An hour of fun

Hot hatchbacks, these elusive machines hard to single out from a crowd of similar looking vehicles without a trained eye. This month I had the pleasure of driving the hot hatch defining machine.

The newest generation Volkswagen Golf GTI is the car in question. The German manufacturer started the journey of the GTI way back in the 1970's during the first oil crisis. These small and nimble funboxes were created to liven up the grey days of the hard working man, and almost 40 years later, liven up my damp January afternoon.

The Mk7 Golf is all in all a great improvement from its predecessor the Mk6. It's got better engines, bigger interior and somehow it's also lost some weight by being over 50 kg lighter. All this is mighty impressive. But let us leave those figures to the boring committee and focus on the new GTI.

As the previous Golf GTI, it has a 2.0 litre turbocharged power plant driving the front wheels. But with a small increase in power from 210 to 220 horsepower. That isn't much, but the other important force making the car move forward, torque, has gone up from 280 to 350nm which is much. This propels the GTI from 0-100k/h in 6.5 seconds and top out at 245k/h in sixth gear.

There is the traditional red stripe, that the Mk7 Golf needed.

 On the subject on gears, the car I drove had the optional 6-speed DSG, which is indeed a work of German engineering magic, it's brilliant! In hard acceleration it's brutally fast but sophisticated and in normal cruising it's absolutely seamless. The gearbox itself feels like it is a mix of two, as a hot hatchback, a mix of practicality and sports car fun. I tested this by driving 50k/h with 5th gear and gave it a little squeeze on the throttle. The gearbox didn't panic and immediately kick down to 3rd, instead it let the immense torque from the engine care for the small 'overtake-like' acceleration.

Horrible day and a great car makes a great day.

 Inside the new Golf GTI then. Let's not faff about, it's as pleasant as being inside a well build performance computer. Everything important is at hand, lavished with many toys - and best of all - makes a satisfying hum, which reminds you of the power underneath. The seats are sporty but not small or uncomfortable, plastics are of extremely high quality (as is expected) and did I mention the noise. Only complaint I have about this car is the on board computer touch screen thing. It's something a driver should touch on the move. The screen is a bit too low down which takes your eyes off the road and it controls far too many things.

And there's the screen that should only be operated while stationary.

But the important thing is the new Golf GTI is fantastic. It was my first drive in a real hot hatch with a DSG flappy-paddel gearbox (which may be obvious). But all I can say is, bring me the VW Golf R. I want more.

The drving position is excelent, and best of all you can't see the upholstery while sitting on it.

More of a fraud

The problem what I have with this car is that it's meant to be bought like a pair of Italian shoes. Not really practical, not pretty but expensive, hence it's a fashion statement. I'm talking of course of the Nissan Juke.

The mere existence of it annoys me. It's a forceful try of Nissan to make a hip car for the "young" parent. And they did this by having it star in some funky commercials with it being under water and skydiving. Now that is some great marketing right there. Granted, it does look different and combined with those funny commercials it was destined to end up being a fashion statement. It looks big as well and you sit a little higher up than in a sensible car, which appeals to people who think sun glasses should be the size of microwave ovens. And it's classed as a crossover. Please. The only thing it can cross over are some pebbles on a roadwork site.

I've actually got a family member who just bought a Juke second hand. I wasted so many hours trying to convince here that there are better cars out there and at a cheaper price. But her mind was set on a Juke so it was a lost cause. I said the VW Golf is cheaper and bigger, but no. I said the new Opel Meriva is very innovative and different like the Juke, but no. So now she drives around in a brown Juke. 

Nissan pulled off the same stunt that BMW did with the new Mini. It's fashion. You could have bought a warm fuzzy beanie when instead you came home with a fedora. It's not as warm or as simple, but at least it looks good (or so you think). 

But at least my family member says it's good to drive.

This is the Nismo tuned Juke. 197 hp is not enough to make it go away.

I'd have the Opel Meriva instead. Look how happy the kids are to see it.