It's almost impossible to dislike the Volkswagen Golf GTI. Fast, composed, beautifully built and signally lacking the shouty, uncouth image that befalls so many hot hatches, it's an informed choice. The trouble is, the GTI is not a signally option. Get a little excitable when confronted with the car configurator on Volkswagen's website and it's easy to blow over £23,000 on a GTI. Until recently, Volkswagen had a couple of other trim levels to appeal to those who weren't quite ready for full GTI commitment. First up were the Sport models, which were really only sporty in a cosmetic sense, and then came the GT versions which had a little more about them. Realising that this perhaps confused customers, these trim levels have now been merged.

Cue the almost improbably logical Volkswagen Golf GT Sport range. If the name may lack a little magic, you can't fault the engineering. Volkswagen has chosen some of the most impressive engines at its disposal to power these models.

Volkswagen claims there are two petrol and two diesel engines available in GT Sport trim, although it would be more accurate to say that there's one petrol and one diesel in two different states of tune. Both units can be ordered developing 140 or 170bhp. The petrol engine is the fiendishly clever 1.4-litre Twincharge unit that features both a supercharger and a turbocharger. The supercharger operates at a maximum of 1.8 bar pressure, boosting the low end torque response where turbo cars can often feel lethargic. Once the supercharger has done its bit, the turbo kicks in for high-end power. The old cliche that this is a small capacity engine that drinks like one but drives like a bigger unit is, in this instance, bang on the money. The diesel is the 2.0-litre TDI unit and the more powerful version of this is some engine, with a maximum torque output of 350Nm.

The Audi A4 3.2 quattro, the BMW 330i, the Ford Focus ST, the Mercedes SL350, the Porsche Cayman S, and the Subaru Impreza WRX all fail to top this torque figure. With this sort of muscle on tap, you can rest assured that this Golf isn't going to get sand kicked in its face.

"The Volkswagen Golf GT Sport takes a couple of unsung trim levels and merges them into something worth having"

Some vehicles age remarkably quickly where others stave off the ravages of time with remarkably good grace. The Golf Mk V is certainly one of the latter. Since its introduction, Volkswagen has nipped and tweaked at it to keep it looking fresh and the GT Sport's most distinctive features are the revised headlamp units. These feature black backgrounds which separate the lenses into four clearly demarcated units, giving the GT Sport a beadier stare than standard Golf models.

Otherwise, things are much as you'd expect from a Golf. Both three and five-door bodystyles are available and there's plenty of room to stretch out. The interior keeps the Golf at the top of the family hatch tree. It uses a fascia design reminiscent of the Phaeton luxury saloon, although the centre console is lifted from the Touran mini-MPV. With the possible exception of its pricier Volkswagen Group cousin, the Audi A3, the cabin has the beating of anything out there as regards ambience. The interior features soft-feel slush-moulded plastics, high-quality switches, subtle use of chrome, fabric-covered A-pillars and blue instrument backlighting with red needles.

The Golf GT Sport is reminiscent of the GTI and R32 variants but differs in several key ways. The darkened grille section is intersected by a set of horizontal fins to forge a visual link with the performance models in the range but the GT Sport badge inset into the grille will only give the game away to those in the know. Framing the revised front end are those black finished headlamp units which sit above a set of fog lights mounted in the front air dam.

In profile, the new GT Sport is distinguished by subtle tints to the rear windows and a set of 17-inch multi-spoke alloy wheels fitted with 225/45 R17 tyres. At the rear, there are twin chromed exhausts on the 170bhp versions. The cabin also comes in for some GT Sport treatment. A leather-trimmed three-spoke steering wheel, gearknob and handbrake are fitted, along with front sports seats, automatic light sensing headlights and rain sensing windscreen wipers. This is in addition to Climatic air-conditioning, a CD stereo system with eight speakers and electric windows. Six airbags, ABS and Electronic Stabilisation Programme (ESP) are also fitted. Prices start at £17,610 for the entry-level three-door 140bhp 1.4-litre car and top out at £21,540 for a 2.0-litre TDI 170 five-door with the DSG sequential twin-clutch gearbox.

One thing that all mainstream Golf models have in common is a vice-like grip on residual values that is quite remarkable for what is essentially a volume production car. The key to this is the equity of the Volkswagen badge and all four GT Sport models do well in terms of residuals as they marry cheap running costs and brilliant build quality. Running costs are certainly on the manageable side, the GT Sport 170 TDI featuring a fuel economy figure of 46.3mpg while a 160g/km emissions figure will mean this car will figure on the wanted lists of many business users.

Even the petrol-engined cars do well at the pumps thanks to that revolutionary Twincharge architecture. Most cars with the 170bhp 1.4-litre's level of performance would struggle to nudge over 30mpg but this Golf returns a combined fuel economy figure of 38.2mpg. Benefits are also realised in terms of emissions. Whereas a 2.0T Golf GTI emits 194g/km of carbon dioxide and is only marginally quicker, the 1.4 TSI 170 chugs out just 175g/km, making it a far more attractive choice for company car user choosers or anyone with a slightly green tinged environmental conscience.

The Volkswagen Golf GT Sport takes a couple of unsung trim levels and merges them into something worth having. The whole is certainly better than the sum of the parts. But what parts they are. All four of the engines, 140 and 170bhp 2.0-litre TDI diesels and 140 and 170bhp 1.4-litre Twincharge petrols, barely put a foot wrong. What's even more remarkable is that only a few years ago, the 170bhp models would have been in the upper echelon of performance hatches. Now they're a couple of steps removed from the premier tier.

That's not to say that they're second rate. There has long existed a demand for cars such as this. Models that are suave and well built yet, at the same time, manage to be fun to drive without breaking the bank. The Golf GT Sport is a very clever car and one has to assume its owners are quite the smart cookies too.