Volkswagen Golf
Is the legendary Volkswagen Golf GTI meeting our high expectations or, after six months, is it just too early to tell?
What on earth was I thinking? I can remember the exact moment we decided that specifying our long-term VW Golf GTI with Candy White paint would be a good idea - and funnily enough, that was on a hot day last July.
However, a wet autumn was closing in by the time we finally took delivery in September, and with hindsight it wasn't the cleverest choice we've ever made.
Not for financial reasons (the GTI is too new to be able to calculate how the white car will fare on the second-hand market), but simply because it's such a pain to keep clean. I spend most weekends hosing, scrubbing, polishing, wiping, sponging, spraying... and moaning. I don't regret the colour choice as it looks great when clean, but in winter, that only lasts for a few hundred metres, and then you're back to square one again.
However, even the endless scrubbing doesn't dampen my spirits, because I absolutely love the GTI. True, it's not an ideal family car, as getting my two small kids into the back seats highlights the fact we should have opted for the five-door instead. But features like the exposed, accessible Isofix mountings show real attention to detail. For day-to-day driving, I can't think of a better vehicle in which to do my 40-mile journey to work.
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Although stiff, the suspension acquits itself well on motorways, the controls are light in traffic and, when the road clears, the ultra-responsive turbo engine and taut chassis mean not much can keep up. Plus, the Golf returns more than 30mpg on my mixed route commute - although bear in mind it is meant to run on costly super unleaded.
Colleagues are equally enthusiastic, with the exception of one thing: the satellite navigation. The system is CD-based, instead of running off a DVD, and that means it's slow to program and even slower to react. Given our time again, we'd leave the £1,845 option off our list - although there's not much else we'd tamper with. We still love the Interlagos check cloth trim, which has yet to show any sign of wear, the gearbox is great and we have no regrets in sticking with the standard 17-inch wheels, rather than upgrading to the 18s.
The Golf GTI is poised, agile and huge fun to drive any time, any place, anywhere. Maybe we should have opted for a red five-door for practical reasons, but extra cleaning is only a small price to pay for such a cracking-looking machine. Now, where did I put that chamois leather?
Second opinion
What a car! The legend that is Volkswagen's Golf GTI certainly lives on in the latest model. This machine is comfortable, quick, responsive and has pin-sharp handling with superb brakes. It looks fantastic without appearing brash, and offers true five-person transport for a reasonable journey, even though there are only three doors on our long-term car. Hard to fault but easy to drive, for me the initials GTI have to surely stand for: "Gosh, that's immense."
Tom Johnston, associate editor
