I like the Volkswagen Golf. I’ve liked just about every iteration of it, even when it was called the VW Rabbit. Ultimately, it was the reason why I ended up liking hatchbacks in the first place, and it’s that bias that led me to driving the 5-door hatchback I have now. I would most definitely would own or would have had a Golf at some point by now, except for the fact that its price point has always eluded me by putting itself into a range that I just simply couldn’t justify for a means to an end like a car.
But it doesn’t mean that I can’t still be an admirer of the car still. I like its fairly modest appearance, while having a good deal of performance as well as the practicality of spaciousness and storage that most hatchbacks afford. During the riceboy days, most VW Golfs could compete or best most of their Japanese competition out of the box, provided the levels of trim were appropriately compared. And the aftermarket part culture was just as favorable and customizable to Golfs as they were anything made by Honda or Nissan.