Volkswagen Golf GTI 25th-Anniversary Edition Atlanta GA

In the interest of full disclosure, we'll note that the author's driveway is shaded by his wife's almost-new Golf 1.8T and his opinions may be likewise shaded. It's a fine car, but buying it was brazen behavior considering this publication's repeated criticism of Volkswagen's junior lunchbox.

The fourth-generation Golf, introduced in 1999, wears expensive, finely tailored duds for a car of its price, but it remains prone to some slovenly habits. The marshmallow-sprung GTI GLX V-6 we tested for a December 1999 comparison of seven saucy $20,000-somethings leaned in corners like a torpedoed frigate. The howling from its sidewalls was a defilement of the memory of the original hot-hatch Rabbit. "Handling appropriate to a Passat" was how we justified its fifth-place finish.

Although the new GTI proved mediocre fare, VW had a few improvements scheduled. In 2000, VW slipped into the GTI catalog the turbocharged 1.8-liter four from the Passat, Audi A4, and Audi TT. With five valves Lindy-Hopping above each of its cast-iron cylinders, the sophisticated unit delivered 150 horsepower and 155 pound-feet, and it was $3395 cheaper than the V-6. This year VW has turned up the turbo's power to 180 horses and its torque to 174 pound-feet and, for European buyers, has produced this GTI 25th-Anniversary Edition with manlier styling, a new six-speed gearbox, and a few milligrams of Viagra for the suspension. As you read this, Volkswagen hasn't decided whether to sell this car in the U.S.

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