| In car bore circles we delight in debating whether the | | | | Nintendo - their arch rivals. As a result I'm now brand |
| Dino really was a Ferrari, or the whether a | | | | loyal to Sony and am currently on their third incarnation |
| supercharger really is better than a turbocharger. | | | | of the PlayStation. I can't think of anything else I'm so |
| Things can sometimes get heated, are never settled | | | | stringently loyal to, so for me the PlayStation is my |
| and are really quite nerdy when you think back about | | | | Volkswagen Golf. |
| your evening. Fortunately the most recent 'chat' I had | | | | Despite the current economic climate and |
| involved the Volkswagen Golf GTi and amazingly we | | | | environmentalists banging on about the hole in the |
| all agreed. The first two derivatives were amazing, the | | | | ozone, there are more 'hot' hatchbacks to choose |
| next two were dire and now Volkswagen is back on | | | | from than ever before. It's a good job Volkswagen |
| form with their fifth. What seemed strange to us | | | | returned to form with the current GTi as its rivals - |
| though was that there was no discernible drop in sales | | | | most notably the Honda Civic Type R - have been |
| numbers between each model, despite the very public | | | | lapping up praise from car critics. It appears |
| media lashing the sub-par versions got. | | | | Volkswagen is so concerned that if customers don't |
| The only plausible answer must be something that I'd | | | | like certain elements of the GTi, then the British pound |
| thought died out years ago - brand loyalty. When my | | | | will be heading to Tokyo, that they've built a second |
| granddad is telling me war stories I have perfected the | | | | fast Golf, giving brand loyal customers a new feeling - |
| interested look, whilst my brain does everything but | | | | choice. |
| listen to him. However some droplets of information | | | | Dubbed the Golf R32, it's essentially the GTi on |
| seep through including the quaint fact that shopkeepers | | | | steroids - just in case the 197bhp, wide wheel arches |
| used to know what you'd be buying dependent on the | | | | and huge wheels of the GTi aren't aggressive enough |
| day of the week it was. Now once you've built a | | | | for you. Packing a mighty 3.2 litre V6 engine that |
| rapport to that extent it doesn't matter whether the | | | | develops 246bhp, the R32 is the most powerful |
| apples become rotten or the milk has gone sour, you | | | | production Golf built to date. The styling mimics the |
| are loyal to that shopkeeper to the very end. | | | | engine in upping the ante. The rear exhaust exits from |
| Nowadays of course we have massive corporations | | | | the centre of the bumper whilst blue racing-style brake |
| owning supermarkets so big, that I once got lost in the | | | | callipers peer through the massive 20 spoke alloy |
| women's underwear section for a week. The | | | | wheels. A chrome front grill and deeper bumpers help |
| checkout assistants change week by week and are | | | | complete the transformation from its GTi brother. |
| more concerned with shouting to their mate on the | | | | Perhaps surprisingly the R32 isn't much quicker than |
| next till their plans for the weekend than asking about | | | | the GTi as it carries a full 200kg more in weight. |
| why I buy a pizza every Tuesday. Therefore I shop | | | | However nothing beats the way it handles corners or |
| wherever is cheapest and don't care who has my | | | | bumps in the tarmac. Even though it looks like a wild |
| money. But the Volkswagen Golf GTi conundrum got | | | | animal and accelerates like one, it drives so subtly |
| me thinking that when you sit and mull it over, we all | | | | you'd be forgiven for thinking you'd been sedated. This |
| have an element of brand loyalty in us, it's just not as | | | | in no way means the driving experience isn't fun, with |
| apparent as two generations ago. | | | | the steering ultra-responsive and the 4WD ensuring |
| When I was a nipper I was lucky enough to have a | | | | you have traction all the time. |
| Sega Mega Drive games console. I'd only prayed to | | | | At a few thousand pounds more than the GTi version |
| have one because for years I'd played on my friends | | | | it's a tough choice to make, particularly as the 0-60mph |
| Sega Master System - the precursor to the Mega | | | | times are pretty much identical. At the end of the day |
| Drive. So when Sega stopped making consoles a | | | | they've both got a Volkswagen Golf badge on the |
| decade or so ago, I couldn't even contemplate crossing | | | | back and that for most is reason enough to part with |
| over to the dark side and buying a console from | | | | the cash and stay with VW. |