Now now, remember the 1998 Top Gear where Clarkson put the Mk IV up against the Peugeot 306 GTi-6 (of blessed memory)? The Pug wiped the floor with the Golf on all fronts, but Clarkson gave the bout to the Golf because - it came in a 5-door option!
I had to get a 5-door this time, first time ever, because of changed circumstances meaning that I actually have passengers in the back more than once a year. It drives me nuts, because I'm so used to having access to the back seat area through the driver's door, and having to open a different door is a pain in the backside. In a way, too, it makes me feel that the car isn't my own exclusive transport because it's set up to, OK, be a taxi.
But it really is worth it when you have to carry actual people in the back seats, as opposed to assorted cargo.
And the difference in looks isn't so much, when you really get down to it.
Rolfe.