I've had my GTI about three weeks now and, as with any new car (especially with DSG), it takes a bit of getting used to but the more I am, the more I'm thinking that the motoring media weren't feeding me BS with their reviews and the car IS the "mutts nuts" and something quite special.
There seems to be an awful lot of people on this forum who, when assessing how good a car is, seem to have difficulty seeing past bhp figures. Yes, the Focus ST and Vauxhall VXR, for example, are both more powerful but, hang on! How many times are you going to be hittting speeds past 100 mph in an average week? How many times are you going to be launching the car to 60 mph under 6 seconds in an average week?
It's the overall driving experience the GTI gives you. I've been cruising down the M5 at speeds, shall we say, a little over the national maximum with quiet, effortless poise in a car that feels very solid and very safe - exactly what I want when driving on the motorway. Today, I fancied a bit of a blast after watching F1 - one thing the ST and VXR can't give you and that's the slickest gearshift on the market. I wonder how many ST and VXR drivers out there would be able to run up the gears as fast as DSG paddle-shift? Again, I can play at being a racing driver far more satisfyingly than I reckon I could in any of the direct competitors.
Can't really comment on the Mk IV as I've never driven one (I've alway liked the look of them though whereas it was an acquired taste with the Mk V). In summary, the car looks great, feels great, and the more I drive it, the more I want to drive it. Yes, it is a special car and, in it's class and price range, I don't think there's much if anything to beat it.