The trend started in Europe, as I recall, and one of the first such pocket rockets, there or here, was the Volkswagen Rabbit (Golf) GTI. I fell under its spell, owning a new in-Canada-only '79 model in snazzy black, and it forever changed my perception of what fun a little hatchback could be.

Fast forward to today. The North American market has changed, with hatchbacks declining in popularity as most people are happy with trunks and fold-down seats. A few remain (the Acura Integra and Ford Probe come to mind), but the veteran in the ranks is the VW Golf. While most of the others have gone all swoopy, the Golf stays faithful to its original practical design and mechanical specification, with one small improvement. And that is the availability of the VR6 engine.

For those who have been on a tropical island for a couple of years, the VR6 is a unique six-cylinder design with an angle of only 15 degrees between cylinder banks, and a single cylinder head with two camshafts opening two valves per cylinder. Horsepower is a fairly modest 172, considering its 2.8 litre displacement, but the big story here is torque, a healthy173 lb-ft at only 4,200 rpm.

Now, the Golf so equipped isn't especially light, at 1,281 kg (2,824 lbs), in comparison to others in this class, but that kind of grunt so low down means you don't need to rev the thing to death to get impressive performance out of it. You are looking at reaching 100 kph (62 mph) in the 7.5 second range, but the real kick is in the seat of the pants; this Golf pulls in any gear in the mid-range, and is very easy to drive around town. And on the highway, fuel consumption is a very reasonable 7.5 l/100km (31 miles per US gallon) - on regular unleaded.

The GTI VR6 handles well, if not great. The suspension is Macpherson strut in front and independent torsion beam axle in the rear, not the last word in this era of multi-links, but it is "sport-tuned", according to VW. It's far from soft, but it could be a lot firmer, too. All that plus the comparitively short wheelbase yields a ride that most would call a bit "pitchy" at times, but certainly nimble and manoeuverable. There is some torque steer and steering lightness under acceleration, and large applications of throttle in first gear on uneven pavement will see this Golf hunting like a beagle on the scent.

Also, we'd like to see VW offer, if only as an option, a tire more performance-oriented than the "touring"-spec ones fitted to our Golf tester. But then, most people will be quite happy with the handling of the GTI VR6 just the way it is. For those who want more, the aftermarket beckons....

No one is likely to desire more in the way of standard equipment. This Golf comes fully equipped, with the likes of air conditioning, two air bags, ABS brakes, electronic differential lock, power sunroof, alarm and trip computer all part of the package. There are no options except for metallic paint, and automatic transmission is not available. Nor is a glovebox, it having been replaced by an airbag.

The interior environment is very pleasant from the enthusiast's point of view. The seats are the excellent fabric-covered Recaro-style ones that VW has been putting in Golfs since the aforementioned dark ages. They seemed exactly the same as the ones in my old Rabbit, just as comfortable and supportive, and in their latest application, adjustable for height. Ergonomically, the driving position is standard VW, which for me means that the wheel is rather far away from me and positioned high when the seat is adjusted all the way back. It's a subjective thing, I suppose; most people, especially those with shorter legs, may think it is just fine.

One aspect of the Golf, any model, that is measureably good is the interior room. That boxy design does result in lots of headroom, front and rear, and a rear seat that adults can conceive of sitting in for longer than a few minutes. The trunk is quite large, and with the rear seat folded down - in VW's unique way that enables the cushion to be folded forward and the backrest folded flat - it is very capacious indeed. Its utility is slightly compromised, though, by the bar between the shock towers, installed, no doubt, for body stiffness; you might not get that big-screen TV in there when you move.

The Golf GTI VR6 replaces the Corrado in the VW line-up. It's assembled in Mexico, with the engine and drivetrain still made in Germany. Given its origins, and presuming that cheap labour and transportation costs were part of the reason for building Golfs there, we have to admit we were a little surprised at the VR6's price tag. Taking it in the context of what its aforementioned competitors sell for - as much or more - it's not such a bad deal. Just seems like a lot for a little hatchback.

But the Volkswagen Golf GTI VR6 is surely a lot of hatchback. It's very well-equipped, practical, powerful, and comfortable. And the way it zips around, pulls hard in just about any gear with a pleasant growl, and does it all very stealthily is just plain fun. As a cure for depression, you need look no further.

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