Should you buy one?

The GTD is the fast Volkswagen Golf that you’ll want to buy if you’re keen to stay in a diesel and you appreciate a long fuel range. It’s an effortless motorway mile muncher and is as much of a class act than its petrol- and hybrid powered sister cars are. In short, it’s a great way of going quickly for a long time without attracting undue attention.

It’s an excellent all-rounder – being quick on a B-road and relaxing on the motorway. Excitement isn’t at the top of the list with this car, and you won’t tingle with excitement after a back-road run, but if that’s what you want above all else, you’d be better off going for a GTI and settling for 35 instead of 50mpg.

So, is the Golf GTD the best quick diesel you can buy now? It’s slightly more polished than the Skoda Octavia vRS, and not that much more expensive (without options), so we’d give the nod to the Volkswagen.

What we like

We love its long-legged cruising and long fuel range, combined with excellent acceleration and overtaking punch. Handling is sharp and sporting, but it’s still comfortable enough to cut it as a family car.

What we don’t like

It’s a little dull compared with a GTI, and we’re still unconvinced by its touchpad-based controls and laggy infotainment system. It will be good to see Volkswagen fix both of these issues.

Further reading

• Petrol vs diesel – which is best?
  
• All you need to know about the Volkswagen Golf 
  
• We rate the best hatchbacks to buy now

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