Around three months have passed since I took the keys to our Volkswagen Golf GTD and its breadth of abilities continue to impressed me.

On recent work-related trips to Heathrow and Stoke from my west Norfolk home, the Golf was happy to cruise at 70mph for long distances, with low levels of exterior noise and a comfortable ride.

Its adaptive cruise control automatically slows and accelerates the car to the speed of the vehicles in front (up to a predetermined level), taking out a lot of stress of driving in motorway traffic.

As well as a motorway cruiser, the Golf has proved to be a good family car. My older brother and his family visited from Ireland over the Easter weekend with their children, so the Golf was utilised for taxi services.

There was plenty of room for the passengers I needed to transport, while the 380-litre boot was large enough to comfortably accommodate two suitcases, a child’s buggy and an assortment of coats. The Golf’s low boot lip and flat floor made loading and unloading straightforward.

Despite its family-friendly practicality, our Golf’s sporty character is always noticeable through how it handles, its styling and the performance produced by its 184hp engine.

As mentioned in previous reports, I’m a big fan of its optional Sport & Sound pack (£255), which allows you to accentuate the exhaust note above its normal sporty rasp to give it a real growl.

However, while the novelty has not worn off yet I am moderating my use of it – I tend to switch it off on long-distance journeys as it can become intrusive.

I also decided to switch it off when I went to play golf at a local club recently. Its entrance road goes past a number of holes and, as there were golfers waiting to tee off right by the roadside, I decided it was wise to switch to the much quieter ‘eco’ mode and not be the cause of any mis-hits as I rumbled slowly past.