Autocar - First for car news and reviews

What is it?

This is Volkswagen’s hardcore Scirocco R, the most potent variant yet of the firm’s Golf-based three-door coupe. Equipped with a tuned version of the old EA113 engine from the previous-gen Golf GTI and current Audi S3, the Scirocco R puts 261bhp and 258lb ft through its front wheels.

To cope with this extra grunt, the Scirocco gets XDS, VW’s electronic differential system, and Adaptive Chassis Control, which allows the driver to choose from normal, comfort and s...Read the full article

 Errors list in review:

i believe the official 0-62mph is 5.8 for the DSG, quicker than the RS. the manual is 6.0 seconds.

Max power is at 6000rpm not 5100rpm

Max torque is at 2500rpm not 1700rpm

official combined MPG is 35.3

emissions for the DSG are 187g not 189g

 the weight of the DSG is 1439kgs not 1419kgs

the price of the DSG is £28,245 not £26,945

(all figures from VW website)

Can i have a job?

beachland2:

the weight of the DSG is 1439kgs not 1419kgs

 Are you sure about this? If it's correct, then this is simply too high. I mean it's a 4-cyl, 2WD Hatch. What's it made of? Lead?!!

 Not too high for it to be super fast, a great drive and still does 35mpg!

beachland2:

Errors list in review:

i believe the official 0-62mph is 5.8 for the DSG, quicker than the RS. the manual is 6.0 seconds.

Max power is at 6000rpm not 5100rpm

Max torque is at 2500rpm not 1700rpm

official combined MPG is 35.3

emissions for the DSG are 187g not 189g

 I'm glad someone is paying attention - it's very annoying when magazines print inaccuracies.  It may seem pedantic of me, but I like to read fact not fiction.  Thanks beachland2 for the corrections - Autocar writers take note please!

beachland2:

(all figures from VW website)

beachland2:

Can i have a job?

L0L

julianphillips:

Not too high for it to be super fast, a great drive and still does 35mpg!

Well, the normal 2.0L TFSI Scirocco weighs 1298KG, so where has the extra 100KG+ come from? It's not got 4WD or a V6 etc. The engine hasn't really changed. So whats going on?

Also, VW prices are now ridiculous, which is a shame because they are clearly making great cars. Put it this way, a fairly well specced Scirocco R is touching £34K (the Golf R is closer to £37K, which is what you would need for a reasonably specced BMW335i Sport). If you didn't need the 2 (small) rear seats of the Scirocco, then it makes it more expensive (by thousands) than a fully specced Nissan 370Z or similar in price to the Lotus Europa SE and such like.

I think what ALL potential Golf/Scirroco buyers should do is refuse to sign on the dotted line until thousands of £'s are knocked off the price. That way, the market can set its own price on these cars. This actually happened to the BMW M6 when buyers refused to pay £20K more for this than the M5 (same drivetrain, with 2 extra doors - who really want's to pay £20K for a carbon roof?) and BMW dealers were forced to slash M6 prices by 1000's, thus the market created its own baseline M6 price. 

CAT3:

Well, the normal 2.0L TFSI Scirocco weighs 1298KG, so where has the extra 100KG+ come from? It's not got 4WD or a V6 etc. The engine hasn't really changed. So whats going on?

I thought the Sirocco was lighter too, but looking at the VW site it says they standard 2.0tsi is not 1298kgs but 1373khs with the DSG being 1393kgs. R is 46kgs heavier for some reason, must be down to spec/bigger wheels etc?

Ah i just noticed the EU directive for unladen weights, they must include 68kgs for driver, 7kgs for luggage and 90% full fuel tank. thats where the extra weight comes from!

beachland2:

Errors list in review:

i believe the official 0-62mph is 5.8 for the DSG, quicker than the RS. the manual is 6.0 seconds.

Yes, curiously since you wrote that this morning they seem to have updated the post now to 6.0.

Perhaps someone from the VW press office is issuing incorrect spec sheets, since EVO, CAR, Autoexpress etc. were all quoting the 6.4 this morning, and it is also shown by Sutcliffe in the Autocar actual magazine like that (I trust the written pages a bit more than the internet ones). So either that or the VW site is wrong?

Odd situation as with wrong numbers all over the internet reviews it undersells the product a touch, if anyone is really bothered by 0-60 in the real world these days.

Autocar magazine timed the RS at 5.7, for what it is worth.

 The torque and power figures have been updated aswell now. i guess they're going with the base model stats for the other figures.

Yup, the Focus RS is really going to feel the heat now, especially with its dated interior.

The Scirocco might not have the nth degree of the RS's excitement but is close enough and a far superior ownership experience.