| First Drive | Brighton, England | VW Golf GTD |

The Golf GTD is the automotive equivalent of a mullet: business up front and party at the back. The business part is the sensible inclusion of a turbodiesel engine - it bringing big mile-munching capability and decent mpg figures. The party bit is taken care of by the chassis from the Golf GTI. The styling is a little more grown up than its petrol-engined derivative - and the cloth seats lose some of their tartan-ness - making the GTD the perfect machine for someone who likes to wear a business suit during the week and a racing suit at the weekends.

In the Metal

With most of the styling cues from the GTI, the GTD looks great. There's a honeycomb grille up front - though the red highlights of the GTI are replaced by more sober chrome trim. Around the back there are twin tailpipes, but instead of sitting either side of the bumper they're together over to the left. New alloy wheels and the removal of the red from the interior tartan cloth complete the differences. It's a good looking car the GTD, with just enough identifiers to know it's a bit special without being so overt or flash to make it really stand out.

What you get for your Money

Aside from the toned down GTI looks, tauter chassis - with its clever XDS electronic limited slip differential effect - the GTD comes with a 168bhp turbodiesel four-cylinder unit. It's got enough grunt to allow this Golf to reach 62mph in 8.1 seconds, which is 1.2 seconds slower than its petrol relative, but doesn't feel it on the road. Equipment levels are high here (as they should be on a £22,500 hatchback) the GTD coming with pretty much everything you could ever ask for. Leather and satnav cost a little more, so figure on spending an extra £3,000 if you want them both. We'd live without the leather.

Driving it

It looks like a GTI, and it feels much like a GTI too; only the way the engine performs is different. In the petrol car you find yourself revving up towards its redline, the GTD delivering more lower in its rev range. That's down to the GTD's greater torque output, it offering 258lb.ft at 1,750- to 2,500rpm compared to the petrol car's 206lb.ft, though the latter's is impressively available between 1,700- and 5,200rpm. The GTD feels fast, but it's not the same raspy raw speed as its petrol relative, instead the turbodiesel delivering its output in a big swelling surge. It's less involving and less fizzy, but more relaxing - yet no slower in the real world.

The noise it makes is rather pleasing for a diesel with the rumble under the bonnet rousing rather than rattly. The gearshift feels just as quick and accurate as the GTI's and the steering is much the same. There's perhaps less of an incentive to push it as hard as you might the GTI, but the GTD still delivers when you thread it down a challenging road. It might not have as much character, but if you're driving it everyday you'll be thankful for the greater maturity of the GTD, it feeling like a GTI that has grown up but still likes to have some fun.

Along with the appealing looks and much of the Golf GTI's ability, the GTD has the added bonus of an official combined consumption figure of 53.3mpg. That's over 14mpg better than the petrol car, which, if you're a business driver or you spend a lot of time on the road, really matters. As does the GTD's 139g/km CO₂ output, it some 31g/km less than the GTI. Sensible stuff sure, but while the GTD may make lots of sense it also retains enough of the GTI's spirit to be worthy of wearing the badge it does.

Worth Noting

If you want a real GT experience - or just spend a lot of time sitting in traffic - the GTD is available with Volkswagen's DSG paddle shift transmission. It's sure to be a good match with the GTD's engine, the smooth-shifting, six-speed, two-pedal set-up not hitting economy or emissions too hard either - the GTD with the DSG managing 50.4mpg and emitting just 147g/km of CO₂. It's no slower to 62mph, either.

Summary

The standard Golf GTI is a pretty fun-yet-sensible proposition, but the GTD turns that up a notch. It might appeal a little more to the head than the heart compared to its petrol relative, but you're only ever likely to yearn for the petrol car on a track or a particularly interesting stretch of road. For everyday driving the turbodiesel alternative is a hugely competent all-rounder that looks and feels good. The Golf GTD is well worth considering if you've grown up a bit, but still want some fun.