Masters tournament

The 2005 Volkswagen Golf GTI is still revered by fans. We put it up against the latest version to see what 20 years of progress has brought to its game

- GEORGE HILL

CAN YOU REMEMBER life back in 2005? It was a time when everything seemed so simple - at least compared with today. The closest thing to a smartphone was a flip-up Motorola, the fourth Harry Potter film had just hit the big screens and social media wasn't yet a big thing.

How far humanity has progressed since then is a contentious question to answer, but for cars? Well, in theory, it's much easier. We've gathered together two examples of the evergreen Volkswagen Golf GTI, spanning 20 years, to test this out. Specifically, we've selected the fifth generation of VW’s hot hatch, popularly known as the Mk5, and the latest iteration: the Mk8.

The Golf GTI has quite a legacy, having been around since 1975. Not every generation was a hero, but the 2005 Mk5 is regarded as a high-water mark, bringing a far more rewarding driving experience than the two rather undistinguished previous generations. The Mk5 also ushered in a new turbocharged petrol engine and - for the first time - a slick-shifting optional dual-clutch automatic gearbox.

From that turning point, the Golf GTI evolved in line with its rivals. Bigger than the Mk5 in every measure, the Mk8 is also more powerful and carries a lot more tech. Most recently, a facelifted version (commonly referred to as the Mk8.5) arrived with tweaks to address usability complaints; it's that model we have here, in our favourite Clubsport guise.

That's the back story, but how much has the GTI recipe changed between these two generations? Is the latest model fundamentally a better hot hatch than the car from 20 years ago, and if so, how?

It’s Golf time. Let’s play a round.

DRIVING

Performance, ride, handling, refinement