Item: Volkswagen Scirocco R 2009-2017
Rating: 4

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Not one but two hot Volkswagen R models arrived virtually at the same time; one was the Golf R, with all-wheel drive to channel its power to the road, the other was this, the Scirocco R.

Unlike Volkswagen’s previous R models (such as the Golf R32), these use four-cylinder turbo engines rather than V6s. That means their drivetrain layout is more similar to the models that spawn them – in this case the regular Scirocco GT 2.0 TSI – than was previously the case.

The Scirocco R packs a 276bhp turbocharged engine
Matt Saunders
Road test editor

What impresses us so much about the regular Scirocco is not just how much it does right, but how precious little it does wrong.

When we road tested it, we were struck by its all-round dynamic ability, coupled to a spaciousness that few cars of its class can match and a price within a whisker of its Golf GTI sister model, despite the coupé being a more compelling driving companion.

Question is, though, is the hottest Scirocco more engaging than not only the fastest Golf, but also the rest of a very competitive array of hot hatch and small coupé rivals?

Verdict

Model tested:

Rating: 8

Used Volkswagen Scirocco R 2009-2017 review

Good

Punchy straight-line pace

Well judged mix of ride and handling

Practical interior

Bad

Baggy gearchange

Full pricing

Restricted rear visibility

DESIGN & STYLING

Volkswagen has made subtle changes to the Scirocco’s appearance, enhancing its muscularity without having to make alterations to the metalwork, a task presumably made easier by the fact that it must have known during development of the cooking model that it was later going to produce a hot variant.

To our eyes it’s a successful look but one that will not be hard to replicate for owners of lesser Sciroccos. The R sits lower and wider than standard but the difference is in springs and wheels; as with the body, the metalwork of the front MacPherson struts and multi-link rear suspension is unchanged.

It's a good-looking car but the changes are very minor
Matt Prior
Editor-at-large

Power originally came from the VW Group’s EA113 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine, in what is widely known as ‘S3’ form. In 2014, Volkswagen gave the Scirocco a facelift and gave the R a bit more power by installing the more commonly found 2.0-litre TSI EA888 engine the same as the Mk7 Golf R.

The Scirocco R puts 276bhp and 258lb ft through its front wheels, and does without a mechanical limited-slip differential, instead using VW’s XDS electronic diff. Transmission is optionally by DSG dual-clutch ’box or, as standard and tested here, a six-speed manual.

INTERIOR

If we had to criticise the regular Scirocco’s interior, we’d say that, while it is an inviting place to sit, it looks a little to indistinct and conservative for such an apparently sporting car.

While it would be unfair to expect VW to make substantial changes to the interior of the R model, in a way the same largely still holds true. Perhaps the Scirocco is a victim of being a stand-alone model; we wouldn’t necessarily say the same of the Focus RS or now defunct Renaultsport Mégane as they are in a hatchback line-up. It’s just that when the outside looks so splendid, we’d like the interior to match.

The Scirocco is a typical Volkswagen car inside, but that's no bad thing
Nic Cackett
Road tester

Other highlights reserved for the R include aluminium inserts in the instruments – resplendent with an R logo – and a smattering of high-gloss black accents.

Volkswagen has taken nothing away from the functionality of the cabin, though; it is laid out with all the thought and clarity you’d expect of Volkswagen. The R receives new Recaro seats: they’re even better than the excellent standard ones and don’t totally destroy room in the rear – so often an afterthought in these types of cars, but seemingly given somewhat higher priority in the Scirocco.

The rear seats split and fold and, coupled to a decent boot (albeit with a small opening), make the Scirocco R a surprisingly practical car.

Standard equipment levels are good too, as you'd hope given the price, with 19in alloy wheels, bi-xenon headlights, leather upholstery, heated front sports seats, adaptive sports suspension, dual-zone climate control and Volkswagen Discover Navigation infotainment system including sat nav, Bluetooth, USB connectivity, DAB radio and numerous online apps.

ENGINES & PERFORMANCE

Don’t get hung up on the 0-60mph time. Admittedly our recorded time of 6.5sec doesn’t look hugely impressive, but there are a few things you need to understand before dismissing the Scirocco R. First, it faced the worst possible conditions for acceleration runs: not fully wet, but greasy. Second, the Scirocco R tags the limiter in second at 58mph.

Instead, consider the 0-100mph time, which at 13.7sec matches that of the old Mégane RS 250. Negate the effect of unfavourable conditions by looking at the 30-100mph interval and the Scirocco R is 0.5sec quicker than the Renault, which is in turn 0.2sec quicker than the last generation Focus RS.

It's a very quick car that's also very easy to live with and to drive
Jim Holder
Editorial director

So it is fast, but also flexible. Compared with the regular 2.0-litre TSI Scirocco, which is remarkably linear for a turbocharged engine, there is more a pronounced power band. The boost starts to build from 2200rpm, before really getting into its stride at 2500rpm.

And yet the R’s engine remains impressively tractable, producing no histrionics if you slot fifth gear from as low as 20mph. Similarly, the engine is happy working at the top end of the rev range. Although torque starts dropping off from 5000rpm, and power from 6000rpm, the Scirocco R will happily rev to its 6500rpm red line without ever feeling breathless.

The soundtrack we were less convinced about, initially at least. Compared with the current Focus RS, the Scirocco R is somewhat well behaved, with none of the fireworks of the Ford. It has a rather pleasant rasp, and under load from low revs it whooshes a little, but we were expecting more.

But then we lived with the Scirocco R for a little longer and its voice started to make sense. There is just enough vocal encouragement to make an occasion out of going quickly, but for the rest of the time it is refined enough to use every day without being tiresome.

So if the Scirocco R blends killer performance with effortless practicality, why not a higher overall star rating? The brakes are good, with more staying power than the Ford’s, if less than the Renault’s, but the ABS intervention proved slightly juddery in extreme use.

Ultimately it is the gearbox that lets the package down. While the spread of ratios is well judged for both urban, cross country and motorway work, the action could be improved. It is not a disaster, but the long lever exaggerates a slight bagginess as each gear slots home.

You can, of course, specify Volkswagen's impressive and rapid-shifting DSG, something neither rival was ever offered with.

RIDE & HANDLING

It would be easy to describe the Scirocco R as a sharper version of the 2.0 GT TSI. But such a description would be to undersell what VW has achieved with this car, because it is also more polished.

In terms of sheer lateral grip and agility the regular Scirocco didn’t exactly under-impress; what we wanted more of was involvement – a greater sense of interaction with the car, but without losing the suppleness and comfort that makes the Scirocco such a good long-distance proposition. A tall order, perhaps, but as VW has shown, not one that is impossible to deliver.

Don't be put off by the fact it's got electric power steering - it's not that bad here
Nic Cackett
Road tester

Even pottering around at urban speeds, the R version feels more keyed into the road than the GT, with a greater keenness to turn, more front-end bite and a more delicate balance between the front and rear axles. Although it isn’t, the R feels like a lighter car than the GT, and more analogue in the way it responds.

Does it need a proper LSD? To completely win over the most focused hot hatch fans it probably does. Clever though the electronics are, they cannot match a mechanical diff’s ability to channel power to the road exiting tight corners, or imitate the way it allows a driver to use more throttle to pull the car into a bend. Try that in the Scirocco R and all you get is understeer.

Adaptive Chassis Control is standard on the R, meaning a choice of three modes (Comfort, Normal and Sport), each altering the dampers, steering map and throttle response.

In truth Normal is perfectly fine for most conditions and, as you would expect, offers the best trade-off in comfort and composure. There is a little pitter-patter over smaller bumps, but nothing you couldn’t live with.

Unusually for such a system, the Sport setting is not so extreme that it can’t be used on the road. Obviously there is some degradation in ride quality, but not to the point that it is uncomfortable. And yet we didn’t linger in Sport, partly because Normal offers more than enough control and precision, but also because Sport beefs up the steering weight to beyond the point that feels natural.

That said, this is one of the better electric steering systems, with reasonable feel and (in Normal) natural weighting over a broad spectrum of speeds.

MPG & RUNNING COSTS

There’s quite a price leap within the Scirocco range from the rest of the line-up, and it's priced well above the likes of the Renault Mégane Renaultsport - even though it isn't notably better equipped.

We suspect that because other models in the Scirocco range border at times on being a veritable bargain, VW is asking this kind of premium on the Scirocco R because it can.

The Scirocco is definitely a more upmarket choice, something that's reflected in its price
Steve Sutcliffe
Editor-at-large

In its defence, its residual values will look after you; it’s unique among hot hatch rivals in that it’ll retain more than 50 percent of its value over three years/60,000 miles, while servicing costs in that time are predicted to be far cheaper than those of key rivals.

Its CO2 figure undercuts its rivals, too, while we averaged a creditable 28.0mpg over a long run.

VERDICT

Verdict

Model tested:

Rating: 8

Used Volkswagen Scirocco R 2009-2017 review

Good

Punchy straight-line pace

Well judged mix of ride and handling

Practical interior

Bad

Baggy gearchange

Full pricing

Restricted rear visibility

So is the Scirocco a hot hatch or a four-seat coupé? It certainly has the ingredients to cut it as a hot hatch, mixing incredible performance, front-wheel drive and everyday practicality.

But compared with the most focused rivals, the Scirocco doesn’t offer quite the precision or excitement to outclass Ford Focus RS as a pure driver’s tool. But it does get mighty close, especially considering its strengths in other areas.

The Scirocco R mixes performance and everyday practicality in a gratifying fashion
Jim Holder
Editorial director

If you asked which we’d take for a lap of the Nordschleife, it would be the Ford, but to live with and drive for a month, a year or three years it would be the VW.

So perhaps we should be asking how it stacks up as a coupé, against the likes of BMW’s BMW M240i or Nissan 370Z. Especially given that the Scirocco R’s pricing puts it square in reach of such competitors.

You know what though? We’d still rather have the VW.

Matt Saunders

Title: Road test editor

As Autocar’s chief car tester and reviewer, it’s Matt’s job to ensure the quality, objectivity, relevance and rigour of the entirety of Autocar’s reviews output, as well contributing a great many detailed road tests, group tests and drive reviews himself.

Matt has been an Autocar staffer since the autumn of 2003, and has been lucky enough to work alongside some of the magazine’s best-known writers and contributors over that time. He served as staff writer, features editor, assistant editor and digital editor, before joining the road test desk in 2011.

Since then he’s driven, measured, lap-timed, figured, and reported on cars as varied as the Bugatti Veyron, Rolls-Royce Phantom, Tesla Roadster, Ariel Hipercar, Tata Nano, McLaren Senna, Renault Twizy and Toyota Mirai. Among his wider personal highlights of the job have been covering Sebastien Loeb’s record-breaking run at Pikes Peak in 2013; doing 190mph on derestricted German autobahn in a Brabus Rocket; and driving McLaren’s legendary ‘XP5’ F1 prototype. His own car is a trusty Mazda CX-5.