Once upon a time there lived a mighty little car called the Golf GTI MkI. Born in Germany in September 1975, it came at a very troubled time in the kingdom of the car enthusiast.

The fuel crisis had ravaged the world's carmakers like a swarm of Locusts and so the previous decades' yield of large lusty gas-guzzlers made way for small and efficient metal boxes. Fast cars went out of fashion along with the Turtles and Gary Glitter while petrolheads seemed doomed to a sterile wasteland of nondescript commuters.

No wonder the original GTI became such a hit. It proved that a small car could be fast, affordable and fun to throw around. Unfortunately and inevitably, the GTI grew up; it got bigger, heavier, quieter, safer and more refined and proportionately less nimble over the years.

Then the messiah returned. After stacking the 5th generation against its rivals in early 2005, we were chuffed to tell you that GTI had finally gotten its mojo back. Forget that it's even bigger and more refined than those pretenders it supersedes, cutting-edge engine and chassis wizardry make it the most dynamic GTI ever. When rounding up the most attainable PCOTY contenders, Golf GTI was a natural choice but first it would have to stave off the two other extremes on the hot hatch continuum.

The Ford Fiesta ST might be smaller, slower and less refined, but it's also a lot cheaper to buy - in fact its back to basics nature reminds us a lot of the original GTI. By this time next year, there will be a Polo GTI on this turf, but for now the Fiesta ST rules the roost.

Starting with what we like, the ST really looks great - that body kit and fat rubber give it a menacing stance without resorting to the ugly side of kitsch. Its 2-litre 16-valve engine gets it from 0-100 in 8.3 seconds and from 80-120 in 10.5 - perhaps laughable in PCOTY terms, but it's still very rapid for a mere R170 000 outlay. Added to that, the Fiesta ST handles like a hot hatchback should and it even makes the right noises.

For these reasons alone, we'd happily park one in our garage but there were a few other aspects that earned it some crosses next to its name. The dashboard looks like it was made by a company specialising in cheap plastic stationery and its ride is on the hard side. As enthusiasts, we'll happily forgive it for these transgressions in light of its price; but the fact that the footwell leaves no space to the left of the clutch and that the driver sits rather high proved terminally off-putting.

The Golf GTI plays in a far grander league and for R240 000, it ticks almost all the boxes and offers great value for what you're getting. Its unique styling kit gives it massive road presence and its 2-litre turbocharged FSI engine delivers the promised performance edge. It's the first turbo-charged direct-injection petrol engine ever and it works like a charm, providing seamless power from low down and fuel consumption that won't rape your petrol card even if there were another fuel crisis. With 17-inch wheels and lowered and stiffened suspension, it's agile through the corners while fully independent four-link rear suspension means it can do this and still ride comfortably. In fact, the GTI damps out the road shock surprisingly well, even over terribly lumpy stretches of asphalt like the R55 just outside Zwartkops.

The GTI's interior is both spacious and classy, with snob-grade textures and granite build quality and the bland overall design is partially relieved by alloy strips, a flat-bottomed steering wheel and distinctive instrument dials.

Getting to the gripes, the front seats could be more supportive and although they can be adjusted into a low position, this results in the dashboard and steering wheel towering above you, an unfortunate testament to the Golf's MPV-influenced design. As a package, the GTI is hard to beat, but it's not the Hercules or Achilles of the hatchback clan.

The Alfa Romeo 147 GTA and the Audi A3 3.2 stake this claim with the help of top-dog V6 power. Despite the Alfa being slightly quicker, the Audi is more talented all-round. Its quattro all-wheel drive trannie transmits all 184kW made by the 3.2-litre FSI V6 engine to the road with finesse and precision - whereas even its front-driven GTI cousin displayed some unwelcome steering movement under full boost.

Just a pity that the bulky AWD hardware and V6 engine add so much weight to the Audi, because this is where it loses the plot - in fact it was marginally slower than the GTI in all but the quarter mile test. Like the Golf, the Audi's interior is smart and practical and in Sportback guise it's almost like a mini-avant. When everything's weighed up, the Audi comes damn close, but costs too much more than the GTI to justify its small dynamic edge.

Some wise guy (or girl) once said that it's impossible to please all the people all the time - for the most part never a truer statement has been said. Yet, if there was a car that could please 99.9% of the people 99.9% of the time, GTI it is.