This… is the 2012 Volkswagen Golf 1.6 TDI BlueMotion Match. A car so relentlessly sensible, it’s basically the automotive equivalent of a Swiss watch. It doesn’t shout, it doesn’t show off, it doesn’t break down in a cloud of drama. It just… works. Under the bonnet is VW’s 1.6-litre TDI diesel with 105 bhp. Now, it won’t rip your face off — 0–60 takes a measured 10.7 seconds and it’ll top out at 118 mph. But here’s the party trick: up to 74 mpg combined. Which means you’ll spend more time driving it and less time getting to know the cashier at Shell. Insurance? Group 15. Manageable. ULEZ? Sadly not — being Euro 5 diesel, London will want its daily pound of flesh. When new, this Golf Match was about twenty grand. And for that money you got a spec list that makes it feel far posher than the name suggests: satellite navigation, heated seats, climate control, cruise control, front and rear parking sensors, Bluetooth, alloy wheels, and that famously solid VW cabin — built to survive the apocalypse and still feel tight. And here’s the clincher — the service history. Properly stamped at 19,075 miles, 28,662, 38,534, 48,076, 59,007, 72,019, 95,136, and 107,320. And just to round it all off, we’ll be servicing it again before it leaves us. So it’s not just sensible. The Golf is one of those cars everyone ends up owning at some point. Because it’s comfortable, economical, practical, and just as happy on the school run as it is devouring motorways. It’s the safe choice, yes. But in the best possible way.