Practicality is one of the Golf’s strengths and our GTD’s luggage capacity was put to the test during a recent family holiday.

With a standard boot capacity of 380 litres (up from 350 litres in the previous model) the Golf is on a par with the Vauxhall Astra and ahead of rivals the Audi A3 (365 litres) and the BMW 1 Series (370 litres). Top in this class though is the Skoda Octavia, which has a capacity of 590 litres), and the same engine as the Golf GTD with the VRs model.

The Golf comes with a 60/40 split folding rear seat, which extends the boot capacity to a generous 1,270 litres. With four adults travelling we were not able to take advantage of this feature but we were still able to comfortably fit two large suitcases, a medium size suitcase, a small suitcase and a rucksack in the boot thanks to being able to lower the boot floor to create more height.

The Golf has several other practical features, including a pair of bag hooks in the boot, a handy compartment for storing your phone, a deep storage compartment beneath the front armrest and generous, flock-lined door pockets – as noted in our previous GT TSI long-termer.

Passengers also enjoy more room as the Golf is now longer (by 56mm) and wider (by 13mm).