Volkswagen Golf GTI

From being simply a go-faster family car, the Golf GTI has matured into something rather more sophisticated. We look back at our time with the hottest GTI yet

- DARREN MOSS [e-mail]

WHEN I FIRST got my Volkswagen Golf GTI Clubsport, I had visions of showing it at modified car meets, of racing away from traffic lights, and of, perhaps, shaking the odd window with bass as I drove past. In short, the sorts of thing that, as a younger chap, I thought hot hatches were all about.

Having run one over the past few months, though, my perception has changed. Yes, my Golf GTI has been enormous fun, but it's also been comfortable and practical for family life. And while you might think that's always been the GTI's schtick, driving my car back to back with some of its forebears showed just how far it has come.

True, an early GTI feels more visceral to drive than today's car, helped by having a traditional manual gearbox rather than the dual-clutch automatic of the latest model. But I actually prefer the auto. On a winding road, the paddles behind the steering wheel allow me to take control, or I can hand back the reins when trudging through tedious city traffic.