The 2.0-liter turbo is very easily tunable with a software flash and the DSG transmission is a great compromise between automatic and manual--I can shift either with the lever or the paddles behind the steering wheel.
Mild understeer in corners, tight steering, minimal body roll in corners. The car is a perfect compromise between sporty and comfortable.
With the rear seats folded down, I have moved everything I own across the country twice--a 42-inch flatscreen TV, several enormous military duffel bags, several huge cardboard boxes, and two cats. The GTI swallows a ridiculous amount of cargo.
Dashboard materials and soft plastics, and seat fabrics easily blow away any other competitors. Everything else--Imprezas to Evolutions to Cobalt SS--all looks like a plastic rental car compared to the GTI.
