A couple of weeks ago I had the pleasure to test drive the new Scirocco ("just" the 1.4 litre 160 bhp version though) and therefore want to share this experience with you, even if this is going to be a rather emotional than technical review. 
In my view the most fun part of the car is the chassis, being convenient enough for cruising the highways and rolling across cobblestone but that will show its claws if you drive it a bit quicker around corners - which it does very well! The steering wheel requires a bit more force to be turned than the most "normal" compact cars of today, what I consider as an advantage and more secure. If you're driving around corners quickly you get the feeling the car still pulls to the inside of the corner, suggesting there's enough room left to the car's limit - or I simply wasn't fast enough, always driving carefully and reasonably of course.
The first thing I noticed sitting behind the steering wheel was the comparatively tiny inside mirror, a fact becoming consequential after turning around: The rear window just wasn't any bigger! :doh:
The dashboard is pretty much the same as in the VW Eos, which is not bad, but not really exciting either. I encountered the problem that, when shifting gears quickly and steering at the same time, the shifting hand may strike against the climate control knob and adjust it unintentionally. This happened several times. But I must say, I adore the inner door handles a lot.
Btw., the seats are comfy, afford a lot of hold, and - nobody may have expected this - there is enough room for another 1,90-metre-bloke like me in the back! 
For the trunk: Uhm, yes, you get a travelling bag in, maybe even two of them.
Well, for the drivetrain - or all the things that make the car go at last: When driving across the german country road in a sportive kind of way I noticed driving constantly in second and third gear. Here the difference to my daily diesel-ride becomes obvious: The Scirocco needs to be revved; the maximum torque seems to be pending between 4,500 and 6,000 revs. I know there are a lot of cars revving even higher, but, compared to my 1,9 litre TDI, this already is a higher sphere for me.
And - another comparison - the turbo lag is way less existant than in my diesel; the engine provides enough power in every situation.
For the next test I had to take it to the autobahn (being quite empty fortunately): top speed! I drove some kilometres in one direction, turned-over and drove the opposite direction again to max out the car at 200, 220 km/h respectively, so I claim the real peak speed lies somewhere in-between, let me guess ... 210 km/h? At this level of speed you really start to notice the tiny size of the engine I initially thought. In sixth gear it literally took ages to gain speed above 140 km/h - this is where my diesel gets the point. But then, after shifting back to fifth, I was quite astonished reaching top speed again in a much shorter time, leading me to the conclusion that sixth gear is designed as a kind of cruising gear. I really didn't expect that of a hot hatch like this!
Well, for the mileage ... I have to be honest: I didn't really give attention to it; if I remember correctly, the consumption was somewhere around 10 litres per 100 km, all kinds of driving involved (quick country road driving, city driving and a fast autobahn ride). I'm sure the value can be lowered a lot because you just not *have* to drive across country roads in second gear and floor the pedal on the autobahn.
Okay, what's missing? Oh yes, the sound. Imagine a four cylinder, 1.4 litre engine. With a turbo. That's it. You can't really expect more.
In conclusion I can say it's a really fun car to drive, and it even can be used to carry four persons in a convenient way (you need another Scirocco for the baggage though). I really love its style, and if I would buy one, it would be viper green. It's a shame that most Sciroccos on the road are black, grey or white - this car definitely needs a flashy colour!
As a young man loving to drive, with a lovely fiancée loving to drive as well I'd love to buy this car, and I'd even let myself be seduced by the 200 bhp version - not without another test drive, of course. But as a down-to-earth German with appreciation for practicability and efficiency - that's me as well - I think I'll stay with my spicy red A4 Avant - S-Line chassis, of course.
In my view the most fun part of the car is the chassis, being convenient enough for cruising the highways and rolling across cobblestone but that will show its claws if you drive it a bit quicker around corners - which it does very well! The steering wheel requires a bit more force to be turned than the most "normal" compact cars of today, what I consider as an advantage and more secure. If you're driving around corners quickly you get the feeling the car still pulls to the inside of the corner, suggesting there's enough room left to the car's limit - or I simply wasn't fast enough, always driving carefully and reasonably of course.
The first thing I noticed sitting behind the steering wheel was the comparatively tiny inside mirror, a fact becoming consequential after turning around: The rear window just wasn't any bigger! :doh:
The dashboard is pretty much the same as in the VW Eos, which is not bad, but not really exciting either. I encountered the problem that, when shifting gears quickly and steering at the same time, the shifting hand may strike against the climate control knob and adjust it unintentionally. This happened several times. But I must say, I adore the inner door handles a lot.
Btw., the seats are comfy, afford a lot of hold, and - nobody may have expected this - there is enough room for another 1,90-metre-bloke like me in the back! For the trunk: Uhm, yes, you get a travelling bag in, maybe even two of them.Well, for the drivetrain - or all the things that make the car go at last: When driving across the german country road in a sportive kind of way I noticed driving constantly in second and third gear. Here the difference to my daily diesel-ride becomes obvious: The Scirocco needs to be revved; the maximum torque seems to be pending between 4,500 and 6,000 revs. I know there are a lot of cars revving even higher, but, compared to my 1,9 litre TDI, this already is a higher sphere for me.
And - another comparison - the turbo lag is way less existant than in my diesel; the engine provides enough power in every situation.For the next test I had to take it to the autobahn (being quite empty fortunately): top speed!
I drove some kilometres in one direction, turned-over and drove the opposite direction again to max out the car at 200, 220 km/h respectively, so I claim the real peak speed lies somewhere in-between, let me guess ... 210 km/h? At this level of speed you really start to notice the tiny size of the engine I initially thought. In sixth gear it literally took ages to gain speed above 140 km/h - this is where my diesel gets the point. But then, after shifting back to fifth, I was quite astonished reaching top speed again in a much shorter time, leading me to the conclusion that sixth gear is designed as a kind of cruising gear. I really didn't expect that of a hot hatch like this!Well, for the mileage ... I have to be honest: I didn't really give attention to it; if I remember correctly, the consumption was somewhere around 10 litres per 100 km, all kinds of driving involved (quick country road driving, city driving and a fast autobahn ride). I'm sure the value can be lowered a lot because you just not *have* to drive across country roads in second gear and floor the pedal on the autobahn.
Okay, what's missing? Oh yes, the sound. Imagine a four cylinder, 1.4 litre engine. With a turbo. That's it. You can't really expect more.
In conclusion I can say it's a really fun car to drive, and it even can be used to carry four persons in a convenient way (you need another Scirocco for the baggage though). I really love its style, and if I would buy one, it would be viper green. It's a shame that most Sciroccos on the road are black, grey or white - this car definitely needs a flashy colour!
As a young man loving to drive, with a lovely fiancée loving to drive as well I'd love to buy this car, and I'd even let myself be seduced by the 200 bhp version - not without another test drive, of course. But as a down-to-earth German with appreciation for practicability and efficiency - that's me as well - I think I'll stay with my spicy red A4 Avant - S-Line chassis, of course.
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