New car lights always seem better because the reflectors haven't had time to degrade.
And just because headlights on other cars seem brighter, they might not actually be any good for driving with... It's as much about being seen as being able to see. It's also quite clever marketing wank as it makes people think their perfectly good lights are inadequate when compared to something that looks super bright on a newer car. Think Peugeot headlights in the late '90s when they switched to clear lenses.
Xenon lights have been readily available from 1996.
Led lights look shiny but they're not very effective in my experience unless you measure light performance by how much it dazzles oncoming traffic

I would suggest anything with active curve xenons over LED. Change the bulbs for quality non chinesium ones sourced from somewhere reliable.
Consider also that if you're often carrying a load on long journeys then self levelling suspension is a must. This not only improves headlight performance by keeping the car level, it also makes the suspension last longer. The Golf platform is particularly bad in this regard as the estate variations have the same suspension as the 3 door cars so any weight will see the headlights reflecting off the sky.