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Volkswagen R20 Spied….according to Left Lane News

According to Left Lane News, these are the latest images connected to the eagerly anticipated and much hyped Volkswagen R32 replacement, tentatively titled the Volkswagen R20.

I had to chuckle at the first lines of this article, because it reads:

Don’t believe the badges on this car for a second, this is no diesel! What you’re looking at is the first mule for Volkswagen’s new hot hatch — the R20. The center-mounted dual exhaust gives away the true identity of this test car. We can also see this mule is running the performance brake package from the Audi S3. (Left Lane News, March 2009)

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Say what you will about the NA VR6 engine of the 2004 and 2008 Volkswagen R32, but one thing you have to admit is that it’s as tough as nails. Toss in a couple of turbos from say, HPA MotorSports for around 40K, and it can be blazingly fast. We are talking Super-Car Fast.

I saw the following video and broke out in a sweat. I am not sure what this guy has done to his R32, but I am pretty sure it involves a turbo or two. Moreover, I am wondering where this guy was driving his .:R. He tops out at nearly 180 MPH and holds it there for nearly 3 minutes. I do not encourage this sort of thing, but it just goes to show what these cars can do and how they sound when they do it. Wow.
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2010 Volkswagen GTI R20 Turbo – by JENS MEINERS, of Car and Driver Magazine

It’s no secret that we love the Volkswagen GTI—it’s a three-time reigning recipient of a 10Best Cars award, after all. But even the 210 hp of the upcoming sixth-generation 2010 replacement model leave the GTI at a distinct power disadvantage in its class.
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VWvortex and MotiveMag

Blues Travels is about a lot of things, as can be seen by a quick scan of either sidebar. Yet, if you spend any length of time at this site it becomes readily apparent that this site is also about my love of Volkswagens. It should therefore come as a surprise to no one that as a proud owner of a Volkswagen R32 I belonged to some of the more popular online Volkswagen communities.

Sadly, I must report that if you are a Volkswagen owner, and you are looking for a nice Volkswagen community to be a part of, I cannot recommend either VWvortex or MotiveMag. My own experiences at these two Volkswagen communities was just not very positive.
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Related Posts
2008 Final Verdict Part 1

Most of my dissatisfaction with the 2008 VW R32 derives from the fact that I was spoiled rotten by the 2004 version. With the 2004 model, VW had done what was in my mind the impossible. They had managed to find the perfect balance between sophistication, performance and sporty style with a healthy shot of testosterone thrown in, and all for a price that was a mere steal when you consider what you would normally have to pay to get such a perfectly blended mix of attributes. So, when it was announced that 2008 would see a follow-up to the 2004 R32 I was thrilled, and for lots of reasons. Sadly, as more and more facts surrounding the 2008 model leaked out I became increasingly concerned.

Well, the 2008 R32 has now arrived, and while I am clearly unhappy with some of the choices that were made in the development of the 2008 Volkswagen R32, make no mistake about it: the 20008 Volkswagen R32 is, simply put, an incredible car on it’s own merits.
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When I think about buying my first new car I cannot help by grow sentimental. The images of that day are so vivid. It was a little more than three years ago. I had just purchased a Volkswagen R32 from Terry Volkswagen in Lynchburg Virginia.

I can clearly remember the feeling I had sitting there in the driver seat of this Deep Blue Pearl, 2004 VW R32. My hands were wrapped around the thick steering wheel. The throaty dual exhausts growled quietly behind me. The instrument panel loomed ahead of me, just inches away from my face. I can remember thinking that I could not wait for the sun to set just so I could see that Indiglo Blue backlit display panel come to life. The 6-speed shifter fit nicely in my hand. The R-Line pedals in the floor board gripped the bottoms of the soles of my tennis shoes and the car was begging for me to take it home. The long way home.
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In a recent post entitled The 2008 Volkswagen R32 Review, yours truly ranted and raved not so much at the 2008 Volkswagen R32, but the review of said vehicle and author of said review in Autoweek.

My frustration with Volkswagen, as well as my incredulousness at people like Patrick Paternie of Autoweek Magazine who fail to “get” the 2004 R32, has only grown with the passing days and weeks.

Still, when it was brought to my attention that Flow Volkswagen, Mazda and Audi of Charlottesville would be getting their hands on a 2008 R32, I was excited. Not so much because I could finally see the new R32, but because I could finally validate my concerns, or adjust them accordingly.

I have been upbraided for judging the 2008 R32 before I ever saw it up close, so all my critics will be very happy to know that tomorrow I am going to get my first up close and personal look at the new VW R32. If I am pleased with the car, I will issue an apology and sing it’s praises far and wide. If I am not pleased with the car, I will be honest about it. Or, depending on how negative my feelings are I may just say nothing at all. It all depends on how I feel after wrapping my hands around the steering wheel tomorrow.

Godspeed.

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First of all, let me say that I have yet to drive the all new (and I do mean ALL new), 2008 Volkswagen R32. Still, this is in fact a review of that very car. Just what gives me the right to post a review of a car I have yet to drive? Well, I think the fact that I owned a 2004 R32 gives me the right to say just about anything I damn well want to say about the 2008 R32. Plus, this is my web site and I can say anything I please.
It’s good to be the King.
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