Photos: 2008 Volkswagen R32

The R32 pushes the envelope on performance specs for a hot hatchback. Where most of these types of cars use a four-cylinder engine, the R32 has a V-6, along with all-wheel-drive and one of the better transmissions available.

Volkswagen designed the R32 with a very clean look, even though it uses the Rabbit's body. The car gets extra grilles down low to help cool the largish engine.

For motive power, the R32 uses a 3.2-liter V-6 producing 250 horsepower, plenty for a car of this size. Strangely, it doesn't use Volkswagen's direct injection technology, which could be worth a few extra horsepower.

The R32 has an excellent profile, with its clean looks complementing its classic hatchback body.

To mark the performance character of this car, Volkswagen gave it blue brake calipers, which you can see between the spokes of the wheel.

The rear of the R32 further shows off the clean design, with the tail lights blending into the rear quarters.

As a hot hatchback, the R32 has a usable cargo area. During our testing, we even found it stable enough to drive around like a maniac without doing much damage to groceries.

We started to lose our love for this car in the cabin, where its subpar electronics became obvious. The strangest feature was the lack of a CD player because of the iPod-integration option.

With its 4Motion all-wheel-drive system, the R32 holds the corners with fantastic grip. It goes where you point it without any wheel slip.

The R32 also comes with Volkswagen's Double Shift Gearbox (DSG). The DSG uses computer-activated clutches to let you make shifts without pushing a clutch pedal. The result is lightning fast shifting.

The gauges should have gotten a special treatment for this super hot hatchback, such as white faces. The middle display is typical of older generation Volkswagens and Audis.

We were very unhappy with the navigation system in the R32, which often couldn't keep up with the actual position of the car.

The interface for address selection is workable, but not very pretty or innovative in the navigation system.

We found it very difficult to find satellite radio stations with this interface. It was easy to navigate presets, but finding other stations was nearly impossible.

The iPod dock is located in the center console, with a fixed port. We like the arrangement for this part of the iPod integration.

The interface for the iPod is terrible. It doesn't show any track information, and it requires you to dial through each track one at a time. The only saving grace is that you can choose up to five playlists.

We were pleased with the high notes and the bass kick of the audio system.