Nice to hear some of the views. I too think its more about the driving involvement but... also...how it makes you feel. Sitting low with something that has small windows, a cascading like dash and a nice sound makes you feel special... sitting in a focus or a civic that's high and full of bumpers...makes me feel silly to an extent. Although on hold now I was preparing to replace the Z with a 4.2 XKR (2008) and its old...and hatches are faster (to 60 at least anyway) but I have had the fortune to drive one. And yes there are better things, better gearboxes but for an average joe even from a Z...it makes you feel brilliant, what a car...and that's whats missing from hot hatches...you get a bit of excitement but eventually you'll turn round to your dash and realise, its just a Golf...