Category: Hot Hatchbacks 
Price Range: £23,015 to £23,600
Accessible performance and loads of it, fun but foolproof handling, civilised yet involving, looks the business
Sophistication makes for a high price, many owners may never have the opportunity to savour the GTI's true abilities.
The Golf GTI is reincarnated just as it should be, but others deliver a better drive.
There has been criticism of the Mk5 Golf's perceived interior quality, because there are many more hard surfaces than there were in the Mk4 whose soft-touch ambience redefined the level of what was possible in the hatchback class. That said, there's nothing wrong with the fit and manufacturing quality, and somehow in a GTI-badged car there's less expectation of a luxury feel. The black décor and functional air suit this Golf's image well, and everything feels functional, durable and not at all cheap. And, despite quite firm suspension, there is not a single rattle, squeak or creak.
As for reliability, most of the GTI is derived from existing Golf componentry which is now well established. The turbo FSI engine has already been seen in the Audi A3 Sportback, and while the turbo installation is new the FSI engine is a proven unit. Some early Mk5s had problems with automatic rain and light sensors and locking mechanisms, but the several GTIs that 4Car sampled showed none of these faults.
Latest Readers' Drives About the Volkswagen Golf GTI
wrote on 04 02 2008
wrote on 19 09 2007