The current Golf GTI is, without doubt, a fine choice in automobile. The long order bank tells the story, as does the world’s motoring media. In fact, Next Car rated the Golf GTI as the 'top drive of zero five'! That made me excited about driving the latest evolution of the Golf, the new R32. Wolfsburg’s finest certainly needed to pull out some special tricks to beat the GTI.

To say I was in a positive frame of mind is an understatement. My agenda was simple. Fly into Munich, collect the R32, go to the World Cup and watch the Australia v Brazil soccer match and spend the next four days driving the R32 around Munich and then onto Stuttgart.

The R32 sells itself from the outset - provided you approach from the rear. The twin exhaust pipes mounted centrally at the rear let you know it’s to be taken seriously. It’s important to note that they (VW) haven’t simply copied other sporty numbers here. Volkswagen have opted for a wider diameter tail pipe than some others and separated the two pipes neatly to give more than a hint of the car's sporting ability with some unique styling. The twin pipe setup compliments the body styling perfectly.

According to some reports, I am not a good listener. Do note, though, I certainly heard the R32's exhaust. When you turn the key you will certainly understand what I am talking about. You would be forgiven for thinking you had a bigger engine under the bonnet.

Now if you approach the car from the front you may form a different opinion. The chrome trim around the grille on the R32 may suggest you’ve accidentally walked up to a Passat or a Jetta. The black grille surround on the GTI is sporty, but on the other hand, I think my gran would go for the chrome. Give me a choice and I'll take the black.

The 18” alloys on the R32 are neat but I am not sure if they look aggressive enough for this sports model. Maybe my judgment, on this subject, was due to an incident whilst on the road. A simple thing like the tyre pressure warning light coming 'on' became a little unsettling. It came on after 150 kms on an autobahn whilst the outside temperature was around 33 degrees. The weather and road conditions, at the time, were not unlike those in Australia. After a 40 minute rest to cool down, the Golf was still not allowing me to reset the warning light. A quick trip to the local VW retailer and a couple of handshakes later, the reset button was responding. The technician advised that all was okay and that it was a result of the high outside temperature that day. I should have known all would be good when the satellite navigation system led me to the dealership, which was the default centre of town. Ideal on this occasion but possibly not necessary on 99% of travels. So after a quick service, on we traveled.

The test car was fitted with VW’s Direct Shift Gearbox (DSG) which gives you the option of automatic or manual shifting via paddles or the gear shift. Now I must admit that I was hoping that the test car would be fitted with the 6 speed manual transmission. This being inspired by personal desire, without regard to VW’s claims that the DSG is quicker. In fact, VW claim that the R32 with DSG is the quickest Golf to date. When you have 184 kw being distributed between all four wheels, the flexibility of the DSG box does bring temptation to the driver. Around town I always let the gearbox do the shifting, but making the changes using the paddles on the quiet roads in southern Germany, near Berchtesgaden, was distinctly rewarding.

The big brakes fitted as standard equipment on the R32 add to the performance and safety. The blue calipers and larger rotors add to the sports feel as well as stopping the vehicle in short distances.

The R32 certainly gets going without hesitation. If you put the foot down the R32 reminds you that you’re not at the helm of a standard Golf. The vehicle can move and it will do so on demand. The DSG drops down a gear, the exhaust gives a growl and the 3.2 litre V6 moves the tachometer to 6,500 rpms before opting for the next gear whilst forever accelerating. It makes short work of the incredibly short on-ramps on some of the German autobahns.

Whilst moving rapidly along an autobahn or ambling along a city street, the ride is smooth and always comfortable. The suspension is sufficiently firm to combine with the larger tyres to provide excellent grip both at cruising speed and through corners with minimal noise entering the cabin. The loudest noise in the cabin was generally the interior fan trying to maintain the selected 18 degree temperature. Unfortunately the climate control struggled to keep the temperature in the cabin at the level selected.

The interior of the R32 is one of usual VW high quality. The test car was fitted with the Recaro leather sports seating, satellite navigation and sunroof in addition to the high level of equipment already fitted to the R32. The optional seats certainly look the part, complimenting the thick, flat bottomed steering wheel. The seats are deep and the perfect width to support an average-sized person. The racing harness holes double as the release mechanism to fold the seats. This attention to detail is indeed a neat touch. Although I must admit that I struggled to fold the seat at first attempt. Hopefully, I am not the only person to do this. Whilst the seats look the part, they didn’t live up to all of my expectations. I was disappointed when adjusting the height of the seat as I was unable to adjust the angle of the seat base. Hence I was forced to drive with knees bent further than I desired. Definitely a small gripe and maybe it was my inability to understand the seats.

When you’ve forked out for the best Golf money can buy, you do expect some features ..... and certainly the test car met this test. As mentioned previously, the test car was fitted with a sunroof, satellite navigation, and the Recaro seats. It was also fitted with rear parking sensors (I would always recommend these). These parking sensors are quite possibly an option. Inside you get climate control, brushed aluminium pedals, rain sensing wipers amongst other features.

With the Golf R32, you get a lot of car for your money. You get big performance combined with luxury, plus a little more style than your average small car. Is it worth the extra coin over and above the GTI? I don’t think you can go wrong with either vehicle. You will certainly enjoy every kilometre either way.