2005 Volkswagen Golf R32 3 Doors Photos, engines & full specs

Volkswagen introduced the second generation of its mighty R32 Golf in 2005, thus creating a super hot hatch on a market where customers were eager for more power.

The German carmaker is often credited as the inventor of the hot-hatch segment with the first Golf GTI. But with more and more competitors in that niche market, it had to come up with new ideas. Thus, it came with bigger engines, and the 3.2-liter V-6 seemed to be the answer to all its problems. Like a true hot-hatch, the car was available with a three-door bodywork.

Even though the carmaker tried to hide the R32's true nature, the result was not a subtle car. The car showed its muscles under the appearance of a regular hatchback, like a body-builder dressed in a long-sleeved shirt and docker pants. Since the engine was larger, it required more air to cool it, and the engineers installed a new air dam in the lower bumper fitted with three taller grilles. Out back, the carmaker placed a dual exhaust system mounted under the rear bumper. As a result, there was nothing subtle about the car, and the 18" light-alloy wheels raised even more questions.

Inside, the carmaker considered no need for subtle changes and dropped a pair of sport bucket seats with high bolstering as standard, with cloth upholstery. A leather-clad interior was available as an option. The carmaker installed the same infotainment unit on the center stack as on the rest of the Golf range.

Under the hood was a 3.2-liter V-6 naturally aspirated engine paired with a six-speed manual as the only transmission option and sent the power in all corners via an active center differential (Haldex-system).