Watch A VW Golf R32 186,000-Mile Hits 153 MPH. But the Speedo is wrong

One of these must be right if the other is wrong.

Ever wonder if your speedometer could be telling the truth? As a side effect, today’s fastest run on the autobahn reveals how much your speedometer may be lying to. Although this high-mileage Golf R32 might sound amazing and still offer impressive performance, we can see that its speedometer is a complete lie.

There are many reasons your speedometer might not be working. The speedometer is based on a sensor package that is connected to your vehicle’s transmission output shaft. Modern cars have a magnetic pickup that measures the revolutions of your transmission shaft to calculate your vehicle’s speed. While older vehicles had a mechanical linkage attached to the transmission to measure speed, electronic solutions have replaced it.

Watch A VW Golf R32 186,000-Mile Hits 153 MPH. But the Speedo is wrong

Although speedometers are accurate to a certain extent, they require new tires that have been properly inflated on the factory wheels. There will always be some variation because all tires have different stages of wear. Also, tire pressures change with the seasons. The R32 video clearly shows a set winter tires that is not made for the R32. This could easily cause a discrepancy in the GPS and throw off the speedo.

Modern GPS technology allows us to factor out inaccuracies in speedometers and to look to satellites for verification of top speeds on autobahns. The MKV Golf R32 is the last large-displacement hot car and reminds us that displacement was an essential part of performance.

The modern Golf R is a better car than the R32, but it won’t sound as good or as powerful as the R32’s VR6 of 3.2-liters.