does the r32 come with paranoia as an option? most of that was aimed at sutherlandm - not you! the reason I quoted your post was to illustrate the point that not everyone thinks like that Edited by: Jeff
I'll give up on this one now. It's boring the hell out of me. Looking forward to driving a fab car rather than sniping at everyone elses.
"He isn't impressed, but the Audi's propulsive anonymity is even harder to forgive. Dickie is full of indifference: 'Possibly the most passionless internal combustion engine ever made. I'm sure the torque curve is fat and flat but, Jeez, is it boring. Zanussi make better sounding motors.' Contributing his trademark understatement, Tomalin describes the 1.8-litre turbo unit as 'not terribly charismatic'" "And this is when it begins to occur to you what an extraordinary device the Golf R32 is. The key is the exploitability of its performance. While the Haldex all-wheel-drive system balances the weight distribution and provides low-loss transfer for the power and torque, the springs and dampers unite in a convincing display of iron-fisted control, masking the Golf's bulk with resolute grip and surprising agility. Jethro is slightly shocked by what it can do. He says: 'Stepping from the WRX to the R32 is very odd. You expect the Subaru to show the Golf to have nose-heavy, lumpen handling, You expect it to deliver the killer blow with more performance and more cross-country pace. But it doesn't quite work like that. The Golf feels instantly more responsive. It turns-in quickly with barely a hint of understeer and as you get hard on the power it digs in and launches you out of corners without any of the anticipated wallowy histrionics. In fact, it stays composed no matter what you throw at it. The ride is a little hardcore but the payoff is the sort of dynamic package that recent Golfs having been crying out for.' Not as cheeky as its performance, though. That's 'cheeky' as in 'not really quick enough'. It hit 60mph in 7.3sec and 100mph in 18.7sec, taking 0.4sec and 2.6sec out of the standard Cooper S. Brawny certainly, and the track was damp. But it's not really the work of the car with the second best power-to-weight ratio in the group or one commanding a 7K premium. That said, it just shades the Leon to 60mph (7.4sec) and trails only fractionally at the ton (18.4sec). But the Focus - which gives away 6bhp per ton on paper - eats it alive, recording 5.9sec and 14.9sec for the same benchmark sprints. In fact, and slightly ludicrous as it might seem, not even the 247bhp Alfa can force its nose in front. It just about lives with the RS to 60mph (6.0sec) but, come the ton, it's trailing by over half a second, at 15.5sec. The four-wheel drive and 221bhp of the Impreza don't fare much better, the WRX lagging slightly behind at 60mph (6.1sec) and 100mph (15.7sec). Though the Japanese saloon does hold the whip-hand over its old all-drive sparring partner from Ingolstadt, the Audi S3 (6.6 and 17.5sec), and the barrel-chested 237bhp R32 from Wolfsburg (6.4 and 16.3sec). Against the clock, the group splits fairly evenly into the fast (Mini, Leon, S3) and the furious (Impreza, 147, Focus) with the Golf being somewhere in between. On the road, though, things aren't nearly as clear-cut. There's an obvious (almost blinding) contrast between big capacity, multi-cylinder, normally-aspirated charisma and four-pot, forced induction efficiency. And it's at this point that the Ford's fabulous performance at the test track seems curiously at odds with the subjective expectations of the hard-driving enthusiast. First, the engine offers little in the way of aural thrills. Hard-edged and throaty is the best it can muster when trying hard. Second, when it's not trying hard - admittedly only below about 2500rpm - it's not really trying at all, and the arrival of the turbo-boosted action is sudden which, in turn, has knock-on consequences for the Quaife diff and steering. The early miles and test track sessions generate some pungent initial observations, especially from Meaden who's at the sharp end of the figuring. He puts his finger on a kind of negative symbiosis within the Ford that will become more irksome as the test goes on. 'The Focus makes incredibly hard work of going fast on the sort of roads that it should breeze,' he comments. 'Torque-steer isn't the same as steering feel, and yet you're supposed to regard the RS's wrist-spraining antics as a dynamic badge of honour.' He isn't impressed, but the Audi's propulsive anonymity is even harder to forgive. Dickie is full of indifference: 'Possibly the most passionless internal combustion engine ever made. I'm sure the torque curve is fat and flat but, Jeez, is it boring. Zanussi make better sounding motors.' Contributing his trademark understatement, Tomalin describes the 1.8-litre turbo unit as 'not terribly charismatic'. It's not terribly charismatic in the Leon Cupra R, either. But curiously it does sound more interesting (despite the 15bhp deficit) and is much easier to like and appreciate in the context of a 17K car; the S3, remember, costs nearly 8000 more. Best of the small turbo motors, without question, is the Scooby's 2-litre flat-four which is smoother, revvier and more subtly aggressive of note than ever before. Despite the latest tweaks (power and torque up by 6bhp and 6lb ft) flexibility isn't a WRX strength, added to which it's the only five-speeder in an otherwise six-speed group. But it hardly matters. So progressive and lag-free are the Impreza's turbo characteristics, so fast and sweet its gearchange and so perfectly placed its pedals, that as a fast B-road proposition it makes the Focus seem like an attention-seeking brat. The most satisfying motors of all, though, belong to the Alfa and the Golf. Of the two, the Alfa's is the undoubted star. Apart from the stonking acceleration and mighty in-gear urgency, it's just a wonderful thing to use. Meaden's assessment doesn't stint on the hedonistic adjectives: 'It's hard to get enough of this engine. Whether you're luxuriating in the abundant low-rev response or enjoying the muscular mid-range and musical top-end, it always delivers an exotic, illicit sense of power.' It's just a shame such a sensational (but inevitably weighty) V6 blunts turn-in and overworks the traction control (or turns the front wheels into fireworks if you switch it off). The steering's disappointingly light and feel-less, too. That said, the Alfa does feel almost absurdly rapid between the bends and, importantly, maintains a rewarding sense of poise and fluidity. Not the sharpest tool in the box, maybe, but good enough to exploit the treasures of the engine. Short intermediate gearing and aggressive part-throttle response make the Golf feel even punchier, though the figures say otherwise. 'The gearing can seem too frantic,' says Meaden. 'But you just need to be prepared to tackle a corner in a gear higher to make it work.' And above 3000rpm it does start to sound special - not obviously V6-ee but an intriguing melange of plush and purposeful, acquiring increasing edge as it hungrily piles on the revs. And this is when it begins to occur to you what an extraordinary device the Golf R32 is. The key is the exploitability of its performance. While the Haldex all-wheel-drive system balances the weight distribution and provides low-loss transfer for the power and torque, the springs and dampers unite in a convincing display of iron-fisted control, masking the Golf's bulk with resolute grip and surprising agility. Jethro is slightly shocked by what it can do. He says: 'Stepping from the WRX to the R32 is very odd. You expect the Subaru to show the Golf to have nose-heavy, lumpen handling, You expect it to deliver the killer blow with more performance and more cross-country pace. But it doesn't quite work like that. The Golf feels instantly more responsive. It turns-in quickly with barely a hint of understeer and as you get hard on the power it digs in and launches you out of corners without any of the anticipated wallowy histrionics. In fact, it stays composed no matter what you throw at it. The ride is a little hardcore but the payoff is the sort of dynamic package that recent Golfs having been crying out for.' Harry concurs: 'The R32 feels tied-down in a very un-VW-like way; that four-wheel drive adds security, meaning all the torque of the big V6 doesn't get wasted in a flurry of wheelspin as it does in the Alfa.' But he isn't so sure the Golf has the measure of the Impreza when it comes to covering typical Blighty blacktop, adding, 'The Scooby is designed to devour UK B-roads. It's exciting, flattering, flowing and so, so fast. A real surprise is how the ride has improved as well, to the point it would be easy to live with this WRX day to day.' Meaden is in no doubt that he prefers it to the Focus: 'The Leon deals with its power far more convincingly, despite relying on electronic traction and stability control. There's virtually no torque-steer, plenty of traction (even when systems are off), and the chassis responds to being grabbed by the scruff, with an exploitable, knife-edge quality if you're prepared to provoke it. The steering has minimal assistance and genuine feel. And the front-end delivers instantaneous turn-in. Even the tail feels part of the action, ever-mobile but rarely unruly, quelling understeer almost before it has a chance to manifest itself.' By a large consensus - and in spite of a rather long-winded and gritty gearchange - it gets the nod over the S3, too. 'Typically Audi,' Meaden calls it - both in the positive and pejorative senses. 'It's more about grip than handling, he continues, 'and consequently secure and efficient at dismembering a B-road. It flows better than earlier S-model Audis and the damping is more rounded than I remember. But it's an instantly forgettable experience. It's also fiercely expensive in this company.' Tomalin agrees, complaining, 'You feel slightly detached, one step away from the action.' Green likes it slightly more: 'On the circuit it was really good. It doesn't have the initial dynamism of the Golf; turn-in isn't quite as focused. But it's only a shade off the mark. Whatever
This is one of those irregular verbs isn't it? I am conducting research. He is plagiarising the text. They have just been fined for copyright infringement. Cheers, Drew. Edited by: drew
Im sure I can speak for the majority in saying "I wish you would" its all so tedious now! If your so content with your car then dont rise to the wind ups!! (Oh.... I could afford one if I wanted one too )
