Volkswagen Golf GTI

The firmest, feistiest Golf GTI in a long time has plenty to excite. It knows some refinement and restraint, but possibly not enough to maintain its reputation as the most mature hot hatch on the block History has always weighed heavily on the Golf GTI’s shoulders, the car that launched a thousand imitators. Of course arguments will continue to rage over whether it really was the first hot hatch (Renault 5 Gordini anyone? Or how about the Simca 1100Ti?), there’s no denying it was the definitive example of the breed. Melding family friendly practicality, affordable running costs and a classless swagger with a sports car-slaying turn of speed and high-jinx handling, it’s been a high performance staple ever since the boxy first generation machine burst onto the scene in 1976.In the four and a half decades since it made its debut, the go faster Golf has experienced some dynamic ups and downs, but ever since the fifth generation machine arrived in 2005 its largely remained on an upward trajectory. Now in its eighth incarnation, the latest GTI promises to be the best yet, distilling nearly half a century of know-how into an even faster and more composed package. This update hasn’t come a moment too soon either, with the competition beginning to heavily encroach on the Golf’s corner of the hot hatch market. Both old hands such as the Ford Focus ST and fresh-faced first timers like the Hyundai i30N have made a big impact on the class, undercutting the Volkswagen on price, yet delivering greater power, more outright driver enjoyment and just as much everyday versatility. And there’s also the ever present threat from that cuckoo in the nest: the Golf R. Not only has it displaced the GTI as the high performance flagship, it’s also usurped it in the sales charts thanks to the prevalence of PCP deals that make the faster car barely any more expensive when it comes to the monthly payments. It rather drops the GTI into a bit of a no-man’s land in VW’s fast family hach pecking order.As with its predecessor, this MK8 GTI is based on the same MQB architecture that underpins almost half of the Volkswagen Group’s output, from the most basic Seat Leon through to the seven seat Skoda Kodiaq. And while the turbocharged 2.0-litre is also carried over, it now produces 241bhp in basic guise as tested here, the same amount that was reserved for the previous generation's Performance Pack upgrade. There are also chassis tweaks, including the now standard inclusion of the clever electromechanical limited slip differential.Yet as ever, there’s more to a Golf GTI than raw statistics. Yes it needs to tear-up tarmac when you’re in the mood, but it also needs to be cosseting when you just want to cruise, with just enough of a soft edge that it can slip into daily duties without the need for regular trips to the chiropractor or a family-sized box of Nurofen: a GTI should be fast but never frantic. And of course there’s the desirability angle - cliche klaxon, but so few cars can manage the Golf's trick of being classy yet classless, it’s cloak of maturity making it an acceptable choice no matter what the occasion. So does the new arrival deliver?