| A Week at the Wheel | Herts, England | VW Golf GT Sport TDI 140 |

Inside & Out:

Everyone recognises the Golf's shape. It's a smart looker in any guise, if slightly shaded in the head-turning stakes by flashier rivals such as Vauxhall's Astra. The GT trim goes some way to address this; the front gets a serious makeover with a GTI-like grille cutting through the bumper and darkened headlamp lenses for some real added visual aggression. That bumper is unique to the GT Sport and contains the obligatory front foglamps. Enhancing the sports look further is a ride height lowered by 15mm, allowing the GT's standard 17-inch alloys to fill the wheel arches far more convincingly.

Add tinted windows from the B-pillar back and twin tailpipes (on the 168bhp models) and there's no doubt the GT Sport makeover works. Inside, it's very familiar to anyone who's sat in any Golf. That means a functional, well-organised interior that could be accused of being a touch boring. Some of the plastics are a bit low-rent for VW, too. But it all works so well, and the GT Sport's addition of sports steering wheel and front seats with height and lumbar adjustment adds real comfort and support. Back seat passengers won't find space overly generous, but it's no worse than the competition.

Engine & Transmission:

GT spec Golfs only come with VW's higher output engines. That means the German firm's complicated turbo and supercharged 1.4-litre petrol 'TSI' with 138 or 168bhp. Those same outputs are also offered from the 2.0-litre TDI - the cars that the majority of buyers are going to opt for. Unless you've experienced the heady performance of the 168bhp version, you're not going to find the 138bhp's output lacking. That maximum power output is produced at 4,000rpm, but it's the peak torque of 236lb.ft at 1,750-2,500rpm that matters here. It's responsible for the 138 TDI's punchy mid-range ability.

You really need to be in that sweet-spot to exploit it though. If you're lazy with the six-speed manual you'll find response dead until the turbo spools up. When it does there's a nice linear increase in pace. It's no sprinter, as its 9.3 second 0-62mph time underlines, but on the move it's not lacking in grunt and is an excellent cruiser. Its gearshift is slick enough, if a touch remote, and decent as the performance is the 2.0-litre TDI isn't the most refined unit out there. It's noisy on start-up with a gravely note, only being hushed once up to speed where it's less noticeable.

Ride & Handling:

It's generally accepted that you're not going to rush to VW if you're after the finest handling car out there. But the GT does a decent enough job. That lower suspension helps with the handling, the Golf feeling quite capable with decent grip and body control. There's not much feel though; you're more likely to see any grip loss through the flashing ESP light than feel it through the light, uncommunicative steering. The ride suffers as a result of that more sporting stance, with bumps and lumps transmitted into the cabin. Overall, this Golf is capable rather than exciting or involving - not necessarily a bad thing in a daily driver.

Equipment, Economy & Value for Money:

Compared to its Focus and Astra rivals you'll pay more for the Volkswagen. You'll get that back though when you eventually sell it, Golfs typically holding their value a bit better than the mainstream norm. Equipment levels are decent enough on the GT model with everything you'd expect, as you should given even the cheapest petrol GT model starts at over £17,000. Economy is where the diesel 138bhp GT Sport scores though, as it offers an official combined consumption figure of 51.4mpg, despite its decent performance. A CO₂ emissions figure of 145g/km is respectable enough, too.

Overall:

VW's Golf GT Sport is a capable daily driver that adds a bit of excitement in the looks department, combined with decent economy and performance.