Faults:

The car is just brand new. Less than one month old. Nothing has gone wrong yet!

General Comments:

This car is fantastic. Tiny engine, only a 1.2, but has a small turbo on it and direct injection. Excellent performance in any gear. Has 105bhp and 175NM of torque and 6 gears. 6th gear is great on motorways, drops the revs way down to 2000rpm.

So far I'm not too sure on economy, for now it seems it's happier cruising on motorways actually, rather than stop-start. Personally, no turbo cars are good for city driving really. The turbo kicks in at around 1500 and slugs away all up to 4100, where the engine sounds great. Because it kicks in early enough, for city driving you want to be short-shifting through the gears to keep the economy down and the turbo relaxed!

Highline spec is worth every penny. Don't be scabby and go for the cheaper specs. The seats and interior are beautifully made. The chrome on the outside and fog lights are a nice touch too.

Boot isn't massive, I haven't measured against the Astra yet, but I think the Astra is deeper and longer. Although rear legroom is better in the Golf.

The gearbox is a small short-throw box, nice tight gears. The engine doesn't mind revving all the way up to 5-6000rpm. In 6th gear at 160Km/h it's revving at about 2250rpm, so I would imagine it would have no problem up to the 190km/h top speed - although as of yet, not tested by me.

I cant imagine what the 1.4 TSI (122bhp) version is like, as the 1.2 TSI has more than enough grunt and decent economy as well for most users, unless you are living in Germany and have autobahns nearby, then I guess the extra BHP would be nice.

Most fantastic thing is the noise when driving, or well, lack of. The car is so quiet even at 160km/h, whereas with my 1.4 Astra, it would get very noisy at 130km/h or so.

Faults:

None so far, however I still consider the car new.

General Comments:

What a car... Great handling and great comfort, and such a sweet engine.

The engine is a gem, low displacement equals low taxes and road insurance in my country; the sound it makes is absolutely great (a very thick and torquey sound). The in-gear acceleration is something none would expect from an engine smaller than a 1.8 - once you're over 2000rpm you can easily overtake even in 4th gear. The economy is OK, I get about 5L/100km on open road if not pushed, and 6-7L depending on how much you love that sound.

Compared with the Opel Astra, it has a better roadholding and handling, better engines, better residuals and the same inside space, although it's a lot shorter and lighter than the Astra. However is not as comfortable, and it doesn't have the same value as the new Astra.

PS: MTM is preparing a 140hp M-Cantronic for this 1.2 engine. Can't wait :)