Second-hand sense: It may be hard to spot the difference, but the fifth generation of Volkswagen's rock solid performer has been in showrooms around the country for the past few weeks.
The great-great-grandson of the car that sparked the hatchback revolution bears the unmistakable looks of a model first introduced in 1974 and which has now outsold even the Beetle.
The Golf has been an enormous success, with worldwide sales topping 21 million - that's an amazing 2,100 sold every day for 29 years. The latest version will undoubtedly continue the trend given the enormous following this car has in every western State.
Certainly VW could have been far more daring in design, particularly at a time when pretenders to the throne are making a concerted effort of late to knock the Golf from its pedestal. But, while it means that hatchback motorists now have the best choice and variety in years, many will still turn to the old reliable for reliability andf resale value.
VW's policy, it seems, is that if it's not broken don't fix it. Many of its current crop of buyers will be the same age as the model range and can probably identify the different guises with different periods in their lives. The Mark 2 version came in the heydays of yuppiedom when convertibles and GTis were all the rage. More recently there's been the school-run mums and their Mark 3s and Mark 4s.
In terms of appearance, the new Golf has a slight adjustment of the front lights. It also gets indicator lights on the mirrors.
Perhaps the most telling sign of the shape our society is taking is the fact that the latest model is slightly wider in girth and larger inside.
So, as it touches 30, can it keep up with the rejuvenated competition? Well, to judge by the fact it came joint second in the European Car of the Year competition, it's certainly not resting on its laurels.
More recently, the new Golf V was named WhatCar? magazine's car of the year for 2004. The winning version was the 1.6-litre FSI. The Golf was praised for "its big-car feel".
The new model comes with a choice of five engines, three petrol and two diesel. The petrol units are a 1.4-litre 75 bhp, a 1.6-litre FSI 115 bhp and a 2-litre 150 bhp FSI. In the diesel camp, there's a 1.9-litre TDi 105 bhp or a 140 bhp 2-litre TDi. The 1.4-litre and 1.9-litre models come with a five speed box, the rest with six-speed.
Prices start at €19,675 for the 1.4-litre three-door, with ABS, front, side and curtain airbags as standard. The What Car? favourite in three-door format comes at €23,905 in Comfortline specification with cruise control and alloys as standard.
At the upper end of the range are the 2-litre petrol model starting at €30,150 and the 2-litre TDI starting at €28,490. These prices are at the upper end of its competitors, carrying about a €1,000 premium and are roughly €1,000 more than the previous model. However, that's unlikely to deter many given that it also has one of the strongest resale values on the market.
While the look will not win awards for innovation, the latest version handles more like the earlier models, which is a bonus. Inside also the car earns praise for its refinement and roominess.
Overall, the new model continues the Golf trend for sensible rather than sensational motoring and will continue to prove a hit with the no-nonsense motorists looking for a combination of desirability, reliability and rock solid residuals.
What to look for in a second hand golf
Although VWs have suffered from serious quality control problems in recent years, the iconoclastic Golf has managed to preserve its reputation. The Golf has not radically changed in 30 years - VW got it right in the first place, and kept it right.
Compared to other cars in the same class during that period, the Golf has been unique. It's been solid, reliable, well engineered and held remarkable second-hand values.
Not that long ago, when changing the family car, I asked a dealer if he might have one- or two-year-old Golf available. He didn't - "and if I did I could auction it, not just put it on the forecourt".
Despite the glut of second-hand models around, the Golf is still a sought-after car.
With the arrival of the new Golf this month there will be plenty of newish Golf models on the forecourts but they won't be cheap. A five-door 00 Golf with the basic 1.4 litre petrol engine, mileage of about 35,000 and in good overall condition will still cost about €11,000. The new car comes in at 21,000.
The last generation Golf is not known for any major problems but it does have some that developed over its life span. Among them are these little headaches:
Carbon build-up on the throttle valve leading to cutting out. It's an easy problem to remedy.
Serious gearbox faults on higher mileage cars, but this seems restricted to 1.6 models.
Electric window controls breaking because of lack of use.
Of course, even VW makes Monday morning cars but the Golf has been a consistent achiever in the quality stakes. The last generation Golf has been showing its age of late but, except for the Peugeot 307 which really showed up the Golf's age, there hasn't been a lot of competition. Besides, it's fair to say that the standard Golf driver is more conservative than the 307 driver. With a new conservative styling and improved engineering, the Golf is probably on its way to the top again.