The Volkswagen Polo GTI is fast, comfortable and mature – and as such is your only new car choice in this market sector now. It seems well built and the sporty styling touches are restrained enough for the most part that you don’t feel like you’re making an exhibition of yourself while still attracting approving glances from people in the know.

We have no hesitation recommending it to anyone who wants a small car that’s effortlessly rapid and doesn’t demand you make excuses to your passengers whenever the road surface gets a little rougher. As a daily driver without major compromises, no other supermini-sized hot hatch comes close.

However, both the much-missed Ford Fiesta ST and the Hyundai i20 N are more fun for enthusiastic drivers. So if you’re a keen driver who values feedback and fun, you might want to start trawling the classified ads.

What we like

The Polo GTI is more rounded in character than any rival while giving away nothing when it comes to raw performance. The DSG transmission and adaptive suspension make it easy to live with, and it comes with plenty of standard kit.

What we don’t like

It’s not the last word for high-speed composure, agility or engagement. Far too many touch-sensitive controls in place of proper buttons.