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What is it?
This is Volkswagen’s reborn Scirocco. Thirty-four years after Geogetto Giugiaro penned the original, Volkswagen is bringing back its affordable front-wheel drive Golf-based coupe in the form of a contemporary styled three-door hatchback. It is Volkswagen’s first truly dedicated coupe since the Corrado went out of production in 1995.
The Scirocco will be built in Portugal alongside the Eos and is planned to go on sale in the UK in early September. Detailed pricing is yet to be announced, although the range topping 197bhp turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol model driven here is tentatively set to wear a £20,600 price tag according to local Volkswagen officials, making it cheaper than the Golf GTi.
Volkswagen is planning four other engines for the Scirocco, but not all will be available from the outset. These include 120bhp turbocharged 1.4-litre and 158bhp turbocharged 1.8-litre petrol units along with a pair of 2.0-litre common-rail diesels with 138bhp and 168bhp.
All Scirocco engines will be mated to a six-speed manual gearbox as standard, though many buyers are expected to go for the optional double-clutch gearbox.
The Scirocco leans heavily on Volkswagen’s 2006 IROC concept with a racy silhouette that is equal parts coupe, shooting brake and hatchback all rolled into one contemporary design. The gaping single frame grille has been replaced by a much simpler unit first alluded to in the one-off Golf W12-650.
Inside is a cabin shared with the Eos, including the dashboard which has been taken over from Volkswagen’s folding hardtop cabriolet with only minor alterations. It is a safe, functional and quality environment, with lots of soft touch plastic, aluminium look trim and other tidy design touches.
The shallow windows and supportive front seats set up a feeling reminiscent of the Audi TT, albeit in more conservative surroundings. The heavily tapered effect to the glasshouse over the rear wheels does restrict rear vision, however.
Questions about the Scirocco’s ability to accommodate rear seat passengers in any comfort arise the moment you clamp eyes on its plunging roofline. Thread yourself behind the front seats, though, and you discover there is more room than there seems at first.
The hard shell seat backs with integrated head rests also ensure rear seat passengers don’t have to worry about the rear hatch being closed over their heads, as happens in the Audi TT. Boot space is 295 litres – 60-litres less than in the Golf GTi, but it is extendable to 755-litres when the rear seats are folded forward.
What’s it like?
In many ways the VW Scirocco is better than a Golf GTi. It can’t match Volkswagen’s enduring hot hatch for all-round practicality or interior space – particularly the five-door model.
But the Scirocco is the sharper drive, and for many prospective buyers that will be the clincher. We’re yet to drive it on proper roads for any great length of time but a 10-lap thrash around the Nurburgring as part of its final validation test prior to the commencement of European sales this summer proved the new coupe fully lives up to the reputation of earlier Scirocco models.
Underpinning the new car is Volkswagen’s PQ35 platform, as found beneath the Golf GTi, with which the Scirocco shares its 2578mm wheelbase. Engineers have bolted on extra wide tracks from the Passat CC, measuring 1569mm up front and 1575mm at the rear.
In the UK, 17-inch wheels will be standard. However, a performance package will offer the option of 18-inch rims and, for those seeking extra bling who don’t mind trading off a little ride comfort, there will be 19-inch items as well.
The Scirocco suspension, a combination of MacPherson struts up front and multi-link arrangement at the rear, has also been reworked with Volkswagen’s new electronic damping system as standard across the range. Providing constant changes in damping, it offers the driver the choice of three different programs: comfort, normal and sport. As well as altering the stiffness of the damping, it changes the degree of electronic assistance acting on the steering. It also affects the throttle mapping.
The top-of-the-line Scirocco engine is not the same as that found in the Golf GTi, despite the apparent on-paper similarities. Developed under the codename EA888, it is slightly lighter than the more familiar EA113 unit and has a stiffer block for improved NVH properties.
The engine combines lusty low-end flexibility with an uninhibited feel at the business end of the dial, it feels equally at home surfing along on its low-end torque in taller gears as it does when being wound out to the redline in shorter ones. There is no obvious lag when you get on the throttle, with proper shove building just above idle and remaining strong until the onset of the rev limiter at 6500rpm.
Accompanying it all is an alluring sound: a tuneful but far from overbearing combination of induction and exhaust blare mixed in with an occasional waistgate whistle as you step off the throttle.
At 1298kg, the VW Scirocco is comparatively light, helping it to a an official 0-62mph time of 7.2sec. As with the Golf GTi, though, it is its in-gear performance that really stands out. There are no official figures yet but Volkswagen hints its new coupe will boast a 30-70mph time of around 6.0sec. Top speed is 146mph.
It doesn’t take long to realise the Scirocco is a sharper driving tool than the Golf GTi. The two may share a good deal of their underpinnings, but the new coupe immediately comes across as being more sure footed than its hatchback sibling. For a start, it is lower and has a lower centre of gravity.
From the driver’s seat, you are also aware at the stiffness engineered into the steel body shell. Despite the beating dished out around the legendary Nordschleife – a place where VW engineers say 6,000 miles is the equivalent of 60,000 miles on normal roads - it feels extremely taut.
The steering is characteristically light at low speeds but imparts a terrific feeling of stability at speed. The electro-mechanical set-up weights up well with a nice linear action when you move away from the straight ahead and shows no torque steer under hard acceleration. What it does lack, though, is feel.
The Scirocco is an enjoyable car to hustle quickly: threading it through the tricky sections on the Nurburgring with a late stab on the brakes was highly engaging. The biggest breakthrough is the excellent composure engineered into the ride. With the active damping system constantly altering the damping characteristics, the Scirocco feels mature and settled.
Carry too much speed into a corner and it understeers; step away from the throttle and it tightens its line, at which the rear end remains resolutely stable. It never asks too much of the driver, remaining predictable even when you over-drive it. It also appears to have the speed to challenge the best of the competition - and perhaps more importantly, the stability to go with it.
Should I buy one?
If the VW's Golf GTi takes your fancy, don’t commit before you drive the Scirocco. Not only does it look a good deal better, it is also a better drive. The only reason why you might be put off is its relative lack of boot space. Although with the rear seats folded down, it’s got enough space to satisfy most.
Attempting to revive an iconic car like the Scirocco was never going to be easy. But Volkswagen has succeeded in taking all the likeable qualities of the original and updating them in a way that provides the new car with a contemporary look and feel, while providing it with genuinely sporty performance.
Volkswagen Scirocco - Road Test First Drive - Autocar.co.uk
M
Looking forward to see it in showrooms
