Should you buy one?

Yes, if you’re looking for a car that is both fun and easy to live with daily, you’ll struggle to find a better hot hatch than the Volkswagen Golf GTI. Improvements to the interior and touchscreen are welcome and it remains the class act that it always has.

It’s still a brilliant all-rounder, too – being thrilling when you want it to be, but relaxed and inoffensive when you don’t. The Honda Civic Type R is the faster, more focused alternative, but it will be harder to live and considerably more expensive. No, for an all-rounder, the Golf GTI is without doubt one of the best hot hatches you can buy.

What we like

Straight line performance is punchy and exciting when you want it to be. Handling is also top notch, and not at the expense of ride comfort. If you want a hot hatch that doubles as a long-distance cruiser, this is the one to go for.

What we don’t like

While Volkswagen has drastically improved the GTI’s interior, the touchscreen-dominated interior still has a few annoyances that physical controls would solve. It also doesn’t sound very exciting, and can seem quite expensive… it’s easy to get a GTI costing as much as the flagship Golf R.