Thought I'd start the ball rolling, as I went for a few test drives today (I am thinking about buying a new car). Conditions started out wet, then gradually dried out. Feel free to ask questions, and please add your own impressions.

Golf GT TDI manual (less than 50Km) 2.0 125Kw TDI
Drove OK, some initial turbo lag, then gets going at about 2,000rpm. Plenty of torque, good acceleration (revs well), quiet at cruise. Fairly restricted rev band compared with the turbo petrol motors. (and yes, I have a Transporter with a 2.5l TDI motor, so I know how to drive a diesel on the torque band).

Golf GTI manual (1,200Km) 2.0 TFSI 147Kw
Loved the response and power of the motor, good gearchange, nice supportive seats (but might be a bit tight if you are on the "solid" side). Ride was a bit jiggly/lumpy on less smooth roads. Handles well, nice feeling of connection with the car. The most fun to drive, but also probably the one most likely to blemish my "clean" driving record

Octavia RS Wagon manual (1,400Km) 2.0TFSI 147Kw
Best ride of these 4 (more absorbant, less jiggly and lumpy), more refined feeling than the others, less sporty, less involving and fun. Motor felt a bit soft, particularly at higher revs (nowhere near the zing of the GTI, despite both supposedly having the same motor). Good seats, with a bit more room but less support than the GTI seats.

Octavia manual hatch (20Km) 1.8TFSI 118Kw
Very, very impressive engine, pulls well at low revs, lifts well at higher revs, quiet the whole time. Noticed the engine seemed to lurch a bit when I backed off the accelerator a bit quick, has anyone else noticed this ? The ride was a bit jiggly (nowhere near as good as the RS), this on standard suspension and 16 wheels. Seats were pretty orinary compared with the other 3. Would be good to try out this engine with the sports suspension (supposedly the same as the RS suspension, but with 17" wheels instead of the 18" wheels the RS comes with, but the dealer said they won't get one until March 2008.

Overall impression - Cars have certainly progressed a lot in the 15 years since I last bought a new sedan ! The brakes were very sensitive in all 4 (I had to drastically re-educate my right foot). I liked the GTI best as a driving experience, but the RS wagon was probably the most practical for my purposes (and rode a lot better). The perennial head vs heart debate I don't do many kms per year (mostly around town) so fuel economy isn't a big deal, but I do tend to keep my vehicles for a long time (typically 10 years or more), so I try to only buy ones I like enough to keep.

I would like to try a different RS out to see if it's engine performed more like the GTI I drove (I was promised that the GTI I drove had NOT been chipped ). Comments anyone ?