Sean_H Posted June 8, 2007 Report Share Posted June 8, 2007 After having been back to my primary love of VWs (first car a wannabe cal look beetle and then subsequently several years later, two corrados G60 and then VR6 ), a couple of years back I bought a Mk4 R32 (Black, leather, Sat Nav). In the close to 3 years owning it, I have totally loved it - performance, looks, sound, build quality, reliability, but most totally for its understated presence where people who know nothing about cars come up and ask me if the R32 badge means it has 32 valves(?! - happened in a holiday in Dorset recently), and even better where total petrol heads in their Subaru Imprezas give you that nod of understanding that you are in something special... Anyway - time moves on and the Mk4 is out of warranty and getting to that age. I have been spending the last 3-4 months thinking of moving to a new .:R, but it would have to be totally the right spec. Finally I have found one that matches the bill... Black, leather, Recaros, SatNav and pretty much alll the other options, plus the big one - DSG. TBH - I am a bit aprehensive of DSG having read so many different articles (even Evo magazine goes between love and hate on a monthly basis), and having also owned great 80's stormers like the 205 1.9 GTi and Mk2 16v... I love a nicely sorted manual box. Having just put down the deposit on this almost new .:R, and also knowing that it will mean paying market rate, or worse, I just hope I have made the right decision Just a post to start the conversation off, and will post again to let you know how I get on! TBH - deposit is down and deal is done, but I'm hoping the forum can give me some great justifications for my rash decision!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
petsy Posted June 8, 2007 Report Share Posted June 8, 2007 make sure you check your recaros thoroughly before parting with your cash as others on here have reported various problems associated with them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
encee Posted June 8, 2007 Report Share Posted June 8, 2007 Sean, I`m just curious mate, but why go for one with DSG, when you`re apprehensive, and you love a sorted manual box ? Anyway, enjoy it mate, as I`m sure you will.......... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisBuer Posted June 8, 2007 Report Share Posted June 8, 2007 I'd suggest test driving the DSG before you decide. I was in the same boat before I ordered and after testing the DSG realised it wasn't for me and went for the manual. It's nice to have the choice though Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mlhj83 Posted June 9, 2007 Report Share Posted June 9, 2007 [ QUOTE ] After having been back to my primary love of VWs (first car a wannabe cal look beetle and then subsequently several years later, two corrados G60 and then VR6 ), a couple of years back I bought a Mk4 R32 (Black, leather, Sat Nav). In the close to 3 years owning it, I have totally loved it - performance, looks, sound, build quality, reliability, but most totally for its understated presence where people who know nothing about cars come up and ask me if the R32 badge means it has 32 valves(?! - happened in a holiday in Dorset recently), and even better where total petrol heads in their Subaru Imprezas give you that nod of understanding that you are in something special... Anyway - time moves on and the Mk4 is out of warranty and getting to that age. I have been spending the last 3-4 months thinking of moving to a new .:R, but it would have to be totally the right spec. Finally I have found one that matches the bill... Black, leather, Recaros, SatNav and pretty much alll the other options, plus the big one - DSG. TBH - I am a bit aprehensive of DSG having read so many different articles (even Evo magazine goes between love and hate on a monthly basis), and having also owned great 80's stormers like the 205 1.9 GTi and Mk2 16v... I love a nicely sorted manual box. Having just put down the deposit on this almost new .:R, and also knowing that it will mean paying market rate, or worse, I just hope I have made the right decision Just a post to start the conversation off, and will post again to let you know how I get on! TBH - deposit is down and deal is done, but I'm hoping the forum can give me some great justifications for my rash decision!! [/ QUOTE ] Here's my summary for DSG from a previous post: My advice is to be patient with it in the beginning and try not to fight it but work with it. You will find that if you expect it to do exactly what you want it to in the early stages of DSG ownership without getting accustomed to how it works, you will be sorely disappointed. So drive it around in D mode first for a few hundred miles on a variety of roads whilst being smooth and progressive and you will eventually learn how it works. Then, move on the S mode and again be smooth and progressive on the throttle. Also, experiment with flooring the throttle with and without depressing the kick down button. Once you have understood the way it functions in D and S mode, move on to manual mode and again experiment with flooring the throttle progressively with and without depressing kickdown. You will also find that the gearbox will downshift/upshift for you in full manual mode or temporary manual mode if the engine speed reaches the bottom or upper threshold of the rev range. The other thing is that you should not depress the throttle abruptly the moment after selecting D/S/R as this will result in a delay and sudden lurching forwards/backwards, instead allow a split second for the clutch to engage (which you can feel as the car will spontaneously move) then apply throttle. DSG is absolutely fantastic and instantaneous once you know how to work with it! DSG on the track is especially fantastic, it may lack the visceral involvement of a manual, but DSG makes up for it in shear shifting pace and continuos power delivery. You will find that you don't need to make any throttle adjustments during full manual upshifts or downshifts if you are doing fast driving. But during slower driving (e.g. in town) whilst in manual mode, if you downshift 2 or more gears quickly there will be a slight delay in clutch engagement as the gearbox is trying to make the transition as smooth as possible due to the lack of revs at lower speeds. My advice is that if you need to drop 2 or more gears quickly whilst at slower cruising speeds, slot it into S mode. Slotting it into S mode is far quicker than manually down shifting 2 or 3 gears. You will also find that S mode does not select the lowest possible gear until you quickly depress the throttle or depress the kickdown button. S mode will always select 1 gear above the lowest possible gear. It does this so that you can get a smoother acceleration. S mode also makes its decision on when to upshift based on the speed and amount you depress the throttle, hence if you apply mild to medium throttle progressively, you will find that it upshifts at around 3500rpm and anymore throttle input will obviously make S mode upshift at the redline. Hope this helps, and congrats on your new car. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedRobin Posted June 9, 2007 Report Share Posted June 9, 2007 [ QUOTE ] The other thing is that you should not depress the throttle abruptly the moment after selecting D/S/R as this will result in a delay and sudden lurching forwards/backwards, instead allow a split second for the clutch to engage (which you can feel as the car will spontaneously move) then apply throttle. [/ QUOTE ] ....Just to clarify on that point - In my experience there's no lurching when moving between D and S when on the move with throttle on, and I think that mlhj83 means when stationery. HTH Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sean_H Posted June 9, 2007 Author Report Share Posted June 9, 2007 Hi Chris/encee, I've test driven (albeit too briefly) a DSG and found the overall driving experience very new, but also fun. Having read other's posts on the forum I've also heard a lot of old hand experience saying it really takes several months to get used to. I went for the DSG more as a bit of change, and also because the reported stats seem to indicate that when used correctly, it can be a better barnstormer than the plain manual. Don't get me wrong - I'm on pins and needles and can't wait to take ownership of the new .:R, but just wanted to ward off those nagging thoughts of 'have i done the right thing'! Petsy - Now, I have another about the Recaros. What is the issue here? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
petsy Posted June 9, 2007 Report Share Posted June 9, 2007 http://www.tyresmoke.net/ubbthreads/show...rue#Post1154212 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedRobin Posted June 9, 2007 Report Share Posted June 9, 2007 [ QUOTE ] I went for the DSG more as a bit of change, and also because the reported stats seem to indicate that when used correctly, it can be a better barnstormer than the plain manual. [/ QUOTE ] ....I wouldn't think of DSG as being 'better' than Manual, nor vica versa. They both do the same of course but just differently. A DSG is a bit like having an automatic/tiptronic/manual gearbox all in one and then plus a few new options. Takes time to familiarise fully but well worth it imo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carlo_uk Posted June 9, 2007 Report Share Posted June 9, 2007 I wouldn't say I struggled with DSG in the beginning but it does take some getting used to (switching between D and S when necessary definitely has its benefits). I also didn't really warm to the car until this month when I hit 9000 miles. All of a sudden the engine seems to have opened up and the car really flies now. Previously I had a Focus RS which was mildly modded in the engine dept. and felt so much quicker than the R. Now that it's opened up though the R feels great and with the lovely dry weather you can really lean on that 4wd and feel just how much extra traction it affords you. Great piece of kit, I'm sure you'll grow to love it like the rest of us, in whatever configuration you go for. PS Recaro's although not covered in the finest cow hide in the world really are lovely seats Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jwh8876 Posted June 10, 2007 Report Share Posted June 10, 2007 I had 2 mkiv r32's and only bought the mkv due to my current mkiv being out of warranty, I bought a dsg based on a 10 min test drive where the car didn't get above 25mph!. But after a month I am not looking back the mkv is completely different but for all the right reasons, I now love the dsg as it changes so much quicker than I could ever hope to although it feels funny when it changes half way through a corner! The interior is much better and generally the car feels better. You wont be dissapointed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sean_H Posted June 11, 2007 Author Report Share Posted June 11, 2007 I'm really looking forward to taking ownership of the new .:R When you guys talk about the car opening/loosening up, what sort of mileage do you find this happens? Also - on the interior, is the Mk5 really that much better than the Mk4? I have read some mixed reviews on this, but from having test driven a couple of Mk5's the interior is a bit more modern than the Mk4's, but I haven't really had enough time to draw an opinion on the quality. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mlhj83 Posted June 11, 2007 Report Share Posted June 11, 2007 You will be looking for at least 20k miles before the engine really loosens up and possibly even more than that. In my opinion, the Mk5 has a very modern and fresh looking interior that also manages to enhance the sporting nature of the R32. However, the build quality is a bit of a hit or miss given the fact that the interior is mildly different to the base line Golf. In addition to the fact that the R32 has a stiffer suspension setup, this will inevitably lead to minor rattles and squeaks which you have to be prepared for. Rest assured that they can be fixed with some patience and DIY. Feel free to contact me regarding and interior issues as I have just about sorted every rattle there is in my car using a host of materials without adding more than 2kg of weight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sean_H Posted June 13, 2007 Author Report Share Posted June 13, 2007 Thanks for the offer mlhj83! I am picking the car up on Saturday, so I guess I will now following that... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Molar Posted June 14, 2007 Report Share Posted June 14, 2007 I had an 04 mk4 from new up until 2005 and I have to say that up until i bought my recent car (b7 rs4) it has been my favourite car (I had previously had s2000, boxster 987s). It wasnt the fastest or as balanced as the boxster but there was something about owning it that felt different, probably the limited numbers, the feeling that it was a special car. I took a couple of mk 5 r32s out and yes they are excellent cars and probably better allround but i just cant get by the looks of them. my rs4 feels like a mk 4 on steroids and really reminds me of my old car. I didnt like the dsg on the new cars, again its a fantastic system but it does feel like you are driving a playstation game, I also found that it felt slow in comparisson to a manual car although i know this is not true you do get the sense of acceleration better with a manual car as the power delivery with the super smooth dsg is so linear. With the gift of hindsight I wish that I had kept the mk4 as I truly beleive good non molested examples are slowly becomming collectable cars. Did you see Evo? they have a breif write up and a picture of mk4 and 5 together and the mk 4 just looks so good still. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
njay Posted June 14, 2007 Report Share Posted June 14, 2007 [ QUOTE ] I had an 04 mk4 from new up until 2005 and I have to say that up until i bought my recent car (b7 rs4) it has been my favourite car (I had previously had s2000, boxster 987s). It wasnt the fastest or as balanced as the boxster but there was something about owning it that felt different, probably the limited numbers, the feeling that it was a special car. I took a couple of mk 5 r32s out and yes they are excellent cars and probably better allround but i just cant get by the looks of them. my rs4 feels like a mk 4 on steroids and really reminds me of my old car. I didnt like the dsg on the new cars, again its a fantastic system but it does feel like you are driving a playstation game, I also found that it felt slow in comparisson to a manual car although i know this is not true you do get the sense of acceleration better with a manual car as the power delivery with the super smooth dsg is so linear. With the gift of hindsight I wish that I had kept the mk4 as I truly beleive good non molested examples are slowly becomming collectable cars. Did you see Evo? they have a breif write up and a picture of mk4 and 5 together and the mk 4 just looks so good still. [/ QUOTE ] Totally agree particularly with the playstation analogy. Just given back a loan r32 with manual gearbox which felt so much more powerful and interesting than the dsg I drove. Interior wise I find the mk 4 better built and significantly uprated from the standard golf, which makes it special imho. The recaros in the mk5 just remind me of a standard golf with leather option. (albeit they hug you like a mo fo)and the dash and other trim, again feel a bit ordinary. Outwardly the Mk4 looks like a very well & subtley modded golf, which I think is it's attraction. Mk 5 looks too much like a production golf. (If that makes sense?) Really, really enjoy the mk 5 though, seems like a big difference in tourque. When I first drove it I drove it like my mk4 which delivers power at different rev range. Though it was a bit lacking but after a fortnight and 1000 miles the mk5 showed the spots it could knock off the mk4. Sheer speed, sound and handling performance much more refined in the mk5. I personally wouldn't trade up to a mk5, but it is a great car. Glad you liked the comparison picks btw as it's my motor in evo and I think it looks better than the mk5 . (My opinion only ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mojo55 Posted June 14, 2007 Report Share Posted June 14, 2007 anyone got a link to the pics Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Molar Posted June 15, 2007 Report Share Posted June 15, 2007 [ QUOTE ] anyone got a link to the pics [/ QUOTE ] Yes tescos aisle 6, magazines and stationery Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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