Cheese, wine and men. Three things that, inarguably, improve with age.

Having spent a week with the 40-year-old VW Golf, the 1.4 TSI ACT to be precise, I've decided that it, too, is worthy of a place on that list.

VW's approach to the Golf has been one of evolution, rather than revolution, and the mkVII's DNA can easily be traced back to its 1974 origins. While the basic shape remains unchanged, the seventh generation's suit is much more crisp and modern in comparison to the previous model.

Although bigger than the car that it replaces, it is significantly lighter. That weight loss - something most of us who've hit middle age can only envy – means that this Golf is a sharper, leaner, but not meaner, driving machine.

The 1.4 turbo is a real delight. Under light loads the engine is inaudible from the cockpit and, even when you press on, you get nothing more than a pleasantly muted rumble disturbing the eerie silence. And it is eerie, particularly under 50mph, so well insulated from the outside world are the occupants. It’s a refined experience as well, the supple suspension isolates the occupants from all but the very worst British roads can throw at it, and wind and tyre noise is well suppressed.

Performance from the little turbocharged engine is excellent, and it pulls smoothly right across the range. Automatic stop start helps keep fuel consumption down but I would imagine that, on more than one occasion, other road-users were left wondering where my L plates were as the car lurched forward while I struggled with the system. It’s more likely to be an issue with the heft of my size 10s than the system itself so I’m going to reserve final judgment until I get another chance to try it out.

Another little trick the engine has up its proverbial sleeve is what VW calls Active Cylinder Technology (ACT) which shuts down two of its cylinders under light loads, firing them up again when more power is required. The transition between the two modes is seamless, the only clue is when 'eco' appears on the small digital display between the analogue dials.

Gear changes are barely perceptible, unless you've selected Sport mode which sharpens up throttle response markedly, thanks to the excellent dual clutch system.

Sport is one of four driving modes - the others being normal, eco and a custom setting - that alter the characteristics of throttle, steering and gearbox to deliver very different driving experiences, the choice of which I would imagine depends on whether you’re feeling frugal or flush, or feisty or flacid. Handling is excellent with the accurate and well-weighted steering offering the driver plenty of encouragement to exploit the huge amount of front-end grip.

It’s a car that’s as equally at home on tight and twisty B roads as it is on motorways.

Talking of motorways, one feature that many will find a real boon is the adaptive cruise control, which maintains a safe distance to the car in front. Fitted with the DSG transmission, the system will even stop the car, if necessary, and pull away again once the car ahead is on the move. It has its limitations, of course, but you’re only likely to discover what they are in situations where you shouldn’t have been using it in the first place.

Headroom is perfectly adequate front and rear but, as is to be expected in a car of this size, rear legroom is at a premium once you stick a couple of six-footers in the front. The seats are supportive, and the driving position nigh on perfect, but I would have appreciated a little more adjustment in the lumbar region.

Build quality is, as you’d expect, first rate. The dash is well laid out and uncluttered, despite the increasing number of gadgets and gizmos. The eight inch touchscreen (a £1,165 option on my car) is the hub of the infotainment system, providing access to sat nav, music – from usb, SD card or bluetooth devices – phone and vehicle information. The screen is clear and responsive while the interface is among the most intuitive I’ve encountered. A particularly nice touch, I thought, is the inclusion of a proximity sensor that detects an approaching hand, or any other part of the body that you might care to thrust at it, and launches an on screen menu.

The flat-bottomed steering wheel is adorned with an array of buttons to operate cruise control, phone and audio – perhaps too many when you consider how few buttons there are cluttering the dashboard – while the analogue dials are bold and clear.

With the rear seats in place the boot provides 605 litres of storage space. That’s enough room to squeeze almost two-thirds of an upright piano in. With the seats folded flat, that increases to 1,620 litres, or enough for a whole piano and a small pianist.

It’s difficult to find anything wrong with the Golf, simply because there isn’t anything. That’s not to say it's not without its imperfections, but they are few and far between. It does many things brilliantly, a few things well, and nothing badly. It’s comfortable, handsome – if a little conservative compared to some of its rivals – fun to drive and economical.

It might just be time to join the Golf club.

Golf GT 1.4 TSI ACT

PRICE FROM: £24,985

PRICE AS TESTED: £27,530

ENGINE: 1.4 with stop/start

TRANSMISSION: 7-speed DSG

ACCELERATION: 0-62mph 8.4 secs

MAXIMUM SPEED: 131mph

URBAN: 48.7mpg

EXTRA-URBAN: 68.9mpg

COMBINED: 60.1

CO2 EMISSIONS: 110 g/km

Visit volkswagen.co.uk for more information