I'll play. It's a hot hatch, like it's always been (ok the Mk3 with the 115 hp "2.slow" motor was barely lukewarm, but I digress). With 228 hp to the front wheels (or whatever the figure is today), and the quick 0-60 times, it definitely fits that description IMHO. Time gives us more safety features, a more rigid platform, more technology (good things) but also counters with more weight, less driver involvement (fly-by-wire throttles, electric-assist PS racks, etc) and those are negatives to some degree.
So does that make it a "driver's car" of any kind? In my mind, yes. Stuff like rev hang, turbo lag off the line that can be tuned away, and other "modern" issues that come up with all the advancements today's cars have (don't get me started about electric power steering) do take away some of the fun. But overall, hot hatches have never been better.
What I don't understand, as a guy old enough to have bought a Mk1 GTI new back in the day, is the desire to turn a FWD hot hatch into a 12-second dragster with a voided warranty and no real way to properly put big power numbers to the ground. That boggles my mind, but hey, whatever floats one's boat.
Eh. The whole reason I rolled for a GTI was I figured I wouldn't have to mod or tune it at all. Apparently, this car requires more correction than any other I've driven in order to make it work properly.
Normally, you mod a car and make it worse; or at least purpose-built like my Rover. I feel like I have to mod/tune this car to make it what it was advertised to be out of the box.
As it is, the Mk7.5 GTI is about as involving as a Cadillac DTS... Unless that recall wasn't performed and casts some ancient voodoo spells on every system with which I interact, all at once.
We'll see if Uncle Sam is right. He says there are no recalls that haven't been done.