The very name Golf GTI sends the pulses racing. For this is the daddy of them all. The first of the mass-produced cars to offer a real pocket-rocket format.
The formula has been copied and abused but the VW Golf GTI was there at the beginning in the 1970's and will also attend the obsequies when they take place if ever fuel and/or our ingenuity run out.
The latest Golf GTI is very quick and will take you to 100km/h in just less than seven seconds, accompanied by one of the throatiest but sexiest roars in the business.
Yet the leaner, greener times haven't been totally lost with this machine. With a bit of work you can get down to seven litres/100km. However, the consumption was not helped by both my partner and me wanting to hear the delicious rasp of the accelerating engine at every chance.
Although the rear seats don't fold flat into the floor, the GTI still has the great load-carrying capacity that marks the Golf out as one of the best all-round family cars.
However, seating comfort is another thing altogether. The rear seats may be dressed in a nice tartan but are pretty stiff and uncomfortable and the front seats are almost too rally-like and over-cushioned for comfort.
Maybe I'm a bit wider than I should be but the seats weren't accommodating enough. My partner also found it very difficult to get out of their high sides while retaining her dignity.
In terms of being a sporty drive, the GTI's vast heritage pays off in spades. It has incredible grip and the steering is both confident and responsive.
Of course, the very essence of the Golf GTI concept is to look like a wolf in sheep's clothing with only a few touches such as the very low profile alloys and tyres, red brake callipers and some discreet badging to give the game away.
For those in the know it's a head-turner, yet it isn't quite the sum of its parts. It is really not comfortable for use as a normal family car while its very high price - R317 300 for the manual version I was driving - really puts it into the premium league alongside models like the bottom of the range Mercedes executive sedans.
While I still have utmost respect-- almost to the point of purchasing - for the Golf as a whole, I feel my days of having a love affair with the GTI are over. But this might be to do with my advancing years because my partner, being blonde and far more pert, was fairly impressed.
She loved the ease of acceleration and, apart from the seats, found it a real pleasure to drive. - Irish Independent