I only drive 50miles a day to and from work, some good country roads and this thing really make them enjoyable. I had an Abarth 500 before and whilst the exhaust note was better on that, as for the performance of the GTi, it's far better. The ride is smoother, the power is delivered far better, and overall, its a real step up and one I'm glad I made. The Abarth was certainly fun and quirky, but the GTi has surprised me with just how many looks it gets. I got mine in white with a sunroof and when cleaned up, it really looks sharp.
I've only had 135mph out of it which was on the autobahn in July on the way to watch Fortuna Dusseldorf vs Ipswich (UP the Tractor boys!!!)...I did a fair few miles that trip...going from Newark, down to Dover, onto Gent, Dusseldorf, back through Eindhoven and home. Four of us in the car, the arm rest made driving easier, and the four guys said they were comfortable throughout. The sunroof certainly helped driving in the cities also with it being near 30 degrees
This trip I averaged around 35mpg which I was pretty happy with, considering the weight and average speed 
The aggravating aspects...some very minor.
1) Seatbelts make a weird tapping noise up next to your head. I've tried adjusting the belt height, but makes no difference.
2) I dislike the way the light switches show in the drivers side window at night, right over the wing mirror.
3) Was pretty gutted they didn't put the GTi LED door sills on...
MY BIGGEST GRIPE...
The stereo. It seems really substandard to the rest of the car, as does the media system in general...Bluetooth cuts out often, it doesn't show the album artwork and tonight, it's packed up all together, says its playing songs but I'm getting no sound. Hopefully I'll find an answer after this.
OVERALL:
A really great car, I'd only be happier if the stereo stopped being a doorKNOB. Practical and economical when it needs to be...rapid and full throttle ride the rest of the time.
