jagseven Posted October 7, 2005 Report Share Posted October 7, 2005 Having tried a GTI recently I'm slightly worried the new R32 will not feel quick enough after the XJR - I accept the car will be slower than the Jag but I'm hoping it will still FEEL fast. I'm less bothered about 0-60 times - I'm thinking more about mid-range and in-gear performance. Engine characteristics play a part in whether a car feels fast or not so does the R32 engine feel satisfingly grunty? I assume the exhaust note will help if feel suitably fast and sporty (the Jag is almost too refined in this respect so it actually feels slower than it really is). How does the R32 compare with other (fast) cars you have owned? For example, my Caterham 7 has very similar performance to the Jag up to about 100mph (about the same as a BMW M3) but feels much much faster due to the noise and rawness etc So how does the R32 feel? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
N3WOB Posted October 7, 2005 Report Share Posted October 7, 2005 Off the line and through the early gears you'll notice a sense of urgency with the torque delivery & sensitive throttle & uou will enjoy the soundtrack throughout! Best bet is to get yourself a drive in one either from a garage or fellow TSN'er at a meet. Check out the video clips on the sitcky post above to get you started Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan32 Posted October 7, 2005 Report Share Posted October 7, 2005 Its certainly not frantic whilst accelerating but it pulls hard in all of its gears. For any passengers, 3rd/4th shove seems to be where they are suprised as it feels like its pulling in 2nd still. The sound does help but then I've got a Milltek and CCAI which adds a bit more aggression and I suppose makes it feel slightly quicker. If you've ever been in either a Porsche Boxster S or a 911, its somewhere between the two, but not as insane as a 911 Turbo and definitely not as mental as my Yamaha R1 (when I had it). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mook Posted October 7, 2005 Report Share Posted October 7, 2005 The R32 just keeps going and going. The torque curve is very flat on an unmodified engine, so it just keeps pulling right up to 6K + rpm. Compared to a GTI Turbo, it is totally linear, as opposed to waiting until the car gets to 2.5-3K before it gives a good kick before fading out after 5.5K rpm - so you have to use the gears more in the GTI. You can put your foot down in any gear in the R32 and it just pulls. Once you start playing with the engine and getting it up beyond 310 bhp and 290 lb/ft, then it will tag a BMW M3 or a Porsche 996 C4 (not the C4S!). I'm not sure how the XJR compares to either of these in the mid-range, but hopefully it will give you an idea. Assuming that the Mk5 R32 at 250 bhp pulls slightly better than a Mk4 with the #6463 software upgrade, you won't be disappointed... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jagseven Posted October 7, 2005 Author Report Share Posted October 7, 2005 Cheers guys - that all sounds promising. I will not want to upgrade the engine for warranty/insurance/resale issues. I've not tried a Porsche. The XJR is very strong in the mid-range (30-70mph in 4.4 seconds) - not sure how that compares to the Porsche 911. I did drive a Civic Type-R recently so know how that feels (not much grunt low down but it does feel pretty quick when it gets into the VTEC zone). I did notice my local VW dealer has a 2nd hand R32 for sale so maybe I'll try and get a drive in that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mook Posted October 7, 2005 Report Share Posted October 7, 2005 [ QUOTE ] I did notice my local VW dealer has a 2nd hand R32 for sale so maybe I'll try and get a drive in that. [/ QUOTE ] Get that test drive sorted out then Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arg123 Posted October 7, 2005 Report Share Posted October 7, 2005 [ QUOTE ] Porsche 996 C4 (not the C4S!) [/ QUOTE ] Both have the same engine - in fact cuz of the Turbo style body the S is slightly slower - that's me being pedantic Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jagseven Posted October 7, 2005 Author Report Share Posted October 7, 2005 For those that are interested I found this site: FastHatchbacks.com It allows you to "race" the R32 against various other cars. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R32Ash Posted October 7, 2005 Report Share Posted October 7, 2005 [ QUOTE ] For those that are interested I found this site: FastHatchbacks.com It allows you to "race" the R32 against various other cars. [/ QUOTE ] Sorry for going off topic, but I had a mess about racing some cars against the R32 and noticed they list an RS3 in the A3 list. WTF is that about? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mook Posted October 7, 2005 Report Share Posted October 7, 2005 350 bhp 3.2 VR6 turbo Allegedly... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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