Road Test : New Volkswagen Scirocco
Kevin Haggarthy tests the latest version of a hot hatch original that took the performance car world by Storm
Kevin Haggarthy tests the latest version of a hot hatch original that took the performance car world by Storm
Many readers won’t be old enough to remember the old VW Scirocco – but those of you who are, will remember that it took the hot hatch world by storm – literally – as the VW Scirocco Storm was regarded as the ultimate hot hatch of its day. If you had a Storm in the mid 80s, you knew your stuff and respek was definitely due.
And now its back, and ready to repeat its assault on the performance hatch world. The problem with the Scirocco of old is that visually, it was hardly a talking point. At a time when hot hatch Fords and Renaults were boasting big wings and spoilers the Scirocco was bland to the point of boring. Not the new car, at last Volkswagen are becoming more courageous and confident with more dynamic styling, -check out the new Passat - and the new Scirocco is a show stopper at every point, with heads turning galore. That alone will boost sales.
Whats more, the Scirocco is a healthy £1,000 cheaper than the new Golf, making the proposition even more attractive. As many Golf owners will testify, a VW is always a confident proposition when you’re using your own money. The Golf, for example, takes on average three times longer to build than a Ford Focus and the build integrity on just about every point of detail on a VW shows. Hence the Scirocco feels sturdy and well built both inside and outside, representing good value for your hard earned cash. It is a quality product, reliable, and durable.
on the road
On the road, the Scirocco feels lighter to drive than a Golf and equally spacious up front if less so in the rear, with rear headroom just about acceptable to my 6 ft frame, no doubt to accommodate those beautiful sweeping lines. Rear vision is compromised by the small rear screen and the ‘A’ pillars up front are big enough to genuinely obscure spotting the odd pedestrian should your concentration lapse a little.
Yet the Scirocco is a great drivers car, and you’ll be itching to get behind the wheel to have some serious fun. The gearchange is a beautifully weighted joy, as is steering feel, and the suspension has the new added advantage of settings for Sport, comfort and performance providing the best of all worlds. The 2.0 litre Turbo intro model is based on the same block as the Golf GTi and performs with equally smooth and progressive power. In real world driving conditions it is just about as quick as the big 3.2 R32 Golf, but won’t compete with the Golf at higher touring speeds, and neither with its mid-range grunt.
Volkswagen are producing some excellent cars these days, and the new Scirocco is by far the most exciting yet.
Prices start at £18,790 for 1.4 litre TSI, and the 2.0 litre petrol and 2.0 litre diesel common rail are all on sale now, and can be expected to be on the roads by early 2009, whilst the 2.0 litre turbo tested here is showroom ready now.
Price: £20,940
Engine 1984 cc Turbocharged 16v 4 cylinder
Power: 197 bhp `@ 6,000 rpm
0-62 – 7.1 seconds
Top Speed 145 mph
Average Consumption 37.2 mpg (manual)
(This article was printed in The Voice Newspaper October 2008 )
Kevin Haggarthy
Ends.
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