When Volkswagen decide to revive an old classic, they usually do it quite well. The new Beetle was warmly received and the new Scirocco has, if anything, eclipsed its stablemate’s success.
The Scirocco R is a throwback with teeth. The performance model of the range, its turbocharged 2.0 litre engine puts out 261bhp, placing it in the upper echelons of sub-£30,000 performance cars.
It’ll do 0-62mph in six seconds dead and top speed is limited to 155mph. This is the same engine Audi use in their S3 with the crucial difference that, whereas the Audi spreads the power across all four wheels, the VW is front wheel drive.
This news made me groan when I heard it. There’s no way, I thought, of putting over 260bhp through the front wheels without torque steer throwing the car all over the road.
Not so, it turns out.
Thanks to XDS, VW’s electronic differential system, and Adaptive Chassis Control, which allows the driver to choose from normal, comfort and sport modes for the suspension, steering and accelerator response, the Scirocco R can accelerate hard and smoothly, even on wet surfaces.
Its cornering abilities are also tremendous. It grips incredibly well and it would take a braver (or more foolish) man than I to get it out of shape.
Given its agility, the ride is relatively firm but falls well short of being harsh. Potholes and adverse cambers don’t faze it, and it took a run from Dundee to Glasgow and back as if it was just pootling down to the shops.
The sports seats could do with a touch more padding after an hour my posterior was beginning to get a bit numb but at least they’re heated, a boon on frosty winter mornings.
Uber-stylish, it’s one of the most handsome coupes on the market and suits a bright colour such as metallic blue, red or the lurid green mine came in.
So it’s good looking, agile, easy to live with, genuinely rapid, and will hold its value for years.
What are the downsides?
Well, room in the back is tight certainly tighter than its nearest rival the Ford Focus RS and rear visibility is poor, with the view out of the small rear window further obscured by the rear seat headrests.
Diehard petrolheads will probably still head in the direction of the Ford Focus RS, but the Scirocco R is almost as fun to drive, much more civilised and stylish, and priced close enough to the RS to make Ford a little uneasy.
Price: £29,845. 0-62mph: 6.0 seconds. Top speed: 155mph. Fuel economy: 34.9mpg. CO2 emissions: 189g/km