Subaru are busy polishing the jagged edges off the Evo and STI, installing sequential gearboxes and adding leather seat options.

Refinement and convenience are coming to the world of sport compacts, and the 2008 VW R32 will keep you so content that you might forget to protest.

If you’re the type that can’t get enough of special UK-edition Volkswagens, the Golf GTI Pirelli is just the fix you’re looking for. Bringing back the GTI Pirelli edition 25 years after it first hit the UK, the new model gets almost all of the features of the 1,500 unit limited-run Golf GTI Edition 30 from early 2007, plus the goodness of Pirelli branding inside and out.

Zero to sixty times squeeze down to just 6.8 seconds from 7.2 seconds thanks to a 30hp bump from stock, bringing the 2.0L TFSI engine up to 230hp. The extra grunt gives a little more top-end as well, the speedometer wrapping around to 152mph instead of the standard 146mph. The interior gets a high-contrast black and yellow themed interior with plenty of Pirelli badging to remind the occupants exactly what sort of Golf they’re riding in. The seats are half-covered in leather and feature tire-tread designs down their middles.

Eighteen-inch alloy wheels swell to fill the wells. Wrapped in 225/40R18 Pirelli P-Zeros - what else would you expect? - this special edition Golf should stick as well as it goes. Custom bodywork, including the front splitter, side skirts and rear bumper all get body-colored treatment. Tinted rear lamp lenses and windows add to the custom look.

Prices range from £22,555 (US$44,500) for a six-speed manual-equipped three-door on up to £24,385 (US$48,040) for the five-door fitted with a six-speed DSG.

The Wörthersee GTI Meet is taken very seriously by Volkswagen, take the insane GTI W12 650 Concept for example which was unveiled at last years event alongside the Audi TT Clubsport. This year sees a mystery Volkswagen GTI Performance Concept displayed although the German manufacturer has failed to provide any information about it leaving us to analyse the vehicle with our well trained eyes.

The striking exterior gets a widebody styling kit with lowered suspension and sport wheels which aerodynamically help enhance driving performance. When we get round to the rear we find 2 huge trapezoidal exausts tips surrounded by a few oversized wire mesh screens. Look up into the boot to find a couple of nitrous oxide tanks and customized trimmings to make it look stock. The black and orange sports livery coupled with the quite pointless Lambo Styled Doors (LSD) complete the look. The black and orange color scheme continues in the interior which reveals a 2+1 seating layout leaving extra room in the rear for an over-the-top audio system.

The lack of publicity surrounding this vehicle suggests this is nothing more than a show car, but we can always hope for more.

BREAKING NEWS:
According to our source Volkswagen seems to have some problems with the next generation VW Golf, the VW Golf VI, and therefore can't reach the self-set ROI rate of 5%, currently at 3.4%. This means that Volkswagen would lose over 600 million Euro profit over the product lifetime thanks also to the weak dollar.

As a result, Dr. Martin Winterkorn has decided NOT to sell the next-generation VW Golf in the US, Brazil and Australia! We will keep you up to date if more news are breaking...