I'd wanted a Lupo GTi for a while but had delayed buying one because I'd heard VW were slinging in the new six-speed 'box. I have to say that I'm over the moon I waited. The acceleration is impressive to say the least and it genuinely feels a lot quicker than the 8.3 second 0-60mph time included in VW's literature. I'm sure this time relates to the 5-speed version. Last weekend I took the car up to the Cairngorms in Scotland and up the notorious A9 where many drivers (including myself in other cars) have had to plod along behind trucks at a miserly 40-50mph. Not this time! By shifting from sixth into fourth gear and applying some pressure on the right pedal the little Lupo makes light work of slow moving traffic. I've never needed third gear to overtake because fourth provides more than enough grunt when safe overtaking is required. On the B-roads in the Highlands the Lupo is great fun and I think this is where the 6-speed box and handling really shine. Short ratio moves result in bags of acceleration in just about every gear and the grip the 205 Dunlops provide is an equal match. For such a small car, I've never felt safer whilst negotiating minor roads at pace. It can get a bit bumpy over really bad surfaces but this is a very minor negative in amongst a whole bunch of positives. I also regularly make the 500-mile round trip from Edinburgh to Liverpool and have been very pleased with the car's motorway manners. The performance and comfort of the car over a 3-4 hour motorway slog is impressive and I always look forward to the return journey with fervour. I'm averaging between 200 - 270 miles to the tank which equates to around 35mpg - a figure I will not be complaining about given the fun I'm having!

Inside, the Lupo is a good place to be. I've found all controls and adjustments easy to use and the trim still looks like new after 13,000 miles. The blue night-time display oozes class and is one of my favourite aspects of the interior. The optional CD player is straightforward to use and personally I've found the sound quality excellent.

I have enjoyed every minute of owning the Lupo GTi to date and I have still to experience a fault or problem that requires fixing. I think the glorious engine gets better with age as does the exhaust note. I test drove a Mini Cooper before I drove the Lupo and I was impressed, however, one thing swung it for me - there are just too many Mini Coopers on the road, they are everywhere. I've only ever seen one other Lupo GTi in Edinburgh. Enough said.