Thrill-seeking car enthusiasts are no different than you and I. Like us, they search for safety and comfort when it comes to selecting their car. The only difference is that they have a hankering for an occasional adrenaline rush. Enter the Volkswagen Golf GTI.

If you’re thinking about purchasing a GTI, here are three things you need to know:

• There is only one Volkswagen GTI

Since the day after VW introduced the original Golf GTI back in 1976, many other carmakers have attempted to copy the car but in all this time, it has never been duplicated.

To buy and own a GTI is to belong to an exclusive group of driving enthusiasts who understands that it is possible to drive an affordable no-compromise sporty automobile.

• Performance does not come at the expense of efficiency

And by no-compromise, we do mean exactly that. The standard turbocharged 2.0-litre 4-cylinder engine packs 228-horsepower and 258 lb.-ft. of torque. Despite this kind of power, the GTI can return an 8L/100km fuel economy average. No matter the selected transmission, be it the standard 6-speed manual or the optional 7-speed DSG automatic, the GTI will eagerly cruise about without fuss.

Should you, however, require that shot of adrenaline, the GTI will happily reveal its high-performance capabilities with blistering acceleration and impressive handling capabilities.

• It is the one car that can do it all

It’s the weekend and you just completed a track event in your GTI. The car performed flawlessly. The powerful brakes held up, the car’s limited-slip differential and perfect chassis dynamics once more proved to you that the GTI is a sublime driver’s car.

It’s now Monday morning and you’re stuck in traffic on your way to the office. The comfortable and well-appointed interior keeps you at ease and entertained thanks the standard 8-inch touchscreen display and app-connect. In fact, you’re late for your first morning meeting but you still participate via Bluetooth and because the cabin remains quiet even once traffic lets up and you speed up to get to work.

The Volkswagen GTI is just as comfortable tackling the daily commute as it is carving up apexes at the track. It can also take four of your co-workers to lunch with you to make up for being late…