On a freezing but sunny November Saturday, frost-starched pavements and clouds of breath in the clean air, convertible owners are the magicians of the morning. You see them, roofs down, faces wreathed in grins, clad in bobble hats and Puffas, darting about the open roads, and wonder what fresh madness it is that makes them volunteer for extra chilliness.
Then you become one of them, and you understand. No wonder the UK has the highest number of convertible owners in Europe: we have an unquenchable thirst for sunshine. Give us a sniff of it and we’re off, like a greyhound after a hare. Which sums up the new Volkswagen Golf GTI well.
Decades after the MkI, this is still the car to which all other hot hatches aspire. It’s got that perfect mix of responsive chassis, willing 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine, direct steering, progressive brakes and supple suspension, together with room for four adults, an adequate boot and user-friendly controls. There are no alternatives: this is it, the Alpha and Omega of hotness and hatchness. the Port and stilton, the bacon and buttie of all GTIs. And now you can have it with a folding fabric roof.
Our test car was lairy red, with a smart black roof, big silver discs for alloys, and tartan-fabric seats that had "GTI" embroidered on them. The only letdown was a measly thin gearknob for the six-speed manual 'box where, as everyone knows, there should be a fat golf ball.
On the motorway, with the roof up, there is commendably little noise from outside, and fuel consumption is bearable; zipping around town will see you drop to 19mpg or so, but you’ve got to have a bit of fun in a car with tartan seats, don’t you think?
Article source: www.telegraph.co.uk