Road Test: Volkswagen Golf 2.0 GT TDI 5dr

I keep seeing BMW 120ds. To these drivers I commend the Golf GTD. I see quite a lot of Golf GTIs too. To these drivers, I say avoid the GTD. It's no substitute. Oh, you might be confused by the looks and the badge. But it just doesn't have the bite of a proper hot hatch.

It gets all the design tweaks, inside and out, of a GTI. The fancy nose, the deeper side sills, the sports seats dressed in tartan. Except for one thing, one simple little thing, that actually tells you all you need to know. The red has gone. No little red bars across the nose. No red stitching on the wheel and gearlever and seats. And no red stripes in the tartan. And as we know perfectly well, those of us who grew up in the mad hot-hatch years of the 1980s, red stripes are worth at least a second a lap.

Sure enough, from there on in, the GTD successively reveals layers to its character that point you away from the hot hatch and towards something more grown-up. First, the engine. The 170bhp version of VW's 2.0 diesel is incredibly quiet in the Golf, and bursting with torque. But it's a dull sort of drone, nothing to encourage you to come out of corners with the pistons revving their happy way out through the bonnet. Cos they won't - you're out of breath at about 4,500. And while the mild diesel-delayto the accelerator isn't enough to slow you down on overtaking, it is enough that it's no fun balancing the car on the right foot through corners. For that you want a nice quick-responding petrol engine.

Talking of which, the GTD doesn't have GTI suspension, it has the normal Golf's ‘sport' alternative, which isn't as perky. If you pay for the adaptive damping option - and you should - the ride is good and the body control OK, but you have to fight your way through a layer of sog before you get it to show its cornering smarts.

So there you are. It's a proper premium hatchback. It's brisk, and overtakes well - especially with the DSG option so you can easily keep the turbo spinning. It cruises beautifully too, with fine stability and a soft background whoosh. The ride in town is decent. It's beautifully made. It's quiet, and you can load it down with all sorts of posh (if residual-torching) options.

But it isn't a hot hatch. Now if you took all that at face value and just enjoyed it for what it is, that'd be fine. But the thing about Golfs is that they're supposed to be honest and understated and subtle. This one goes the other way: more mouth than trousers. Somehow that just won't do.