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First impressions of the new Scirocco


Atlantis
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Good shout. +++

When does it actually go onsale then ? Anyone seen / driven one yet ? :cool:

Goes on sale at the end of next month I think. First deliveries in September.

Here's another article from Autocar which seems pretty much the same as one of the previous ones. There's a slightly more detailed version in the print copy of Autocar this week

Volkswagen Scirocco - Road Test First Drive - Autocar.co.uk

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Are you getting one yourself then? Certainly looks good god if it drivers better than the GTI they will have a winner on their hands.

I'm 90% set on getting one, but will wait to test drive first before committing. I've run a MK5 GTi for the past 2 years and it's been a wonderful car. If these reviews are correct and the new Scirocco is a better drive than the GTi then it's going to be awesome.

Just spotted a What Car readers review on YouTube:

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Just get one ordered I'm sure it will be great. We need to post a full review and get some pics when you have a test drive. Really interested in getting a real world view on the car expecially from someone thats got a GTI. +++

I can't change my company car until September so it fits in nicely with the launch of the 'rocco. Just a bit worried that I might find it too similar to the GTi (especially the interior) and feel like I've not really had a change of car.

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Is it running on the mk VI Golf chassis?

From one of the above links..... PQ35 aka MKV

Like most of VW's current models, the Scirocco sits on the corporate PQ35 platform, and its 101.5-inch wheelbase is shared with the Golf, while the track is shared with the new CC (61.8 inches up front and 62.0 in the rear).
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  • 2 weeks later...

Great stuff and thanks a lot for the information Atlantis.

Looking forward to hearing the full release information on this one - like you Atlantis, I've got a company car renewal coming up in late summer and this car is certainly one to investigate!

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  • 2 weeks later...

Another pretty good review from the Sunday times posted below (not JC), although as usual there's too much focus on the dull stuff such as high boot load-lips...as if anyone cares. Cars with poor feedback via the steering wheel seems to be the way of the world on any car outside a Lotus Elise these days.....

Gavin Conway

Thirty-four years after Volkswagen launched the Mk 1, with its gorgeously proportioned, knife-sharp lines from the desk of the designer Giorgetto Giugiaro, comes the new Scirocco. It may be a Golf GTI underneath the metal sculpture but the Scirocco is 40mm longer, 51mm wider and a full 97mm lower at the roofline than the GTI. These are big numbers and it shows. Park a Golf beside a Scirocco and the former looks like a sad frump.

A third of a century may have elapsed but the new car does the same job the cultish Scirocco did back then – takes ordinary, reliable, proven VW mechanicals and wraps them in a form that will make people point and smile.

There are some delicious design details. The dramatic taper of the rear upper body towards the tailgate results in hugely muscular flanks, a feature emphasised by the shallow rear side glass. And to keep the roofline sweep nice and low all the way to the back, the hatch hinges live under two little roof blisters. That’s just so neat.

The front end is equally eye-catching, with its chrome headlamp surrounds and wide, thin grille. The VW badge has migrated from the grille to the bonnet. It’s a look that you should get used to – VW has dropped strong hints that the next-generation Golf will take styling cues from the Scirocco’s nose.

Grab the door handle and pull and the first thing that’ll strike you is how big the pillar-less doors are. The next thing you’ll notice is how low and snug the driving position is and what a great range of reach and rake adjustment the steering wheel has. The steering wheel itself, fat and squared off at the bottom, feels terrific in the hands. And the sense of quality in the cabin’s materials and construction is instantly apparent, although rear vision isn’t great because of the shallow rear glass and imposing rear headrests.

As always, you pay a price for the style. The back seats aren’t bad for short trips, but your hair will stick to the ceiling if you’re much more than 6ft tall, and two adults will enjoy intimate shoulder contact. Then there’s the view through the letterbox rear side windows. Or, rather, there isn’t.

The style penalty continues with the boot, which is predictably small (58 litres less capacity than in the Golf GTI), but the rear seats fold down so you can put large objects in. Which you may not want to do, because the load lip for the boot is very high. Again, VW explains that this was necessary aesthetically – any lower and the car’s bum would look ungainly.

When the Scirocco hits showrooms on September 1, it will have a 197bhp 2 litre turbocharged engine, with a six-speed manual gearbox or VW’s excellent six-speed DSG dual-clutch auto with paddle shifters. Early in 2009 a 158bhp 1.4 litre engine with a six-speed manual or seven-speed DSG, as well as a 138bhp 2 litre turbo diesel, will join the range.

Under the skin the Scirocco is also well designed. It has a wider front and rear track and a lower centre of gravity than the Golf GTI. It comes with something called adaptive chassis control, which alters the damper stiffness according to how the car is being driven. It has sport and comfort modes too – you’re nothing in this business without modes.

I tried the 2 litre turbo petrol with the DSG transmission (a £1,330 option). In normal mode, the Scirocco behaves like a grand tourer: high-speed cruising is refined and relaxing. Engage sport mode, though, and the Scirocco can be punted along twisting mountain roads with surprising haste, the DSG transmission holding each gear to the red line and executing seamless downshifts, complete with a blip of the throttle.

Even with its beautifully balanced handling and outstanding body control, though, the Scirocco felt strangely inert. Perhaps it was the steering, which lacked feedback, even in sport mode. I’d love to drive the Scirocco back to back with the top Golf GTI. It wouldn’t be a walkover for either, I reckon.

The truth is, the Scirocco probably drives just as well as it needs to. Because the salient point here is how you look when you arrive, not the fun you had in getting there.

Vital statistics

Model Volkswagen Scirocco 2.0 TSI

Engine type 984cc, four cylinders

Power/torque 197bhp @ 6000rpm / 206lb ft @ 1700rpm

Transmission Six-speed DSG dual-clutch automatic

Fuel/CO2 37.2mpg (combined cycle) / 179g/km

Performance 0-62mph: 7.1sec. Top speed: 146mph

Road tax band E (£170 for 12 months)

Price £22,270

Verdict Great-looking cruiser with plenty of dynamic ability

Date of release September 1

The opposition

Model Volvo C30 T5 R-Design SE Sport, £21,285

For Probably the best-handling Volvo ever

Against Engine can be thirsty when pushed

Model BMW 125i SE, £23,425

For Superb build quality, great engine

Against Still looks a bit odd

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Evo magazine is keen too. I think that VW is going to have a success on its hands. In the past I've often run a 2nd hand bigger thing - 3200GT, A8, S4 Boxster, SL500, M3 - but I know wonder in the current climate whether something like a Scirocco makes much more sense.

I would certainly take one over a TT 2.0 litre Coupe (rear seat benefit) but would probably wait for the R version, hopefully with the S3 265PS engine and Haldex.

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I suppose it would be an R20 Mook. As speed cameras get everywhere, fuel goes up etc etc & car tax, I do wonder if that is all I need. I've been thinking about an S3 Sportback but its such an old car now and with the TT mk II such a step on from the mk I, I do wonder whether the new A3 will be so much better. However, VW's are cheaper and the sporty ones have a great feel.

I wonder how long before we get an R20?

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Knowing VW, it'll be 2010 before we get one in the UK. If you look at their release details - 2.0 TSI in September, with lower spec'd TSIs and a diesel in March 09. Release an R20 (or whatever it's going to be called) at the German motor show at the end of 2009, release in mainland Europe (i.e. left hand drive) in September 09 then in the UK in March 2010.

Wouldn't stop me buying a stock GT now though +++

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Well having had a quick go I can't comment on drive as it was around the car park, but the interior was very nice and a vast improvement on some I have seen of late. It had the 'tan' leather and was finished very well. driving position was good for me and could still get my kids behind the drivers seat. There was nothign that stood out as 'yuk'.

Can wait to have a propper go.

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Well having had a quick go I can't comment on drive as it was around the car park, but the interior was very nice and a vast improvement on some I have seen of late. It had the 'tan' leather and was finished very well. driving position was good for me and could still get my kids behind the drivers seat. There was nothign that stood out as 'yuk'.

Can wait to have a propper go.

Does that mean some dealers have demos in? or do you have connections lol.

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