Pick a winner? Phew. You want one? There's a clear price walk here, from the high 20s of the Golf to the mid 30s of the 1 Series and finally the AMG, which starts at £38K but can be specced to a price starting with a five if you so wish.
On value for money the Golf probably wins it, likewise on ticking the greatest number of boxes across the widest spectrum of potential scenarios in which you'd use it. Yup, shock conclusion there... What impresses further though is its ability to punch way harder than 230hp would suggest - it's 150kg lighter than the BMW and 200kg less than the Merc and that counts for more on the road than it does on the spec sheet. There's also that beyond the limit ability the GTI Performance pack brings. You need to work hard to find it but once you do the GTI proves itself formidable.
Price advantage? Well that narrows when you consider the actual money many are paying for their M135is. And the BMW feels from a class above, both in terms of the cylinder count and interior feelgood factors. Big car comfy on the motorway but a button push away from B-road hooliganism, it's got an incredible range of ability too.
And, finally, for hair on fire mentalism you've got to hand it to AMG. The A45 is an extraordinarily accomplished first step into a brave new world for a brand associated with big V8s and tuned up saloons. And the best at contriving proper purist driving thrills into this synthesised modern age.
The winner? A cop out possibly but it's got to be us. We've never had such a diverse range of technology and ways to apply it. Or been able to go so fast for such relatively modest money. All three of these cars would embarrass supposedly hardcore performance cars of just a few years back. Mix and match to your heart's content...
