MarkCup
ClioSport Club Member
LOL
I'm like that sometimes, then I see my mpg guage...
I'm like that sometimes, then I see my mpg guage...
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:R32
- Thread starter Sir_Dave
- Start date
The Chubby Pirate
ClioSport Club Member
Golf R
I wont trail this into an argument, what i will say is, in my opinion the R32 is the quicker car.
Theyre very similar in performance, they can both do a 1/4 in around 14.5 seconds.
The r32 dsg power to weight ratio is only around 160bhp/ton, less than a Clio in theory.
Then there's transmission losses through the 4wd system.
In reality they're very similar, r32 will be faster 85mph+
The torque from the bigger engine will make it easier to drive and it will be faster in gear.
The r32 dsg power to weight ratio is only around 160bhp/ton, less than a Clio in theory.
Then there's transmission losses through the 4wd system.
In reality they're very similar, r32 will be faster 85mph+
The torque from the bigger engine will make it easier to drive and it will be faster in gear.
Sigh. Its b****cks, the R32 is faster. 4 motion + the dsg just help it launch and keep going through the gears. Dsg r32s hit 60 in under 6 seconds and 100 in about 14/15. I doubt there is anyone here with a standard clio that could do that. The clio has one party trick in that it is quick from 40 to 60, after that it just runs out of steam. There's lots of pub/book figure bhp talk here but IRL the anytime torque combined with awesome traction make it fast.
Sir_Dave
ClioSport Trader
Funny you should mention that, ive just back to back tested them down my 10 mile 'test route' :clown:
Took the clio 1st as it is my 'toy' afterall ... all the usual things that i love about the clio are there: epic brakes, quick once its on the boil, good feedback through the wheel, able to steer with the throttle/steering wheel/brakes - whatever you want really. Wonderful handing and brilliant fun when you're 'on it'. Flat as a f4rt if you're in the wrong gear, rattly, noisy, poor driving position, filthy dirty (although thats not necessarily the cars fault lol) and a bit of a shed. A loveable one though
Next up the golf. On the way to 'the route', im sat in a comfy leather armchair, car is changing gear for me, steering is light and the radio is pretty awesome. It has a level of clarity/bass that the clio could only dream of. Turn off the main road, wind the windows down, select 'manual' flappy paddle gear-changing and blip down a few gears, bwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrppppp through the tunnel, wahoo time to have some more fun :star:
Thing is, in the golf, its an entirely more civilised type of fun, im not constantly pressing three pedals with two feet, rowing up & down the gearbox to keep it on the boil, or lifting off the throttle just at the right point to get the rear end swinging to play. Im literally just hoofing it up the gearbox, blipping it down on the steering wheel, braking a tiny bit, then hoofing it round the corner at maximum attack. The DSG is very good, although im not so bad at changing gear myself, so that element is missed, although the normal gearbox on a golf is fairly average, so i think if im driving something as refined as an R32, i might as well have the paddles.
On the road, in the dry, even on Semperit front tyres, understeer isnt really something that it seems to suffer from unless you are driving like a tool. On my 'testing roundabout' it did go eventually, but the speed was higher than in the Trophy, difference is that the clio allows you to lift, steer into the slide and carry on, the golf just understeers - although im obviously still learning its traits, & couldnt really experiment too much on a fairly busy roundabout in the middle of the day lol. For normal road driving, it has alot of grip, something that has been reassuring in the torrential rain that we've had as of late i must admit, especially when travelling at motorway speeds.
Power wise, its noticeably easier to go fast than the T, you just leave it in gear and clog it, the power is there, very linear in fact, so when you change up it just carries on pulling. There isnt the nothing nothing nothing, bang of the clio/M3, which is one of the reasons you could consider it boring i suppose. Speed wise, it is pretty rapid though, plenty of times on my route where i was having to lift as my selp imposed speed limit had been reached quicker than in the T.
The brakes are considerably better than the Ed30 i had previously, no wilting/fading at all today, not as sharp as the Trophy understandably, & the standard compound would no doubt suffer on track with the car being soo heavy, but for road use they are more than adequate.
Overally, i wouldnt say that the golf is the most exciting way of getting from A to B quickly, the Trophy trounces it in that respect, purely as you feel so connected to the car! You think, it does, its a real oldskool hot hatch, that will bite you if you mess it up, chucking you backwards into the nearest hedge if you so choose.
But, anyone who doubts the R32 as a weapon to cover ground very quickly is imho quite mistaken. In a 'race' from A to B, whilst the driver of the clio would be giving it 110% and fighting to keep the car on the road & to stay ahead, the R32 driver would be listening to classic fm & having their bum being warmed by the heated leather seats, whilst the car did all the work.
So yeah, its not the most exciting car in the world, but if you need something that can pound the motorways all week, then go from A to B at the weekend, comfortably, easily and at warp factor 10, its really rather good
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330Ci (Fail)Sport
Probably not too far from an E46 330i. Maybe Dave can tell us, I think he may have owned one before...
330i. E30 Touring.
That review summed up from someone who's spoken about cars with Dave everyday for the last 3 years:
I don't love the Trophy as much as i used to, because nothing was as good back then.
I don't love the R32 like i could. It's not got an ///M badge and it's an admittance that i'm getting old.
I don't love the Trophy as much as i used to, because nothing was as good back then.
I don't love the R32 like i could. It's not got an ///M badge and it's an admittance that i'm getting old.
Sir_Dave
ClioSport Trader
Like i said in Le Mans, everything goes down hill when you get to 30
Re: comparison to a 330i, cant say i ever actually just took any of them out for a drive down any back roads lol, but they are very capable cars, i just always felt that thethey were more suited to faster sweeping A roads than the really twisty, narrow stuff. M3 was obviously very capable, but simply too quick for the type of driving that i enjoy. The steering of the e46 is far better however, with a nice weight & feel that the Golf can only dream off.
The really nice thing about the R32 is the free spinning nature of the engine when compared to a 'normal' BMW. The straight 6, whilst an utterly superb, smooth engine is somewhat lazy in its feel imho, & never really wanted to be rushed. A swift blip of the throttle never gave that razor sharp rise/fall in revs that you get in a 1*2/CTR for example, & whilst it is present in the M3 due to the ITB's, the lesser versions really are just a little too smooth sometimes. An auto 330 for example, it just a lazy cruising bus, a DSG R32 can at least be manhandled a little bit and chucked down the nearest backroad.
So does that mean that the R32 is the perfect combo for daily use & backroad/trackday fun? Im not so sure, its very good, but there are a few elements for me that are missing. By sampling soo many different cars as of late though, i am however working out what will make my perfect combination of attributes, for that perfect everything car. Only problem is, im not entirely sure that it exists yet ...
330i. E30 Touring.
Christopher
ClioSport Club Member
Z4M
Fair review, pretty much what I thought too.
I still dislike because you bought the long wheelbase version though.
I still dislike because you bought the long wheelbase version though.
Turbos.
NEED both of those.
Tom
ClioSport Club Member
EV (s)
Lol, terrible brakes on the E60
Sir_Dave
ClioSport Trader
Horrific mpg lol. And you struggle to get 250 miles out of the tank as well - sod that :dead:
I actually prefer the looks of the normal e60 Sport as well, so think i'd almost be tempted to go for a manual 550i over the M5 ...
R32 is currently at my local specialist for DSG/Haldex oil & filter, brake fluid change, aircon service & front wishbone bush replacement (its been rattling/banging a little over bumps), so no doubt ill be another 500 quid poorer by later on this evening. Still its a darn sight cheaper than going to VW and paying their additional 30% R32 tax ...
RX7 FD
Dave did you send it to SJB Autotech?
Sir_Dave
ClioSport Trader
Yeah, usually take Sarah's TT there for the more complicated stuff, that i cant be bothered to do
Ended up being £475, cheaper than quoted, which is always nice. Although i do hate spending money on things that i cant see and/or feel any difference for doing though!!! Then i noticed that my brand new windscreen has a ruddy great big crack in it. FFS.
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