Volkswagen Golf GTI Clubsport Edition 40

It might be hard to believe but the Golf GTI has been around for forty years; the true hot hatch spawning many a copy-cat over the years. So how have Volkswagen celebrated its birthday? In style of course with the very special GTI Clubsport Edition 40 now unleased on the roads, but does this model match up to its heritage?

Not surprisingly it packs plenty of performance, the 2.0-litre TSI turbocharged petrol engine produces 265PS with 350Nm of torque. With a top speed of 155mph and a 0 - 62 mph time of 6.3 seconds you won’t be disappointed getting your foot down in this.

Our test car came with a six-speed DSG automatic gearbox meaning each gear change is seamless and incredibly smooth but should you want to make the most of it all and push on through the rev then it can be put into S mode, but be warned the fuel gauge goes down right before your eyes.

Volkswagen have also a boost function which will add 25PS for ten seconds when you really put your foot down.

The compromise with anything sporty is the less than comfortable ride, yet the GTI Clubsport Edition is remarkably supple even though the suspension has been lowered by 15mm. We took the test car on a road trip for five hours so we were expecting to arrive complaining about the harsh ride, but Volkswagen have made a car that is really very comfortable.

We did have the optional dynamic chassis control so the suspension could be adjusted from normal, to comfort to sport which helped and with really responsive steering, so it makes for a great driving experience. We loved how reactive the handling was so it was possible to feel confident in the car’s ability as we pushed on through the windy roads of the Brecon Beacons.

The Golf is very refined; the front sports seats are well shaped and comfortable, the cloth and alcantara with the GTI lettering make it stylish while the seatbelts with the red edging set it off as something special.

The exterior looks everything a GTI should with a rear roof spoiler, side skirts, red brake calipers and tinted rear glass plus they’ve blended in a touch of the original GTI with the famous black stripe down the side.

The Clubsport Edition 40 is a very driver focussed cabin, the alcantara, multi-function steering wheel with the red 12 o’clock strip as seen on rally cars is so nice to the touch and the GTI instrument cluster is simple yet effectively sporty - the 6.-5-inch display screen even works by hovering your finger over it to bring up instructions and features navigation, DAB radio, media and phone connectivity via Bluetooth.

Additional equipment on the special edition includes red interior ambient lighting, LED reading lights and daytime running lights, rear parking sensors, gloss black door mirrors and LED rear lights.

It maybe a sporty hatchback but the GTI Clubsport Edition 40 is a very practical car, all Golfs are, but we had to fit in three adults, a toddler and luggage for the road trip but everything fit in...which was a relief.

The boot space at 380 litres swallowed up two suitcases, a pushchair and a few bags, the deepness working well to get it all in. The rear seats can also be folded to increase the loading space to 1,270-litres.

A child car seat can easily be put in and rear passengers get plenty of head and legroom, there are cupholdes for all occupants and a hidden storage space for phones which also have a USB point for recharging.

The Golf GTI Clubsport Edition 40 is priced from £30,935 for the three-door manual, the five-door is £31,590. The five-door automatic we had on test costs from £33,005, with extras included such as dynamic chassis control at £830 and (very nice indeed) sports bucket seats at £1,350.

Be quick if you want to buy one as Volkswagen are not likely to make more than 1,000 of them available in the UK.

It comes with a three-year/60,000 mile warranty, three for a paint and twelve years body protection.

It will emit 158g/km of CO2 so it will fall into tax band G and cost £185 annually in tax. With a combined 40.9mpg predicted by Volkswagen, it is actually achievable as we managed 37.8mpg, but you can’t spend the whole time thrashing it to get that figure.

If you’re looking for a well-made hot hatch, coupled with Volkswagen’s rich history with the GTI you can’t go wrong with this hommage. It is solidly built, materials seem tough long-lasting, little touches like the puddle lights, the steel door sills with GTI lettering and the mix of alcantara and cloth add a very high end feel.

The fact the GTI has been around since 1976 and is now in its seventh generation proves how successful it is, you still see previous generations on the roads having racked up miles and miles...in terms of distance some have literally gone to the moon!

The latest generation Volkswagen Golf scored five stars in the Euro NCAP ratings, 94% went to adult occupant protection, with 89% for a child.

This special edition comes with airbags, adaptive cruise control with front assist, which monitors the distance you are to the car in front, a driver alert system, traction control, an electronic stabilisation programme and a post collision braking system.

Security includes an alarm, immobiliser and a tracking system is available as an option.