Not a huge fan of the more modern Golf GTIs. Give me a Mk. I, a 16V Mk. II or a Mk. III VR6 any day. They may all be slower, but they just have bags more charm.
They drive beautifully, I'm sure, and would be a load of fun, yet I can't help but feel that since the Mk. IV, most people just buy GTIs because they're the top-of-the-line Golf, not because its an excellent driver's car. Hell, the only reason they don't go for an R32/R is just because of the insane prices, although I do still think modern VWs in general are just way over priced anyway. Getting slowly bigger and heavier over time hasn't really helped its case either. Meh from me.