THEY say life begins at forty, but in the case of this old-stager, life carries on at 30. Like a fine wine, the Golf has matured with age and is showing no visible signs of a mid-life crisis.
A measure of any car's popularity is numbers on the road, and sightings of the original Mark I prove the model's reliability and longevity.
The Golf's looks have never been much of a turn on, but the latest styling is pleasing on the eye and there is a surprise under the skin.
The Mark V features a more streamlined shape than predecessors with a curvacious rear, smart headlights, integrated fog lights and smart, spoked alloys.
It's the same inside with a wide array of standard features which include all the usual electrics, trays, drink holders and cubby holes.
The knob-twiddlers would love the optional extras fitted to the test model, which included the winter pack and GPS/ 6 CD changer, which are an expensive £320 and £1,495 respectively, but they do transform the well-equipped hatchback into a motor with the full wow factor.
Although the Golf has retained the small appearance, it is bigger. There is increased head and legroom with a bigger boot and the split fold seats - which are standard on the more expensive models - even allowed us to transport a folded double mattress with space to spare.
It goes without saying that the Golf scores heavily in build quality, reliability and safety.
But the drive on the new model is a delight with beautiully balanced steering, a precise six-speed box, a firm but comfortable ride and superb handling. Wind and road noise are almost absent, even at much higher speeds.
Shelling out for the 138bhp diesel engine is an expensive, but tempting option. You get exciting acceleration and fantastic fuel ecomony with nearly 50mpg on tap - figures that could make the extra investment worthwhile
I did try hard to exhaust all the fuel, but even with a 600-mile figure on the trip computer, the car went home with plenty of diesel to spare.
Safety is a key area for Volkswagen and the Golf scores highly with a curtain airbag system, driver and front passenger airbags, an array of anti-skid features, a rear centre three-point seat belt and head restraints on all five seats.
The biggest downside is forking out the hard-earned cash to own it. Golfs do not come cheap, with the base 1.4 petrol model with the lowest trim level starting at £11,995. But when it comes to reselling, good residuals mean the initial outlay was worth the suffering.
The Golf has driven on through the decades, but some of the new kids on the block threaten to knock it of its perch.
Serious competition will come from the Mazda 3, the replacement Vauxhall Astra and the new BMW 1 series, but maybe someone will be back in 2034 to talk about the Mark 10.
FAST FACTS
Volkswagen Golf 2.0 GT TDI
Price: £18,530
Mechanical: 138bhp, 1,968cc, 4cyl diesel engine driving front wheels via 6-spd manual gearbox
Max Speed: 126mph
0-60mph: 9.3 secs
Combined mpg: 49.6
Insurance Group: 13
CO2 emissions: 154g/km
BiK rating: 19%
Warranty: 3yrs/ 60,000 miles; 3yrs paint; 12yrs anti-rust