After three years with my MkVI GTI I am moving on to another brand (86). It was a tough call because the new MkVII GTI looks and drives great.

I will miss many things about the GTI. I love the burble sound as I change up or down on the DSG. That grunt when you push your right foot down is fantastic.... that torque kicks in from such a low rev range - and I have had a Commodore SS in the past. This just beats it for fun. I have also kept finding little things about the car that might be in the manual, but that is not the easiest document to read.

For those who worry about VW reliability, I am just about to notch up 70,000km and the car has not missed a beat.

I would say it is a better around town car than a highway car - about half my time/distance has been on the highway and I just could not get a comfortable seating position for long distance, mainly because the squab has too much rake for me. If I had my time over I would have gone for the leather/electric seats and that would have fixed the problem. Zipping around the backstreets really shows up how driveable it is.

What else would I change if I was given the design pencil? Not much...maybe a taller gear for the highway. It has the torque to handle it. Bluetooth and parking sensors as standard would have been nice - but that is fixed on the MkVII.

Most surprising standard thing that I would not have selected as an option? The auto-dimming rear-view mirror. Seemed crazy to me, but with the number of SUVs that loom in your rear windscreen, or the number of people with poorly aimed headlights, this was surprisingly useful. (Some of the HIDs annoy me in that area). The standard tyres left a lot to be desired, but new Michelins fixed the roar that came with the originals.

It also holds much more than you think in the boot... and the fold down seats mean you can carry a lot.

I have enjoyed our time together and I am sure I will miss that torque and power in my new ride... and might even regret my decision on that alone.... especially when I need to get ahead at the lights without too much fuss.

I might be back.