Volkswagen's Golf R32 - crazy golf or just another fast hatch? That is the question.

There are, of course, greater things in heaven and earth to worry about, but not for me there aren't - not this week anyway.

Let's look at the face of it. The Golf is propelled by a 3.2-litre V6 which is good for 250bhp and is a far cry from the 1.6-litre 110bhp Golf GTi which set the hot-hatch world on fire 20 years ago.

That said, the Golf has filled out a bit since then and is now double the kerbweight of its predecessor.

Still, the revised R32 will punt you to 60mph in just 6.5 seconds - 6.3s with the DSG gearbox - and is limited to 155mph.

This all comes together to produce a very fine driving experience indeed - an experience that will cost from £25,097 on-the-road.

The noise the Golf makes is nothing short of phenomenal. I would imagine a blip on the R32's throttle sounds something like Thor sneezing. It's that good.

The handling is superb thanks to the FourMotion intelligent four-wheel-drive system. It's 'intelligent' because for the most part, power is directed to the front wheels but as and when the computer detects a waste of energy through wheelspin, it gives traction back to the front wheels by directing the power through the prop-shaft and into the back wheels.

But if the four-wheel-drive system is Bamber Gascoigne intelligent, the Direct Shift Gearbox (DSG) is Stephen Hawking intelligent.

I have driven the DSG system coupled to a diesel powerplant in a Passat and I was bowled over by it, but get this.

The DSG 'box is an automatic - a dirty word not so long ago. But this particular auto shaves 0.3 of a second off the 0-62mph time. Oh, and it won't change up or down if it detects you're in a challenging corner or situation.

That's all well and good I hear you say, but remarkably, it also reduces fuel consumption and CO2 emissions.

So, it's cheaper to run, its carbon footprint has a slipper on, or at the very least a veruca sock, and it's faster. Why would anyone want the manual?

Then there's the kit - which has to be good given that a Vauxhall Astra VXR is a gnats proverbials quicker to 60mph and starting prices are a full £5,000 - yes five grand - cheaper. And it's a similar story with the Ford Focus ST and Alfa Romeo's GT.

So, to the kit. Gadgets like heat insulating tinted glass. Rain sensing wipers. Auto-dimming rear-view mirror. bi-Xenon headlights. All standard. All premium stuff. Oh, and don't forget the steering wheel which has had the bottom shaved from it to give you extra leg-room. That's attention to detail.

The dials are absolutely gorgeous in piercing blue and chrome too. What is a shame is that the sporty leather Recaro seats, multi-function steering wheel, CD autochanger - which should be a given on a £25,000 car, and one or two other creature comforts are additional extras.

The one thing that might peck away at my conscience having purchased an R32 would be a certain other hot-hatch - the Golf GTi. It's cheaper and, of course, its DNA is as close to the R32's as you can get.

So, to be or not to be? Depends how much you value exclusivity.

Let us know your thoughts on this article by registering and leaving your comments