| Week at the Wheel | VW Golf 1.4 TSI |

Inside & Out:

As with many mainstream VWs of late the Golf's evolutionary styling isn't as radical as niche offerings such as the Scirocco. However, the three-door shell does lend the Golf a more sporting appearance with the minimal penalty in terms of accessibility to the rear for most - if one were trying to install young children in there a five-door may prove its worth, but for most the eternal trade-off of practicality versus style would be an acceptable one. In common with the rest of the range, this Golf looks much better on larger rims, which fill out the wheel arch more effectively - albeit at the expense of the ride quality.

On the inside, restraint is the key word; there's not much to lift the interior other than a nice steering wheel, but the high quality is beyond question. In terms of downsides, the gripe about the flimsy feel of the climate controls persists and the varying scale on the speedometer is slightly annoying, changing as it does at motorway speeds, which could yield a nasty surprise for the unaware.

Engine & Transmission:

VW's latest TSI engines reflect the movement of the market to a more environmentally biased mentality. Indeed the Twincharger engine was obviously slightly ahead of its time when it was released a few years ago; in the eyes of the judges of the international engine awards, at least, as it won a couple of awards this year. In common with that more complex turbo- and supercharged unit, the straight turbocharged 1.4-litre variant offers the key appeals of compact size, high specific output, economy and emissions that are now being mirrored elsewhere in the automotive arena, with most manufacturers downsizing and adding forced induction as legislation and taxation really begin to bite, increasingly rendering larger engines obsolete for the majority of applications and customers.

It suits the Golf well with performance well in excess of what one could reasonably expect from a normal 1.4-litre - in practice comparable to a naturally aspirated 1.8-litre rival. In actual fact the TSI's 120bhp headline power figure isn't the important one. What that peak power number doesn't reflect is the personality of the engine that enjoys the same mid-range bias as the Golf GTI. The torque plateau from 1,500 to 5,000rpm gives it diesel-like power delivery, but with a much more free-revving nature - although the power does tail off above that 5,000rpm figure. Ultimately, although the turbo does begins to run out of puff at higher revs thanks to the breadth of the torque curve, changing up a little earlier isn't penalised as the engine drops back into a healthy torque reserve.

Compared to diesel offerings the TSI does suffer slightly, somewhat inevitably, in terms of economy, but the gap isn't as big as might be expected, this car managing 37mpg during our week and cruising at nearer 45mpg. The advantage is the additional engagement offered - the zingy nature of the small capacity engine is appreciable and it's a more compelling partner when pushing hard along your favourite stretch of road. Worth bearing in mind as well that the diesel equivalent is almost £1,000 more expensive - you need to do quite a few miles to claw that price difference back.

Ride & Handling:

This latest version of the Golf is definitely more capable than ever in this department, but competence rather than excitement remains the theme. The TSI offers a fine ride with good damping and body control and blends this with a decent level of handling. Just don't expect overtly sporting - or indeed Ford Focus matching - levels of dynamic excellence. The Golf is a predictable and rather uninvolving, but still a capable ground coverer.

Equipment, Economy & Value for Money:

The TSI model's cost reflects its position in the market and reminds you that it's a premium product. However, on a performance basis it is well priced and compares well with rivals such as the Focus, Peugeot 308 and Honda Civic whilst feeling more upmarket than them and hence the overall quality and level of engineering feels commensurate with the price label. A search of the web quickly found an 11 percent discount on the list price and the good economy, sensible servicing costs and VW residuals promise to keep the cost of ownership to a minimum.

Overall:

VW's Golf range now has strength in depth that's difficult to find elsewhere. In particular there are no gaps unfilled in the engines on offer. The 120bhp 1.4 TSI model represents an excellent compromise falling short of the outright punch of the more sporting variants but offering more involvement than the TDI engines - with little loss in terms of economy. It comes at a price, but it's in line with rivals, particularly given the Golf's premium feel.