2019 Ford Focus vs Volkswagen Golf

What's the difference?

You've got to feel for the marketing peeps at Ford tasked with cooking up a catchy one-word description for the new Focus Active.

The others models in the range are easier, of course. The Focus ST-Line? "Sportiness", says Ford. The Titanium trim? "Elegance", they shout.

But the Active? "It's like a hatchback, but with more capability..." It isn't quite as catchy, is it?

That capability they speak of arrives in the form of more ride height (30mm at the front and 34mm at the rear), as well as standard roof rails and two new drive modes, Slippery and Trail, which are designed to help the front-wheel-drive Focus better handle light off-road conditions like sand or icy roads.

But the weird thing here is that, for a car so focused on light off-roading, the place the Active really shines is glued firmly to the tarmac.

The Golf GTI is Volkswagen’s everyday superhero with a history that saw it as one of the pioneers (along with the Peugeot 205 GTi) of the hot hatch cult. Loved for being powerful yet still practical, small but not puny, the Golf GTI has been though seven generations in 44 years while receiving updates during each evolution.

As the end of 2018 neared Volkswagen updated the GTI for 2019 and we had the chance to drive it on the track and then live with it for a week.

So, what’s new for the updated Golf GTI? Is it better on the track or more suited to the road? Is it economical and what’s it like to drive day-in and day-out? We know and we want to tell you.