Volkswagen Scirocco (August 2008)

Launched: Volkswagen Scirocco

Wheels Magazine
July, 2008

Perhaps the Nürburgring gods are in the pay of Volkswagen, because they have served up the sort of weather that the firm could only dream of for the launch - or relaunch - of the Scirocco. The fickle Eifel climate has apparently gone on paid leave, leaving perfect conditions.

Indeed, Ulrich Hackenburg, VW's R&D chief, can hardly get his breakfast down fast enough as his thoughts focus on the three prototypes and engineers setting up camp in the pits on the old Nordkurve.

The return of the Scirocco is big news for Volkswagen. The original Golf-based coupe remains an icon in its homeland, more so than its more well-rounded successor, the Corrado. And the new Scirocco picks up much of the emotion glued to its heritage.

Sales begin in Europe in September, but for Australia, figure perhaps late next year, or maybe even early 2010.

Seeing the Scirocco for the first time in the open reveals secrets to its appearance that just aren't apparent on a show stand, such as its stance. With a glasshouse that tapers inwards towards the back to provide it with muscular rear haunches and an extra-wide rear track helping its wheels to fill out the arches, it looks primed for action.

Swing open the frameless driver's door and you're introduced to an interior that is largely shared with the Eos, with only minor alterations to the instruments and switchgear. It's a safe, functional, quality environment, locating the driver nice and low, with the hip point on the front seats set 14mm lower than on the Golf GTI. This sets up a sporty, legs-ahead driving position.

It's a predictably snug but nice place to be; the shallow windows and supportive front seats. Jumping into the Scirocco after driving to the Nürburgring in the latest iteration of the Golf GTI, I was immediately taken by just how much more sporting it is. It's not all positive, though. The heavily tapered glasshouse and tall rear seats severely restrict rearward vision; parking sensors are going to be a must-have option.

Questions about the Scirocco's ability to accommodate rear-seat passengers in any comfort arise the moment you clamp eyes on its extended roofline angling dramatically downwards at the rear. Thread yourself behind the front seats, though, and you discover that there is more room than there appears.

The Scirocco is based on the versatile PQ35 underpinnings found beneath a long list of Volkswagen models, including the Golf GTI, with which it shares its lengthy 2578mm wheelbase. In a bid to give it the sort of front-drive handling traits worthy of the original's reputation for affordable excitement, engineers have bolted on extra-wide tracks from the Passat CC. The width across the front axle is up by 36mm over the Golf, at 1569mm, while the rear axle is widened by a generous 62mm to 1575mm.

The standard suspension - a combination of struts up front and a multi-link arrangement at the rear - has also been reworked with unique elasto-kinematic properties and the appearance of Volkswagen's new active damping system (DCC) 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 inherent stiffness of the damping, it also changes the degree of electronic assistance acting on the steering, progressing from light in comfort through to a setting that Hackenburg describes as "similar to the Golf GTI" in normal and ultimately introducing an added hit of weighting in sport. At the same time it also has an effect on the throttle mapping.

Fire up the 2.0-litre turbo and, with Volkswagen's DCC system serving to sharpen the throttle response in sport mode, the engine is both willing and responsive from the outset. Combining lusty low-end flexibility with an uninhibited feel at the business end of the dial, it feels just as at home surfing along on its turbocharged band of torque in taller gears as it does when being wound out to the redline.

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.

At 1298kg, the Scirocco is comparatively light by modern coupe standards; the top-of-the-line model benefits from a power-to-weight ratio of 113kW-per-tonne. This translates into an official 0-100km/h time of 7.2sec - not exactly the sort of acceleration that alone will cement the new Scirocco as a two-door legend, but swift all the same. Top speed is a claimed 235km/h.

Extracting all this poke is no great hardship. The standard six-speed manual gearbox is a joy to use, with a crisp action, short throws and sensible weighting. Predictably, Volkswagen's six-speed, double-clutch gearbox comes as an option. It is efficient, with snappy shifts under full load. With steering wheel-mounted paddles allowing you to keep your hands on the wheel, it is well suited for exploratory laps of the 'Ring.

It takes just a few corners of the old Nordschleife circuit, running down through the tricky right-left-right combination at Hatzenbach and along to Hocheichen, to discover that the Scirocco is a far sharper driving tool than the Golf GTI.

The underpinnings may be similar, but the inherent nature of Volkswagen's new coupe means that it operates on a higher dynamic plane. For a start, the crucial reduction in height over Wolfsburg's venerable hot hatch provides it with a lower centre of gravity. Coupled with considerably wider tracks, this translates into added levels of agility with less initial roll upon turn-in and an ability to carry greater speed through corners. The body structure also feels remarkably stiff, providing an excellent platform for the suspension to shine.

The steering is characteristically light at low speeds but imparts a terrific feeling of stability at speed. Heading through the Flugplatz and up to the long, sweeping left-hander at Schwedenkreuz, there is no hint of nervousness back through the wheel.

The electromechanical set-up also weights up well, with a nice, linear action when you move away from the straight ahead, proving direct and without any annoying torque steer traits under hard acceleration. What it does lack, though, is feel, and this is especially telling out of the Fuchsröhre, where the car goes light, and into the tight right-left-right at Adenauer Forst.

Nevertheless, the Scirocco is an enjoyable car to hustle along quickly; threading it through the tricky section before Bergwerk with a late stab on the brakes before the big right-hander is terrifically engaging.

The single biggest achievement with the new car is the excellent composure that Hackenburg and his team have engineered into the ride. With DCC constantly altering the damping characteristics, the Scirocco feels wonderfully settled. This was not only obvious on the Nürburgring but also during a brief run around the surrounding countryside. The inherent firmness and choppy ride that can sometimes take the shine off the otherwise highly competent Golf GTI is conspicuous by its absence. It is particularly noticeable at the front end, which tracks into corners in a controlled manner, allowing you to get on the brakes later and more confidently.

Storming under the second bridge at the end of Döttinger Höhe pulling 220km/h, the Scirocco appears to have the speed to challenge the best of the competition. And, more importantly, the stability to go with it. Yes, there are more capable cars on the Nürburgring. But there are few, if any, in the Scirocco's price bracket that display such a depth of talent. Driving here, I'd wondered how Volkswagen could possibly top the Golf GTI. The answer lies in the detail that Hackenburg has designed into the new car's underpinnings. That it looks good too is the icing on the cake.

Attempting to revive an iconic car like the Scirocco was never going to be easy, but to its credit, Volkswagen has succeeded in taking all of the likeable qualities of the original and updating them in a way that provides the new model with a contemporary look and feel, while providing it with genuinely sporty performance and truly fun-to-drive attributes.

This is a car that will appeal to a wide cross-section of buyers - from appearance-obsessed stylistas through to genuine enthusiasts. One thing is for certain: it is going to make life for the current Golf GTI, now in its fourth year of production, very hard indeed.

LIKE A GTI, ONLY DIFFERENT
Scirocco's turbocharged 2.0-litre engine produces 147kW at 6000rpm and 280Nm at 1700rpm but despite the apparent on-paper similarities, this engine is not the same as that used in the Golf GTI. Codename EA888, it differs from the more familiar EA113 unit with a slight reduction in weight, together with an increase
in block stiffness.

Initially, at least, expect only this engine in Australia, but turbocharged 1.4-litre and 1.8-litre petrols, and a 2.0-litre turbo diesel will be available in other markets.

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