The Mk4 Golf is not regarded as a high water mark in the long history of VW’s seminal hatchback. In the case of the GTI, the detractors may have a point. Too grown-up and refined to be a real threat to both older (Peugeot 306 GTI-6) and subsequent (EP3 Honda Civic Type R) rivals, the Mk4 Golf GTI was more of a badge-engineering exercise than a true hot hatch.
But what of the regular model? Launched in 1997, it got the smallest of head starts on the fourth-generation Vauxhall Astra and the all-new Ford Focus, both of which arrived a year later. Period magazine road testers rated the Ford’s bold design and sharp handling, while the Golf won praise for its stunning interior quality and general sense of refinement. The Astra? While not class-leading in one area, it was deemed a sufficiently talented all-rounder.
I myself have experience with the Mk4 Golf. My mother owned a 1.6 while I was learning to drive and, upon passing my test, permitted me (perhaps foolishly) to drive her immaculate red VW. From ferrying mates about to just enjoying a drive on my own, the car served me well - until I wrote it off, almost exactly a year on from gaining my license.
Such was the effect that car had on me that the memories are still vivid to this day, more than a decade on. True, it wasn’t the sharpest-handling car. The numb, overly light steering, modest grip levels and comically loose vertical body control all meant that I’d undoubtedly have had more entertainment in an equivalent Focus.
None of that mattered, though. The freedom of four wheels overruled any subjective criticisms I could level at the Golf - and, besides, such complaints were few and far between. Everything that appealed to those late 90s road testers were present and correct in ‘my’ car: the supple ride, well damped switchgear, soft-touch cabin plastics and cool illuminated blue instruments.
Okay, interior space wasn’t as generous as it might have been, but those rear passengers could find salvation in the visibility-enhancing large side windows, beautifully damped grab-handles, and the fact that my 'adolescent' driving-style enabled them to get to their destinations, ahem, promptly.
So the Mk4 Golf did everything you expected, and more besides. The compact footprint of a hatchback married to the plushness one would normally associate with an executive offering. With so many examples still on the road, and prices low, perhaps now is the time for another round of Golf.
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