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First, some words of warning: put on your best leather driving gloves, belt up, check your mirrors, adjust your seat, and make yourself comfortable. It’s the longest post so far…

I’m so glad that I don’t drive every day, which, if you know me, is very strange. This is because I like cars so much. I always have done, since I was young. I used to really enjoy my driving, even to the extent of going the ‘long way home’, adding endless miles to even the shortest of journeys. But that was before the advent of nose-to-tail traffic jams, rigorously-imposed speed limits, and the school of driving on the right-hand side of a motorway, even when the left-hand lane is empty.

Yesterday however, I had an appointment to keep, and after a good thirty minutes trying to defrost the car after a very severe frost (sitting in the car with a freshly boiled kettle at one point, as the inside of the windscreen was frozen), I was underway.

In my role of editor of the VW Polo Register newsletter, I receive an annual invite to regional driving activities organised by the lovely people at the Volkswagen UK Press Office. Usually, these take the form of arriving at a Midlands-based country house, and driving the latest models, or those which have recently been revised, around the local area. Refreshments are provided too, with a break for lunch, and as much tea and coffee as you can drink.

There is normally a Polo or two included in the list of cars attending on the invitation, but, these days are also a nice opportunity to drive other models which I usually wouldn’t be able to, or to test the latest engine technologies.

Yesterday’s event was at the very impressive Rushton Hall, a short distance from Corby. The weather was pretty much perfect for this time of year; dry with big blue skies. Upon arrival, the venue appeared even more upmarket with the parking of a large helicopter on the front lawn.

After saying ‘hello’ to Allison, Angus, Louise, Nikki, and Paul, I discovered that true to the invitation, there were to be no Polos in attendance. No matter though, as the prospect of the Golf GTI Edition 30, Eos V6, revised Touran, and revised Touareg, still saw me driving the 100 miles anyway. I can’t say that I didn’t feel the tiniest twinge of guilt though. Priding myself of my green credentials, even I knew that a day spent driving wasn’t going to do my environmental points score any good.

However, I sought to drive at least models which were designed with improved fuel economy in mind. The most obvious, and the one which I thought may have been the reason for my invitation, the Polo BlueMotion, sadly wasn’t in attendance. But, I was determined to seek out at least two models to drive which would assuage any guilt that I harboured.

One of these eco-friendly cars wasn’t going to the be the Golf GTI Edition 30 though. An all-out performance car, it was launched in January, to celebrate 30 years of the Golf GTI in the UK. Billed as ‘a fitting tribute to the iconic hot hatch’, it develops 228bhp, and is a limited-edition model, with only 1,500 being sold. An average modern-day small car such as a Fiesta or Polo, develops around 75bhp, so the Edition 30 promised to be a real road rocket.

And so it proved. Very, very quick, with involving handling, it was the most exciting car of the day. Feeling very low and almost tied down, it could be a full-size slot car. With 30bhp more from its turbocharged engine than the standard GTI, and lots of fancy add-ons, it certainly does the legendary badge no harm, and has already won praise from the motoring press.

Starting at £22,295, manual and DSG (direct shift gearbox) semi-automatic versions were available to test. The DSG option is very clever, as the gearbox holds the next gear after the one which is being used ready for change, but for all its dual-clutch frippery and shorter-than-human gear change time boasts, for me, a manual will almost always be better. So, the day was off to an exciting and fun start.

I hadn’t driven an Eos before, so the £28,400 V6 Sport which came next spoiled me a bit. Launched here in July of last year, it is a newcomer to the four-seat coupe convertible market, and Volkswagen’s first foray into the field. A five-piece folding roof also means that it has a glass tilt and slide sunroof; the only car in its class to do so. That roof is also fully-powered, and only takes 25 seconds to transform the car from snug tin-top to open cruiser.

The Sport is the top trim level, and the 248bhp V6 the top engine variant, so the car promised much. The test car’s colour did it no favours, but colour was of no interest to me; I just wanted to see how the roof worked.

I’d driven a New Beetle Cabriolet at another of these events in the past, and it lived up to all my open car expectations. Not having much experience of roofless cars and driving, an open car really does let the outside in, and the Eos was no exception.

Driving through the stone cottage-lined chocolate box lanes of Northamptonshire was truly exhilarating; the birdsong making itself heard above the sonorous V6 engine, and the road-crossing pheasants seemingly much closer than they would have been in a closed car. I found the suspension too soft though, for a car billed as a ‘Sport’, and would have preferred a firmer setup. Overall though, very refined, very desirable, and A+ for effort.

Lunch was followed by a more lengthy blast in the DSG-equipped GTI Edition 30. There was time for nature too, with a short stopover at the nearby Rutland Water nature reserve. It really was the perfect antidote to a day spent driving. The waves lapped the shore, the sun glistened on the surface of the water, and the peace was very welcome.

The revised Touareg came next. Another first, as I had never driven a version of VW’s mud-plugger. Due to hit showrooms on March 1, the most expensive diesel model, comes in at £54,770. However, the Touareg SE V10 TDI has no normal diesel engine; I think I was kidding myself that it was eco-friendly. With a capacity of five litres, 311bhp, and torque of 553lbs ft, I don’t know about a tow car; you could tow entire villages with it. It may have luxury gadgets, wood trim, giant-slaying pulling power, but it wasn’t my sort of car.

Spirited driving was hampered in extremes by a rolling body, and although the high-up visibility was welcome (anything that makes you seem taller when you aren’t blessed with height is good), it didn’t push my buttons. And, at one point, the on-board computer displayed 17.3mpg. Not eco-friendly at all.

Finally, a brace of Tourans rounded off the day. Again, not having driven this model before, the pair would only serve to bolster my understanding of Volkswagen’s wide and diverse range. A compact MPV based on the Golf, and initially launched in 2003, like the Touareg, revised styling means it can face its competitors with a new-found confidence.

Never a fan of the bland old styling, I think the new one does look fresher, but, as with the revised Touareg, it does look facelifted. The chrome grille is the biggest culprit, the styling not looking resolved enough, the addition of the new nose appearing as an afterthought. However, looks deceive; these two were the biggest surprises of the day.

I don’t know if it was my expectations, but a compact family-friendly MPV just doesn’t say sporty drive to me. But, guess what? That’s exactly what they felt like. The first, the £18,235 SE TSI, showcases another of Volkswagen’s new engine technologies; called a ‘twincharger’ unit, it features both a mechanically-driven supercharger and a exhaust-driven turbocharger.

Offering a high level of performance and economy, the 1.4-litre engine develops 138bhp, and, coupled to a six-speed manual gearbox, felt surprisingly quick, tied down, and just generally sporty. I was very pleasantly surprised. The £21,060 Sport 2.0 TDI felt much the same, but with more pulling power in the low and mid-ranges. It was surprising, but these two bowled me over. If I was in the market for a small MPV, the new Touran would certainly make my shortlist.

A final cup of tea, a chat about old Russian aviation technology, and numerous ‘goodbyes’ saw me on my way home. It’s mostly the case with press cars that they come loaded with extra trinkets, and the ones at this event were no exception. This can skew your perspective; it’s not until you glance at the information sheet in every test model that you realise exactly what you’re paying for. Current list prices for all of Volkswagen’s range can be found here.

Overall though, an enjoyable day. Even though I have been a Volkswagen fan for as long as I can remember, and the cars offered have changed beyond all recognition since I started driving, 2007’s range is as good and as varied as it has ever been, with seemingly something for everyone. But, for my 160-mile round trip work journeys, I’ll let the train take the strain. When it can.

If only so I don’t become a member of the bad driving standards community.