Words by Callum Alexander.
The origin story of the hot hatch is cloudy, but VW cut through the murk back in 1975. Has any car ever defined its class better than the MkI Golf GTI? Fifty years on, we’re still copying the same template: front drive, useful cabin, lumpy engine, cool without trying too hard.
Odd then, that VW lost its way after only a couple of goes. The Mk3 was podgy, plain and underpowered. The Mk4 was worse. But then, in 2005, came the Mk5. It was Top Gear’s Car of the Year, it identified the essence of what made the Mk1 and Mk2 great, and nailed the modern interpretation.
Twenty years ago, I saw one at the VW factory in Wolfsburg. As a kid, I was captivated. It had just launched, and I could sense it was more special than other VWs.
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The Mk5 GTI made such an impression on me that day that I bought one. Well, sort of. I asked my dad to buy me a 1:43 scale model in the Autostadt shop. To this day, that silver replica is one of my favourite possessions. It reminds me of my heritage and personal connection to VW.
Visiting my great uncle, who lived in the city and worked for VW from 1960 to 1990, was always memorable. He initially worked in the painting booth, then on the production line inspecting the original Beetle and Golf. The stories he’d recount during our visits were funny, and had special resonance to me as a car-mad kid.
But the Mk5 GTI memory has the most significance; it was the springboard for my interest in cars. So, when this opportunity came along, I couldn’t resist...would the Mk5 Golf GTI live up to expectations years afterwards?
Long story short: yes, it does. How it combines both essential elements, Golf hatchback with GTI hot hatch, is so brilliant. The 2.0-liter 197hp turbocharged four-pot is easy and uneventful under 3,000rpm, but above that, it’s like you’ve flicked a switch from low to high speed on a food blender. The noise opens up, 0–100kph is chomped in 7.2sec, and you suddenly realise there’s way more depth to this GTI than you expected.
It’s rewarding and addictive in equal measure, especially when cornering. It’s eager and willing, there’s a bit of body roll, but it carries speed lightly and easily. The supple setup gives you the confidence to push harder; you can feel what’s happening through the steering, which enables you to thread the Mk5 GTI through corners, positioning it exactly where you want.
But I’d been won over before I even started driving. The Mk5 picked up those classic GTI touches that had been there at the start, but subsequently abandoned for no good reason: the tartan trim, the telephone dial alloys, the red strip around the grille, and the golfball gearknob. It shouldn’t feel so right sitting in the palm of my hand, but it does. And when you sling it around the gate...well, you never miss a shift.
Above all, it’s analog and engaging, you just get absorbed in it, driving without distraction. You can dial it up when the mood takes you, so it becomes the focused hot hatch that wants to play. Yet, when the fun stops, you can open the doors, throw kids and clobber in, and no one’s any the wiser.
I love the way it looks too. Discreet enough to blend in, distinct enough to stand out. Most hot hatches are conspicuous by design, but the Mk5 GTI has stayed true to its roots, never ostentatious, just a few hints here and there.
I drove it for a week and felt very comfortable and at home in it. That time together made me realise it’s all the car you really need. When I gawped at it in Wolfsburg all those years ago, I knew it would be good, I just didn’t realize how good it would be. Now I know.
More photos of the Mk5 Volkswagen Golf GTI:
NOTE: This article first appeared on TopGear.com. Minor edits have been made.
