Bora V6 4Motion - Is nice, I like.

[Dub_Star_V6]

Hi all,

David here from sunny Brisbane!

Just joining the forum after having picked up a shiny new (well, 2002) 1J Bora V6 4Motion after a four month search.

I have had the pleasure of owning quite a few nice cars over the years and have just come from the Subaru fold, where I recently finished building up two early model Libertys (a ’91 and a ’93 GX).

I have loved owning Subarus but needed to start thinking a bit longer-term (as my beloved ’93 had just clicked 260k) so needed to find a car that was just as enjoyable but most importantly, just as reliable, tunable and capable as my Libertys.

In the recent past I have owned two Liberty GXs (Q-Car handling machines), an AMG tuned Mercedes C180 (a lot of car but not a lot of engine) and an ’02 Astra SRi I ‘opelised’ (but decided to sell quick smart after experiencing Holden’s amazing ‘service’).

Ours has quickly become a VW family, with no less than three Boras (’99 and ’01 fours and my V6), my Mum’s ’05 Passat and a good mate’s ’01 GTI. After driving the GTI and my sister’s Bora, I knew I’d found something a little bit special, just like my Subes.










I am still learning about what goes where in the Dub, as by the end of my Subaru affair I was running STi suspension and 294mm 4 piston calipers in my GX daily driver, which were direct bolt-ons. So I’m interested to learn more about VW tuning and parts compatibility, especially interchangability between models, which was a big attraction with the Subarus.

Although I think I preferred the off-beat throb of the V5, the V6 is a torque-monster with a nice note and the 2.8 still makes a great noise with a heap of torque low down. The attraction of 4Motion was also another plus.

And after a late night VMax run on the SE Freeway (0300) it is scary quick. Although that run seemed like a bit of a dawdle after having been overtaken by a 911 ‘on test’ (probungsfahrzeug) somewhere between Strasbourg and Stuttgart while living between Switzerland and Germany a few years ago.

Truth be told I am probably not going to go too crazy with tuning, but will certainly investigate practical mods like window tinting, a fat rear bar, brake upgrades and perhaps some induction mods and exhaust to improve things like response and driveability.

I will be sticking with the current wheel / suspension setup as I am quite impressed with the Bora's ride and damping. Although I’d like to improve turn-in, which is where a big rear bar comes in. When it comes time for a new set of boots, I'll investigate upgrading to 17s or 18s if budget allows. I’d like to keep it stealth and factory looking, and really like the 9-spoke RS4 replicas. Although a set of Bora Sport 5-spokes or the OEM Goal wheels wouldn’t be bad, either. Never realised the MkIVs ran such big offsets, either.

So here it is, my stock as a rock '02 V6 4Motion. I have already upgraded the H3 / H4 lighting set-up to 4500k as driving by candlelight with the stock bulbs wasn't terribly enjoyable. Some nice dress-up parts should be arriving shortly, including smoked indicator lenses, a replacement stubby aerial (as the OEM one is a bit worse for wear) and a blacked-out grille badge.






(And yes, that is a MkIV Golf reflected in the bootlid!)