They say that what you’re brought up with in your youth - whether that’s music, football, cars or whichever vice it may be - often shapes your preferences in adult life and that certainly rings true with hot hatches for me.

My dad had a few of Renaultsport’s finest in my formative years and, as they also say, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. Cars like the 500-off Clio 182 Trophy - which I went on to own in my early 20s - stand out from 2005, way before I’d even passed my driving test, because of its giant-killing abilities and its nonsense-free approach.

This tiny ball of Capsicum Red tenacity, despite having just 182bhp, became B-road royalty thanks to its trick suspension set-up which allowed an already good foundation to turn into a hot hatch masterpiece which placed sheer fun in front of everything else.

Twenty years later I can vividly recall innumerable stand-out drives in the Yorkshire Dales with my dad as the little Trophy drank its way through a full tank of super unleaded, dazzling its passengers with extraordinary point-to-point pace.

In truth I think many of today’s hot hatches are overly complicated - irritating lane assistance, start-stop and pre-collision warnings are par for the course these days and always get in the way; it’s like having the annoying health and safety-obsessed bloke at work on your shoulder when you’re behind the wheel of something that should instil excitement.

However, thankfully, there are a few hot hatches that hark back to simpler times. Cars like the Honda Civic Type R and the Toyota GR Yaris are beacons of light and recently they’ve been joined at the very top of the tree by a wonderful car from Volkswagen.

As far as iconic monikers go in the hot hatch world, the Golf GTI - thanks to its almost 50-year history over eight generations - arguably sits at the very top of the pile.

While it’s never been the finished article in out and out precision - aside from the original when the market was much less crowded - what it has always offered is sheer class. It’s everything to everyone, a car that would look at home whether one’s house is worth £150,000 or £1.5m.

In Clubsport guise, it’s pretty much the finished article in what hot hatches offer in 2026: pace, handling, quality, comfort, practicality and drop-dead gorgeous looks. This pumped-up GTI is the best-looking car in its sector, but it ain’t just a pretty face.

Opt for the Clubsport and you’ll get a tweaked version of the evergreen EA888 four-cylinder, 2.0-litre turbo which now comes to the party with a much healthier 296bhp and 273lb ft of torque. There’s much more, though, and recognising the Clubsport from the regular GTI is really quite easy despite it having no look-at-me badging: you’ll see that the fancy front fog lights have been ditched, there’s a fancy set of 19-inch alloys and you’ll notice an extended rear spoiler. It’s just the right amount of extra sportiness and I quite like that it’s not shouting about the fact it’s the more special one - it’s only ever going to be recognised by people who know.

Open the driver’s door and it’s pretty much standard GTI fare. That’s not a bad thing, either, given just how great its interior is. The paddleshifts - as ever with VWs - are far too small, but the GTI-badged seats and the fantastic steering wheel make up for that. The interior’s a class leader, oozing quality and is thoroughly modern, although its touch-sensitive controls for the heating can be slightly dim-witted and you’re constantly cleaning fingerprint marks.

Start it up and there’s a pleasing tone, chiefly because this car is fitted with the optional - and essential - Akrapovic exhaust. The familiar engine isn’t usually the most characterful so it’s amazing what an exhaust can do to improve it. This fully loaded version - which costs £49,000 - also has the £1,650 Warmenau wheels (an absolute pain to clean, by the way) and the ‘Performance Pack’, which basically removes the GTI’s 155mph limiter in favour of a 167mph top speed. Pretty pointless, but cool for bragging over a pint with your mates, I suppose.

It doesn’t take long to tap into its magic - it feels alert, on its toes and keen to respond to your inputs but it’s its turn of pace which is night and day difference to the regular car. Its low-down torque comes to the fore and while its mid-range is strong, it’s its rev range’s top end which makes the biggest impression. It’s eye-opening - usually the EA888 is out of puff at 5,500rpm but the Clubsport continues to pull.

I’ve always been of the mindset that the GTI is the more involving car over its R sibling even in standard guise, so the Clubsport simply adds more weight to that opinion. Yes, the R is more powerful and supremely tractable thanks to its all-wheel-drive set-up but that robs the driver of a hot hatch prerequisite: involvement. While you gain all-weather security, the front-drive GTI is so much more fun. It’s less polished but all the better for it, oddly, because it means the driver is more a part of the process and, in gear, a 30bhp deficit is not going to be huge, especially with the R’s extra weight.

Where the Clubsport shines even more is on a twisty road and there’s a lovely little stretch off the famed Woodhead Pass. If you’re Manchester-bound, go over the Woodhead Reservoir’s bridge, miss the right turn to Holmfirth and instead peel off towards Glossop. You’ll skirt Torside Reservoir and work your way on brilliant roads up the picturesque valley before your descent into Glossop. It’s challenging, it’s often poorly sighted and so a small footprint, a well-sorted chassis and trustworthy brakes are all a must.

The Clubsport - obviously - laps it up and asks for you to brake a little later, turn in keener and rely on its attributes. It’s a tough stretch of road which includes hairpins, undulations and second, third and fourth gear corners - the B6105 has absolutely everything to test a car’s ability and this thing just shines.

Yes, paying almost £50,000 for a Golf is a lot and unthinkable in the days of the 182 Trophy, but it’s the complete package and will dazzle on whichever road it’s on. Is it better than a Type R? In 99 out of 100 occasions, yes. It might not be as sharp but as an ownership proposition, the Golf's always going to win the day.