Volkswagen Golf GTI (2013)

For all the tangible gains, the Golf remains much the same sort of prospect as the departing Mk6. Its qualities – dependably solid, safe and strong – remain unmatched. It’s a grown-up tearaway – fast and frugal, comfortable and competent, seldom appearing stretched and yet invested with just enough quick-draw character.

The GTI might not be the most powerful car in its class but the effortless way in which it moves makes it feel much quicker than the figures suggest. It makes the most of any available traction, doesn’t give you an electronic slap on the wrist if you push hard, and won’t punish you for daring to travel down a pock-marked road.

The main issue is the GTI’s ability to excite. The most engaging front-wheel-drive hot hatches take a while to key into. After a couple of hours on the road it sometimes feels as if the GTI had yielded all of its character. But the GTI is now in its seventh iteration and 37th year and we’d wager no other car of its genre has ever benefitted from more engineering man-hours, development miles or intellectual effort.