A genuine real-world giant

Read this test in Drive Magazine.

I’ve read a lot about the VW Scirocco of course, it’s been around for a while after all. Last month Phuti compared it favourably against the new Golf 6 GTI, a car which is technically quicker with its brand-new suspension, clever electronic diff and gruntier turbo motor. Bruce adored the drive at the launch a few months back, even going so far as to suggest it is the chariot after the mystical fairy godmother had done her thing, compared to the pumpkin, relating to a stock Golf GTI…

But all this good press notwithstanding, I’m going to go out on a limb here. I’ve only had the car for a couple of days now, and I’m compelled to begin this review with the conclusion, and it’s one which many are likely to contest…

That conclusion is this: the VW Scirocco 2.0 TSI is the best car in the world.

All right, quit the clamouring and listen for a moment.

I’m not saying it’s the greatest car in the world right now, that’s a whole different connotation after all, nor the fastest (we can hardly deny the existence of extreme family member Veyron) nor even the prettiest (that Merc SLS coming up next year might grab that particular accolade), as of course the Scirocco really can’t compete at this sort of stratospheric level. And yet…

I’m saying that it’s the best car in the world, and more specifically it’s the best car in the world for an average Joe with even a hint of petrol in their veins – someone with an average-sized wallet, regular daily commitments, maybe even a small family, but who also wants something which triggers absolute driving excitement.

Look R330K is a fair deal of cash to spend on your car admittedly, but you will not get this combination of pure thrill factor for that kind of money anywhere without dipping into the helter-skelter second-hand market. Seriously. And yes you can quickly  spec a R400K-plus Scirocco when you start including supposedly must-have accessories from the options list, but these things are superfluous to the driving experience really.

In fact the base Scirocco comes without some niceties you might expect in a sporty car of this price. There aren’t any satellite controls for the audio system for instance. Both Satnav and a panoramic sunroof are rather costly options. In fact the interior is comparatively plain, although you do get full leather, dual-zone climate and electric everything (well, bar the seat adjustment naturally).

On the outside, this range-topping version turns gorgeous 18” Interlagos rims, which are just mesmerising in their turbine-blade beauty. And even more ridiculously jaw-dropping, is the metalwork. All of it. It’s just a breathtaking shape. Compact, lithe, with a sporty low roofline and wide track, perfectly accentuated by the generous hips and blistered arches which those rims so purposefully engorge.

So lovely is this shape that despite the plain-Jane VW badge on the bonnet, walking up to or away from the car yields strong emotional reactions. It is every inch the mini-exotic, and you get a special sort of warm and fuzzy feeling just knowing that you’re going to be the one stepping up to and into it, and blasting away into the distance without a care in the world.

You may think I’m exaggerating this, but spend a day in the car and just watch the gazes of other road users. Hot young female execs dashing to gym, hip professionals trolling the trendiest malls, and fat middle-aged farmers in bakkies all turn and stare, drinking in the liquid shape as it flows by them. Its presence is simply immense, way beyond its dinky proportions.

Yet under the skin it’s a Mark 5 GTI. A car which has always had bags of performance but, to me, just not enough character. “It’s still just a Golf” has always been my ultimate excuse for emotional dismissal of this vehicle, not performance or dynamics both of which are more than adequate. Other road users have to be petrolheads too to notice the red piping or telephone-dial alloys that mark this model out as anything remotely special – the Scirocco they see coming from several dozen car lengths away and usually leap out the way of in deference to its head-turning beauty as well as serious sportscar presence.

In fact it’s better than that. The retuned spring rate makes for a firm, nuggety ride but also in conjunction with a lower overall weight and centre of gravity a deeply involving and enhanced handling experience. It may not be as outright capable as the new GTI but you’ll have a better time really driving it, the Scirocco corners flat and hard and is also exceptionally adjustable through a bend with brutal throttle play. Yes it’s FWD, hardly an attribute I would normally praise in anything but a droll family runabout, but it doesn’t actually inhibit your enjoyment of this one of the most sorted, balanced, yet downright playful chassis’ in the business.

As for the drivetrain, well the engine makes a decent enough noise, familiar to drivers of GTI 5s. Which is to say it’s a refined but growly four-cylinder with a hint of turbo whistle and some suggestive popping when the electronics cut the throttle on upshifts in this DSG-equipped version. It’s also impressively elastic in its delivery, the turbo spooling quickly and progressively for low revs and then charging with real vigour for the 147kW power peak and ultimately the tachos red line.

The steering is just packed with feel as well, and I loved the thickened top section for really getting a beefy grip on, while the scalloped opposing sides are perfectly comfortable when in cruising mode. Sure stuff like the WRX has more power and is close on 2 seconds quicker to 100km/h but there’s enough poke in here to humble most things, and through the bends it’ll run with the absolute best short of perhaps the super-trick Megane Sport R26 F1 Team.

As for reliability, well, it’s tough to comment on that one for me as this precise package in another form (same engine, same DSG ‘box) popped on me a few years back very unexpectedly, so my reference is coloured by that memory. Scirocco ran like clockwork though, despite some seriously hard driving. Well I did experience one very peculiar glitch. I’d blitzed up to 200km/h to dispatch of an altogether too-cheeky hotted-up Toyota on the highway, and having left this erstwhile challenger quite solidly in the dust kicked up by the Scirocco’s shapely rump, I came off the throttle and suddenly the revs flared gently and the wheels were just rolling along, as if I’d dipped the clutch and was cruising without the drive hooked-up to the wheels! It righted itself a second later and I didn’t experience the peculiarity again, but if I was committed to a high-speed corner that could have had some pretty hairy consequences.

It’ll even return an average of 8.5 l/100km on sedate highway cruises! What other true-blue sportscar do you know of that can claim that?

Space? Well despite serious misgivings on my part, we actually got four, hefty, adult men in the thing for short town trips. With me driving. I know of regular 5-door hatches which are worse. Incredible!

As a package then I just can’t come up with something which is a more complete proposition for a committed petrolhead. The Scirocco is everything you need. Inspirational handling, great packaging, knee-weakening looks, excellent and flexible performance.

It actually makes R330K look like amazing value, especially with Golf 6 GTI costing the same money plus a couple of grand. Of course, I’d recommend saving yourself R14K and getting the three-pedal six-speed manual, unless you’re literally in traffic every single time you drive anywhere…

Reviewer name: Russell

Liked

More entertaining handling than the Golf

Gutsy, rorty motor

Those incredible looks

Disliked

Fairly Spartan equipment

The involvement you’re robbed of by DSG

Drive Vitals: VW Scirocco 2.0 TSI DSG

Engine: (Four-cylinder petrol)

Induction: (Turbocharged)

Capacity (1984cc)

Power (147 kW @ 5100 – 6000rpm)

Torque (280Nm @ 1700 – 5000rpm)

Kerb weight (1318 kg)

Driven wheels (Front)

Price (R336 500)

Claimed 0-100km/h (7.1s)

Claimed Top speed (233 km/h)

Visit the VWSA website for more information.

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