Hot hatches are a diluted currency, as is the GTI badge. In the heyday of the Peugeot 205 and Golf Mk 2, you might have got a bit of roughness about the edges, but you also got a great and involving drive, and good looks. Not much else mattered. Since then, the badge has been applied to just about anything with a hatch, some fancy seats, alloys and extra noise - probably cosmetically engineered. So the 1.6-litre Lupo GTI comes as a real breath of fresh air. Not only is it a hoot to drive, but it has a decent interior and doesn't lack anything in the looks department. In fact, VW might have gone a bit overboard with this latter quality - you can't help thinking 'girl racer' when one hoves into view. Sadly, it won't be available for much longer, as the Lupo range is shortly to be replaced by an all-new model: as obsolescence draws near, there may be some good deals on offer and at the right price, this is still a great purchase.