Saya alihkan tumpuan dari cendawan ke cerita kereta sekejap. Saya test kereta nie pada tahun 2008. Bestnya susah nak cerita........It feels great to have loads of power under you right foot. However having a heavy right foot means very frequent visits to the petrol stations and spending a bit more on speeding fines. This brings me to the story of my high speed date the mother of all Golfs, The VW Golf R32 way back in 2008.
My date was almost perfect if not for the RM2.80 petrol price at that time (gila man). The trip from Putrajaya to Tun Razak via MEX took me less than 20 minits with speeds slightly shy of 240km/h. Memang Gila.......
One look and you will notice very little difference from the Golf Gti. Bigger rims, chrome grill, twin exhaust pipes it about all that differs. But as you look closer at the R32 badge, then you will start to understand why I call it the mother of all golfs.
The R32 is powered by a 3.5 liter V6 engine which drives all 4 wheels via the unbelievably magical DSG gearbox. This Hitech auto gear box has a twin clutch system which selects a gear in advance during up shifts and vice versa. It is incredibly smooth and gear shifts becomes ultra fast.
Gear change is via paddle shift (F1 style) which is mounted on the steering wheel as well as the traditional gear stick. To make driving even more enjoyable, the R32 has 4 driving modes as well 3 different suspension settings. F1 style launch control is also a standard feature of the DSG gearbox. Talk about pure driving pleasure.
Press a button and the car changes handling character from a lazy cat to a tiger as the engine increases it horse power (close to 300), becomes more responsive and the ride become stiffer. Amazing!
Interior is all plush with leather and functionality. Space age seats which is comfy for on the limit driving. However the passenger may find the ride a little harsh but who cares as long as the person or devil behind the steering wheel get a jolly good time driving the R32 on the highways and the twisty black tarmac.
Driving it............ Hmmmmmm, its pure lust. I am very sure that it called to me and begged me to drive it fast and hard. Once you slip behind the wheel and turn the ignition key on you become a different person all together. As expected for a V6. the smooth and very instance power delivery makes you want to go even faster. Before you know it you are already touching 200km/h.
The ride and handling set up is very well engineered to handle the power of the R32. Firm and sure footed handling makes the R32 very much at home on the highways and twisty and tight trunk roads yet it is also at home in the traffic jams.
It is certainly a great car to own. If you love , aggressive looks, power and handling, you got it. If you want a practical family car, you got it. What more can you ask? Ohhhh yes, the price. RM200k for a car is really well beyond reach for most of us in our short life span. What to do? Just enjoy what you have lah.........
