Golf is easily the best car in it's class believe me cause i have "studied" the competition (Astra, Focus ect.). The rivals sell cheaper cause they don't have the overall quality of a VW. the paint is the best among the non luxury brands, the seats have the best support and are the most comfortable for long trips (even in my wife's Polo i have sat for 5 hours driving without feeling tired unlike any other car in the segment) ect.
VW means quality with capital letters. And i hope noone mentions reliability cause again compared to French and American (Opel, Ford) competition , Golf is still much better (although not as good as Honda or Toyota which on the other hand are very basic and cheap in built materials).