Project R32-STX


When Volkswagen announced that they would deliver 5000 examples of the much-vaunted R32 to our shores, enthusiasts across the country immediately began to salivate like Pavlov’s dog.  The ultimate Golf was already wildly popular in Europe and 2004 would see U.S. customers who had been lusting to get their hands on the R finally have their way.  This more powerful version of the Mk IV GTI represents 30 years of continuous development and refinement of the model.  Some of the changes to the line over the years have been ill received by Golf purists, in particular the continuous increases in size and weight.  The R32 is no exception in that area, but much like the limited edition MkII G60 Rallye Golf did in the 80’s, it symbolized the pinnacle of the car’s state of evolution.
    
What first attracted me to this car was its unusual combination of attributes.  A reasonably priced new (in ’04) vehicle available in the U.S. that could fuse this kind of speed and build quality with hatchback utility was a rare commodity.  I needed a car to be used for both racing (more on that in a moment) and as a comfortable daily driver capable of hauling my wife and dog on hiking trips.  With the R’s rear seats folded flat the cargo area can easily accommodate a Siberian Husky, large cooler, and all of our gear with room to spare while the dynamics ensure that blasting along the mountain roads surrounding the trail is the best part of the trip.  The R32 wraps that blend of practicality and performance in tidy Teutonic styling that suggests aggressive tendencies without being flamboyant…no wonder it has such a devoted fan base.

Headlining the fervor for this high performance package is a narrow-angle 3.2L V-6 power plant pumping out 240 hp and 236 lb-ft of torque.  A continuous wave of thrust comes on strong as low as 2000 RPM.  The progression is so smooth and linear you almost feel cheated by the lack of a ballistic surge at high revs, but the power-on-demand torque curve more than compensates for any missing explosiveness.

Volkswagen VR6 engines are well known for their sonorous tones, and while I am not a huge fan of loud exhausts, I do like to hear a response to my throttle inputs.   The stock system on the R32 reports engine staus on two levels.  Spent gasses are expelled from twin tail pipes after passing through a vacuum operated “flapper valve” muffler.  At low engine and vehicle speeds, this butterfly valve remains closed and the sound is quiet and subdued, permitting a certain amount of stealth that helps to keep you in the good graces of the neighborhood nannies.  But, when open, its voice and timbre deepen to express the engine’s true personality.  A simple modification can be made to keep the valve open all of the time, resulting in a baritone snarl under load - especially at low to mid revs - that settles into a subtle, but satisfying, off-throttle crackle.  Simply put, it sounds sweet.  This is the first car I have owned that has garnered unsolicited comments  (and at nearly every car event I attend) from a stock exhaust system.  

Converting the additional power into forward motion calls for more traction than the standard Golf’s front-wheel drive platform can provide.  A smooth shifting six-speed transmission channels the extra grunt to the same Haldex based 4Motion AWD system found on other VW (and Audi under the Quattro badge) models. This system is designed to send all of the torque to the front wheels under normal conditions.  If grip is lost up front, as much as 50 percent of the energy can be sent aft. The resulting performance, to the driver, will feel much like a FWD car, except that extra traction is available when needed and there is only the slightest hint of torque steer.  Full power launches and slow corner exits cause a brief scrubbing of the front tires while the electronics scramble to determine the best place to distribute the power, then all four tires hook up and you rip away.

The capacity for greater forward velocity always requires a correspondingly improved method to rein in the fun.   Twin-piston brake calipers – painted the same bright blue as the springs – were installed for this purpose and are visible through the 18-inch alloy wheels.  They clamp down on vented disks that appear to have lifted their dimensions from the menu at your local pizzeria (Large - 13.1 in. F / Medium - 10.1 in. R).  A 3300-pound body in motion undoubtedly tends to stay in motion, but these binders will bring the R to a halt with Newton defying immediacy.     

Stiffening and lowering the suspension is a given for any high performance model.  Volkswagen complied by adding stiffer springs and roll bars, firmer shock damping, and a ride height that is 20mm lower than a standard GTI.  They didn’t stop there.  In a Golf first, there is a fully independent, multi-link rear suspension with dual-link trailing arms.  Gone is the inside rear wheel lift under hard cornering displayed by previous editions.  While this trait may carry a bit of panache, especially with the old-school VW faithful, four contact patches are always better than three.  As a whole it works well, but there is still far too much body movement and, despite the lowered stance, the wheel gaps (necessary to meet US bumper height requirements) are downright hideous.

Inside, the look and feel is “strictly business.”  A theme of sophisticated restraint is evidenced throughout the cabin, with high quality black leather and non-reflective hard surfaces being tastefully offset with brushed aluminum accents and R logos.  The driver-centric layout insures that each control is ergonomically located and falls intuitively to hand.  Displays are functional but never flashy, providing all of the necessary information without distracting you from the task of hustling the car down the road.

Slide into either front seat and you are locked in place by extraordinarily comfortable and supportive Konig buckets equipped with five levels of back and bun-warming heat.  Proper positioning is one of my pet peaves.  There is nothing worse than hopping into a capable vehicle only to find that you can't adjust the seat or steering (in particular getting situated low enough with the wheel near shoulder height) so that you can control the car with the correct range of motion.  No such worries here.  VW should be commended for giving drivers multiple dimensions of seat and wheel adjustments allowing ideal alignment for a wide range of body types. 

Once settled, your hands will engage a thick, contoured wheel attached to an uprated steering rack that requires only two and one half turns to rotate through its full travel.  Steering feel is a bit light on center, but loads up nicely as cornering G’s increase and the slightly muted feedback yields plenty of information on the level of agreement between tires and tarmac.  

All in all, the R32 certainly justifies its impassioned following by providing a terrific mix of power, handling, refinement, and utility.  After gushing profusely about how much I like this car, I am also the first to admit it is not without faults.  While clearly a competent package that excels in many areas, it still left me with a feeling of unrealized potential.  

The Goal

This R32 is being prepared for SCCA STX class autocross, occasional track days, and it will serve as my main method of transportation.  Depending on who you ask, STX stands for either Street Touring Xtra or Street Touring Xtreme.  Either way, the Street Touring classes (of which there are four) were created by the SCCA to provide a venue for today’s enthusiast community to drive high performance street-legal cars with the most popular upgrades.  As the second tier in preparation level, most of the allowed mods are “bolt-ons” that don’t require opening the engine or permit the swapping of core level components.

While the class was designed around the concept of arrive and drive – Street Touring is the only group that doesn’t allow race compound tires – competition will always bring out the extremes.  Now most fully prepped ST cars show up to events on trailers. Can a car that retains enough civility for weekend trips with my family and the commute to work be competitive on a National level?  That’s what I intend to find out.