PASSING a crown of power from father to son does not guarantee that leadership will remain in the lineage.
Great families throughout history have proven this to be true – some father an enduring legacy, while the sons can destroy all that has been so hard fought and won.
The tale of the iconic Gran Turismo Injection Golf is no different. Rising from meagre beginnings, the first 1976 GTI stood out as a fresh concept of big performance in a little package, despite growing up in a world ruled by V8 performance.
Credited with kickstarting the hot hatch genre, the Golf soon lost its crown. The third and fourth generations grew heavy and dull, floundering in much stronger company.
But the 2004 Mk V version abolished the sins of the past. Neither the fastest nor most powerful in its class, the GTI’s brilliance as a hard-working weekday drive and exciting weekend performer brought thousands of new and old followers to its badge. Over 1.7 million GTIs have been sold in its 33-year history, and in 2005 the top-shelf hot hatch became VW’s biggest selling Golf on our shores.
Given this peppered past, GTI fans had reason to be nervous about the sixth generation of this remarkable genealogy.
More power, more accessible torque, less fuel consumption, less weight and fantastic gearboxes – what’s not to like?
And like the previous iteration, the Mk VI proves itself as the consummate all-round performance hatch, more than able to nip around the most challenging roads with five people in the cabin and a kitchen sink in the boot.
