I wish I’d bought this car while they were still cheap – driving the best Golf GTI

Hot hatchbacks are, in my opinion, the perfect daily driver for a car enthusiast, and you can’t talk about hot hatches without the Volkswagen Golf GTI coming up in the conversation. For 50 years now it’s been the go-to car if you want space, pace and everyday comfort, and of all eight generations one always stood out to me.

That would be the fifth iteration, which ran from 2005 until 2008. It could be because I was seven years old when it launched and watched that famous farmer hooning it around the Top Gear test track on TV, but I’m not alone in thinking this was the pinnacle of the GTI name.

To see if it lives up to my expectations, I did that thing you’re never supposed to do; I met my hero. After spending a day driving the Mk5 Golf GTI around Spain, it’s safe to say I wasn’t disappointed.

Why does everyone love the Mk5 Volkswagen Golf GTI?

Before I get into my experience with the Mk5 Golf GTI, what makes it so special? Well the main thing to remember is the cars it replaced.

The mid ‘90s and early 2000s weren’t a great time for the Golf GTI. The Mk3 wasn’t all that well received thanks to a hefty weight gain and a slightly lacklustre driving experience compared to the second-generation car, although I still quite liked it, and the Mk4 was also pretty forgettable. Any sensible person bought the far more practical and mechanically identical Mk1 Skoda Octavia vRS instead, myself included.

But when the Mk5 came along, it looked like the Golf GTI had got its mojo back. For starters, it looked the part. The previous two GTIs were quite hard to distinguish from a normal Golf, but the Mk5 has slightly blistered wheel arches, more aggressive front and rear bumpers and plenty of red trim.

Under the bonnet there’s a 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine with 200hp, 50hp more than the old Mk4. This slashed the 0-60mph time by more than a second, bringing it down to 7 seconds.

So it had the looks and the performance to impress, but how does it drive? I took to some winding Spanish country roads to find out.

Driving the Mk5 Volkswagen Golf GTI: it’s okay to meet your heroes

Heading out onto the road, the Mk5 GTI does all the usual Golf stuff very well. It’s a tad firm over bumps, as you’d expect in a sporty car like this, but it’s still comfortable around town and refined on the motorway. I could happily commute in this car everyday.

But what about weekend blasts? Well, that 2.0-litre engine makes a lovely noise when you rev it out, and it feels properly quick as well – even by modern standards. The six-speed manual gearbox is also a joy to use with short, slick throws.

The steering is really nicely weighted, and you get loads of feedback through it to let you know exactly what’s going on at the front wheels. It feels agile through the bends as well, I had a huge grin on my face driving this car.

And I still had a smile on my face while parked up, because I really like the Mk5 Golf GTI’s interior. As with all GTIs you get tartan sports seats which look great, and the dashboard reminds me of a simpler time when we had chunky buttons for everything and no shiny black trim. I’d also like more cars to have blue backlighting for the dials and switches, because I forgot how cool it looks at night.

Why haven’t I bought a Mk5 Golf GTI?

I’ve always fancied a Mk5 Golf GTI, and a few years ago you could pick them up quite cheaply. When I was looking in 2019 they were available for around £3,000, but I ended up splashing out on a three-year-old Ford Fiesta ST instead.

With hindsight, that was a mistake. While you can still find Mk5 Golf GTIs for £3,000, they will be really ratty at that price. If you want a clean, well-looked-after example without silly miles on the clock you’ll have to pay around £5,000, and some limited edition models can creep above £10,000.

And while £5,000 isn’t expensive in the grand scheme of things, it’s a bit rich for me on a hatchback which is 20 years old. I wish I’d got in while they were both newer and less expensive, because this would make a brilliant daily driver.

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