Obligatory long-winded introduction:
I'm Dayv (pronounced like Dave), I live in the Washington D.C. area, and I've never owned a VW. I have fond memories of riding in Beetles and other VWs as a child (some of them in Germany), but was a Japanese car guy for the first decade-and-change of my car-buying life.
I used to drive a 1999 Integra GS-R hatchback, which I loved. When it started getting a bit long in the tooth, I decided to be more practical and frugal and got a 2009 Honda Fit Sport hatchback w/ manual transmission and nav (a build option they discontinued the next year). I love the passenger space, cargo room, versatility, and small size. I don't love the unsatisfying seats, cheap materials, squeaky interior, lack of a sunroof, missing bluetooth, and weak engine. I found myself saying that what I really wanted was an Acura version of the Fit... maybe turbocharged.
The real clincher for me was when I spent a week in Spain driving a rented BMW 1-series hatchback. It was the weakest diesel engine in the lineup and I'm not a big fan of RWD, but when I sat in my Fit after a week of road trips in a nicely built European hatchback, I immediately felt and saw the difference. I began reading reviews of new hatchbacks, looking for something with the driving satisfaction of my old Integra, the interior quality of that BMW, and the practicality (or close to it) of the Fit.
I started noticing VWs again in the 2000s, but I kept hearing very bad things about their reliability from friends who had them, especially the infamous coil pack issues. It seems like those times have passed now, from what I've heard. Still I had dismissed the GTI. I thought they were very boring in appearance and a bit overpriced, and I still had my old habit of focusing on Japanese cars.
Then two things happened: I started watching Top Gear, and I started running across reviews of the Golf R.
I'm sold now. The Golf R is almost everything I want (I'd prefer cloth seats and wish I could make a choice between DSG and manual -- I've always driven manual but find DSG intriguing) and one thing I didn't realize I wanted until recently: AWD.
The GTI really fits all my other criteria, but my chest-pounding reptile brain wants the R.
Now I just need to convince my wife that it's worth the price. Any advice on that front is greatly appreciated.