EVERY now and then comes along a car which knocks your socks off ...

well the new Golf R is one such and your socks might not be the only thing you'll lose as this little scorcher will attract the attention of PC Shiny Buttons at about the same rate as bramble jam attracts bees.

A replacement for the R32, which used a 3.2-litre lump to put 246 horses under the bonnet, the R is a little more environmentally friendly and instead uses the standard VW 2.0 four-pot configuration as used in the GTi which produces just under 220 bhp. The only difference is that a modified cylinder head, exhaust valves, valve seats and springs, pistons, injection valves and turbocharger, allows it to head north of that to 296 bhp (or 300PS if you want to be all metric).

For me, the Golf R has been the best vehicle I've driven in 2014. It has a lunatic amount of power, which it manages to cope eminently well with thanks to the application of VW's 'sedative', the 4Motion four-wheel-drive system. Also, it is just as happy being driven in 'little old lady' manner, as much as by a foot-stomping yobbo like oneself.

That because you can dial in what kind of performance you want from the on-board computer, everything from 'Comfort', to 'Normal', to 'Eco', to the one we're all going to choose right off the bat and that's 'Race' mode! And race it does as choosing this ramps up the suspension, tweaks the power output and gives the engine a growl that is nothing like a four cylinder at all.

If you are of a mind, you can also fine-tune the settings in 'Individual' mode, but as I find answering a mobile phone just about as techie as I can get, then I never actually tried to play with that.

The timed run of zero to 62 mph takes 5.1 seconds in the manual version as tested, or a supercar-beating 4.9 seconds with the excellent and optional DSG gearbox. But, despite this performance, a combined fuel consumption of 39.8 mpg (40.9 mpg DSG) is possible and this means that it is around 18% more efficient than its predecessor.

The main reason that the Golf R never goes 'aff its heid' is that it has the benefit of a fifth-generation Haldex 4Motion four-wheel drive system. Under low loads or when coasting, the rear axle is decoupled, helping to reduce fuel consumption. Drive to the rear axle can be engaged in fractions of a second via the Haldex coupling, which is actuated by an electro-hydraulic pump. Almost 100% of power can be transferred to the rear axle.

A word of warning, though, for those with dodgy farm roads. The ride height is 20 mm lower than the standard Golf's and 5 mm lower than the GTI's - so get the road fixed before you buy!.