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The greatest GTi of them all
One cannot help but feel sorry for all the other makers of hot hatches, boy racers and pocket rockets who were hoping against hope that maybe, just this once, the new Golf 6 GTi will fail to live up to its iconic image.
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And there is absolutely no doubt that it is going to outsell anything else in its class yet again. In fact, Volkswagen say they are confident of moving about 1,900 of them through dealers' showrooms between now and December.
I reckon once the word gets around they might even sell more, in spite of the belt-tightening times we live in.
The GTi is, after all, the grand-daddy of all hatches, every anorak, spotty teenager and enthusiast's dream machine and a cult car with a huge loyal following in this country where more than 37,000 of them have been sold since the mid-seventies (including two to the author).
And it's a following built on the classic driving delights of razor sharp handling and whoopee performance, a package that the MK 6 GTi lives up to every inch of the way.
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It has the same don't mess-with-me front headlights as the Scirocco and it squats 22mm lower at the front and 15mm lower at the back than the previous model which gives it quite an edgy look.
Take in the double chrome exhaust outlet, black diffuser under the bumper, the rear spoiler, red brake callipers, black mesh radiator grille with red GTi logo, and the 18-inch Detroit alloy wheels wrapped in 225/40 R18 rubber and the message couldn't be clearer - this little baby is hot to trot.
And trot it sure as hell does, as I found out to my delight during a number of hot laps around the fast Kyalami race track.
From the moment you stomp down on the pleasure pedal the full force of 280 Newton metres kick in from as low down as 1,700 rpm. Push it higher and the power gets to max from about 5,300 rpm up.
But it's not only its quickness off the mark that is exciting, but the whole flexibility of the power band. Not once did I have to change down lower than third and higher than fourth gear to find enough push and shove, even out of the tightest corners.
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On the track I flipped the flappies for a lap or two and then left the auto box to its own devices and it coped brilliantly.
Even though it is a true enthusiasts car, if it was my money I would opt for the auto shift ahead of the manual, because you really get the best of both worlds - relaxed traffic driving without having to change gears every few minutes and the fun of quick cog-swopping right at your finger tips when you want it.
VW says both versions (manual and automatic) will do the 0-100km/h sprint in 6.9 seconds and gallop on to a top speed of just under 240km/h and it certainly feels capable of doing this with ease.
But even more impressive than the GTi's go, is its cling. It is quite unbelievable how this new model sticks to the tar, even during acute whipping.
As a testimony to this there were only two minor off-road excursions during two days of hard track driving by motoring scribes, neither of which caused more damage than red faces and sweaty palms.
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The combination of the above features gives the new GTi a totally different feel. There is less understeer and when pushed hard it begins to feel more like an all-wheel drive.
I will buy this new model without hesitation for precisely the reasons why the GTi is the idolised car it is - performance and road-holding. There is just nothing else in this class that comes even close.
And not only is it a perfect predator for weekend track days, it also has all the comfort, safety and practical features to make it a delightful Monday to Friday commuter car.
The cabin lay-out is smart and functional with zippy sporty balances; leather seats and stainless steel race pedals; sport steering wheel and folding back seats; lots of storage mousey holes in the doors, behind the seats and even in the roofliner; heated front seats; a radio/CD system and a full-on climate control system, plus power windows, reading lights, MP3 compatibility and just about everything else you would expect to find in the new MK 6 Volkswagen.
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But with all the pleasure comes the pain: the new GTi is not cheap and will set you back a hefty R331,800 for the DSG version and R317,300 for the manual.
In fairness though, times are tough and production, materials, shipment, import duties and taxes are high and the exchange rate doesn't help either, so VW actually deserves a little pat on the back for keeping the price of the new models pegged at only about R4,000 more than the outgoing model.
How long it's going to stay there though is difficult to predict, so if you have an itch for a GTi don't wait too long.
And if you have to justify the price for the new model at least you can tell your boss/lover/mother/bank manager that the price does include a five-year/90,000km service plan and a three-year/120,000km warranty.
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Remember that great Top Gun advertising campaign for the GTi a couple of years back? Well I reckon there's an even better theme song for the latest GTi and that's sexy Tina Turner belting out “You're simply the best, better than all the rest...”
Pity the clever white coats at VW though because the MK 6 is going to be a huge task to follow, but then I supposed they are used to it by now, having been faced with the same difficult task for every new GTi model over the past 30 years.