On a previous thread I sought advice on a new medium sized car to replace my Civic and ended up with a 2018 Golf.

It is a lovely car. Size wise its perfect with an enormous boot in a compact footprint. Sensible 16" wheels and a proven engine, albeit belt drive cam so will £600 or so every 4 years. Basic ergonomics are very good with heating, lighting and most other controls falling to hand on the dash or steering wheel. There is however a lot of technology and settings that need the touchscreen, a thick manual and a cup of coffee to configure but that's par for the course nowadays.

I am even finding the electronic handbrake OK and unobtrusive. I still would prefer a mechanical one, especially as I also drive my wife's car which isn't fitted with one.

As several people advised me the 125hp engine is all I need now that I have driven a few miles.. Subjectively it feels a fast as the Civic but I do miss the VTEC roar when flooring it.

At cruising speed the Golf seems noisier. Its a little bit of wind but mainly road. The tyres are Michelin Energy which shouldn't be noisy. Maybe once I turn on the radio, get some gear in the boot and stop my new car obsessiveness it won't be an issue.

Its just been serviced so I wont need to shell out for another year but that will be much more than the Honda which had unbelievably cheap main dealer service with free MoT and breakdown. The VW menu service charge is the usual oil change and checks and the major service is a fixed price but only changes filters if dirty and the plugs if required. It appears the price is the same whether these are done or not. Needless I will insist on all I'm paying for and it'll be off to an indie after the warranty expires.

Finally there is a damned annoying immediate issue. I got it home and found the lower boot floor with half an inch of water in it. It is deep in the bowels of the car but obvious to anyone checking the spare tyre pressure which they ticked off their sheet. Even more frustrating, Googling shows this is well known Golf issue so why don't they check properly? Its not as if the customer isn't going to find out. Hopefully its simply coming through the boot handle which is unbelievably designed to let water in and then drain away through a tube that is prone to fail. I await their service manager's call. My research suggests its less than an hour's work but I will keep quiet as to my diagnosis. Its their responsibility to fix whatever is amiss.