By Tony Ng

Remember the times when your parents admonished you for not finishing your food because you'll end up with a pockmarked husband or wife?

Now that we're all adults, we realise what those warnings actually were.

They just didn't want us to waste food and money. Yet those words point more towards a culture of looks than anything else. Job interviews, first dates - which social setting does not require looks?

By that same token, I've never managed to reconciled myself with the Volkswagen Golf MkV.

It's a fantastic car alright, having sold 26 million units. But its family looks just didn't float my boat. It doesn't stand out enough.

Happily, VW seems to have resolved this problem in the Golf's sixth iteration. From the front the Mk V looks more gallant and less like a family hatch, thanks to those new Scirroco-esque headlamps.

Horizontal lines dominate throughout - from the front grille to the rear lamps (they take their inspiration from the Touareg). The end result? The Mk VI looks lower and wider even though the new and the old have roughly the same dimensions.

Things get even better inside. There's a premium feel about the whole cabin - from the steering wheel to the dash.

The driving position feels snug and warm while my passengers at the rear had nothing to complain about at all.

The infotainment system also gets an upgrade with a touchscreen interface while still maintaining its practicality.

Further advancing the viva la premium cause was the dedication VW went into making the cabin as silent as possible.

Twin seals on the doors, aerodynamic wing mirrors and even an acoustic-proof windshield! Quiet conversations could be held in the car with nary a problem. And with regards to that oft-mentioned tyre noise, I think there's nothing to shout about at all.

Handling skews towards comfort. You don't tuck a Golf into bends at high speeds. You go in with plenty of poise as your Golf's DSG box calmly shifts down.

To sweeten the deal, its fuel economy is also a conservative 6.0 litres/100km. And it's the same for both variants available: the 122bhp 1.4 TSI and the 160bhp sport variant.

Strangely, unless you know the difference between a Wellington alloy wheel and an Atlanta alloy wheel, there is hardly any differentiation between the two in terms of looks.

The new Golf may not be a huge technological leap as some may have already noticed. It has roughly the same innards as the Golf V.

But in terms of aesthetics and comfort, VW has taken another step forward. Which is probably quite important in our subtly looks-conscious society.

And I shall keep on finishing my rice in the hopes of even better-looking cars in the future.