Road Test: Volkswagen Golf 2.0 GT FSI 5dr

It has to be said, the golf is something of a monster success story. Which is encouraging in the days of an industry blighted by over-supply and under demand. A good 22 million of the things litter the world's four corners. And you can bet your house on the probability that of those 22 million, the bloke in the street would believe it if you said 21,999,999 are still on the road today. (Missing In Action is number one, sat up on bricks in the Wolfsburg museum.)

Along the way, we've been treated to four different versions, as many facelifts and some of the slickest ad campaigns to ever emerge from the Bollinger-Charlie-NasalFluff creative types; helping explain man in the street's preconceptions... Remember the Golf dropped into a studio? The fur coat ad? The squeaky earrings? Or the Vee Dubyer Close Encounters spoof?

And now we have the fifth generation Golf for the ad types to sink their fangs into. Arriving at your nearest showroom from February, Das Neue Golf is more daringly styled, bigger and better built inside, safer in a crash, comes with a vast array of engines and transmissions and, best of all, is much more sophisticated underneath. At least, that's what VW says.

Which is why, with me being a cynical hack and all that, I find myself standing outside Hanover airport, notebook in hand, scrutinising the silver and blue cars we're walking towards and thinking how rare it is for the Germans to make a mistake; they've brought a couple of Polos along.

Ouch. First punch connected. Sorry, I know it's all: 'She's good looking.' 'Nah, take off the beer goggles, mate' subjective sort of stuff, but I count myself as something of a fan of the current MkIV. There is a robust authority about its exterior presentation that says the veins of this hatchback couldn't be flowing with anything other than pure, undiluted, 100-per-cent German blood. The MkV, though, is scaled-up Polo with added hints of mediterranean about it. Rakish styling tricks mean that despite being bigger all round, the thing looks to have shrunk. And lost some 'Golfness' in the process. All that remains of the MkIV is the signature C-pillar.

You can make your own mind up about the styling, but what's an indisputable fact of life is that buying into the VW Golf experience is about buying into a tangible sense of uncompromising quality. Things get off to a promising start here when you try opening the rear. The Seat-style boot release handle (again, hints of mediterranean) is in fact the grossly inflated VW badge. Its effortlessly slick action perfectly complements the smooth return of the silicone-damped grab handles you'll find onboard. Those first impressions soon fade, though. The MkIV to could do more damage dropped from a B52 than one of the American's bunker-busters (assuming, that is, they could get their aim in). So when a current Golf driver visits their local dealer, settles into a MkV and begins to touch, stroke, push and pull - come on, we all do it - the murmurs of disappointment will be audible to sales staff on the far side of the showroom.

It's not just, say, the choice of graining on the plastics. There's some weird stuff going on in here. Like the TT-inspired knee rails which run from centre console to transmission tunnel. They're not a polished-aluminium design statement, instead being nasty hard-edged plastic, so why are they here? The centre console itself sits proud of the dash, dominating the cabin. And rather than sink home like a delicately sunk snooker shot, the glovebox shudders in protest as it closes. Maybe it's knit-picking, but surely Golf owners expect high standards? These may not be an issue for anyone part-exchanging a Focus, Civic, 307 or Megane, but owners of the present model won't be so impressed. And when you've got BMW's new 1-Series just around the corner, compromising on what the customer can see and touch hardly ranks as the smartest move in the game plan.

That said, there's a generous helping of extra space, especially in the back where passengers previously risked a dose of deep vein thrombosis. And along with that space come more comfy seats, endless cubby space, a bottle opener and other practical features like a fold-flat front passenger seat and netting under the parcel shelf for the stashing away the weekly helping of vino, rather than letting it roll around and smash into a costly stain.

Time to talk technical. Well, about as technical as I'll ever get. The brains wielding the spanners at VW have been busy. There's a new platform, electric steering system, multilink rear axle, direct injection for most of the petrol and diesel engines, a baffling array of manual, automatic and DSG transmission set-ups and practical touches like door skins which can be replaced separately to the main frame - a welcome damage limitation exercise for the wallet.

Sounds good - does it all work? Er, yes. Well, certainly when compared with the MkIV it does. The steering no longer feels likes it's connected to the wheels in a roundabout, boy-scout lash-up fashion. There's a new-found enthusiasm for corner taking and B-road leg-stretching, with massively enhanced high-speed body control, a crisp (floor-hinged) throttle response in both the the two-litre FSI and 1.9 TDI we sampled, and pressing the brake pedal doesn't feel like you are stepping in a bowl of porridge any more.

The five-speed 105bhp TDI lopes along nicely on the motorway, yet will trickle through town in fourth quite happily thanks to a big slab of torque from 1,500rpm. You certainly wouldn't feel short changed if it was your company car.

I suspect you would if the 2.0 FSI was next on your list. OK, so its direct- injection system cuts back on visits to the pumps and bills from the tax man. But this is, in effect, the replacement for the 1.8T GTI, and anyone looking to chop in theirs for the linear but rather lifeless 150bhp 2.0 FSI will feel hard done by. Torque's missing, the engine note is dull and you have to scream through each of the six gears to come anywhere close to the 1.8 T's pace. Surely defeating the object somewhat? And despite claims from VW, the 'dynamic safety chassis' isn't about to worry Ford into hastily reworking the Focus. Perhaps the GTI proper, due next autumn, will get it right.

From February, UK punters will be treated to three- and five-door models in 75bhp 1.4-litre, 90bhp 1.4 FSI, 115bhp 1.6 FSI petrol spec, plus 105bhp 1.9 and 140bhp 2.0 TDI spec. The 150bhp 2.0 FSI and a 75bhp 2.0 SDI will follow in March. Standard equipment, even on the entry-level model, will be very generous.

As you may have gathered by now, I'm having trouble warming to the new Golf. It's a huge seller, partly due to the clever consistency from the VW marketing machine over all these years. But this time round, the messages seem to be mixed. Where before, VW raised the standards across the industry with bomb-proof quality, there's no discernible leap forward in any one area. The Germanic qualities so fondly admired the world over have been diluted. Somewhere along the line, the classless, desirable driveway accessory has had a crisis of confidence.

James Mills