VW SCIROCCO R-LINE

Lush style. Nth degree comfort and absolutely no Road Tax. This is the car for the sophisticated modern rebel.

WRITTEN BY DONNIE RUST

SMOOTH, LUSH AND NO ROAD TAX

Everyone has their favourite VW; the company has a knack for creating vehicles that people want to drive and more importantly creating vehicles that people want to

keep. While many brand names loose not only their value but their very character as they get older leading to their owners peddling the cars off- VW’s become statements of class, of taste and reliability. Like this I don’t think the VW Scirocco will ever go out of fashion.

We love doing reviews on VWs because we always know it’s going to be fun, don’t get me wrong, all of the latest cars we have are the cream of their respective crops. But as technology develops many of them offer the same standard, and as high as that standard is, the cars themselves lack character. Driving a VW is like owning a horse, you’ll name it, you’ll look after it and you’ll be rewarded because it just won’t fail you.

This sport makeover of the VW Scirocco coupe is based on the GT spec, adding in 19 inch alloys, a more aggressive front bumper and an all new body kit. Inside there is an R Line steering wheel with a perforated leather time and R Line heated leather bucket seats. The seats, embossed with the R Logo are much deeper and supportive than those of the previous GT model and here is the compact beauty of the thinking behind these designs.

It isn’t just about piling all of the components of the perfect car into a chassis and hoping for the best, is it how they work together, where they are positioned and how they’re styled that makes the difference.

The Scirocco electrical system

You see it isn’t just about piling all of the components of the perfect car into a chassis and hoping for the best, is it how they work together, where they are positioned and how they’re styled that makes the difference. In the Scirocco the pedals are well positioned and chrome, the central compartment between the driver and passenger seat is not obstructive no matter how tall or short you are and the controlling dash board is uncluttered from confusing knobs and dials. This isn’t the sort of overladen dash board you’ll find in some earlier BMW

or Mercedes- this is VW thinking and less is more.

Like an athlete carving away at unnecessaries they’ve kept the standard kit of the GT which includes the Adaptive Chassis Control, DAB radio and touchscreen sat-nav which is, happily intuitive, intelligent and simple to use.

We took on the Scirocco R-Line 2.0 Litre with TDI BlueMotion Technology. Two door hatch back it isn’t really a family vehicle, not because there isn’t a lot of space in the back, because trust me there is, but if you were looking at buying the

Scirocco at £27,355.00 you would be able to look at a really good

VW family saloon or coupe.

No, this is the perfect car for a recently turned thirty year old

with few if any limitations and this diesel was easily one of the

funnest cars I’ve been in. At 138bhp 2.0-litre TDI, it’s the most

efficient Scirocco you can buy, with a smooth power delivery and

one of the best-sounding four-cylinder diesel notes out there. Now

it isn’t the fastest – with 0-62mph taking 9.2 seconds – but it purrs

softly when it’s in idle and delivers a punch of torque with zero lag

time when you’re on the motorway.

The larger wheels mean that the ride is firmer than on the GT and excellent at ironing out bumps resulting in an ever impressive smooth ride. The Adaptive Chassis Control has default, Comfort and Sport modes and I can attest to the noticeable benefit found in selecting Comfort around town however the Sport mode does make the car feel more balanced overall.

The Scirocco chassis and engine components

I honestly couldn’t tell you which one I preferred.

Interior, security and safety are of the usual high VW standard, curtain airbag systems to protect driver and passenger from all angles in a collision, and whiplashed optimized head restraints. With headrests for rear passengers, electronic engine immobilisers, remote central locking and alarm protection complete the inside and frankly, look great with the interior of Vienne leather upholstery, leather trimmed seats and inserts all featuring the R-Line Logo.

Exterior design of candy white and cherry red light clusters, heat insulating tinted glass for 65% light absorbing from the B pillar backwards and a stronger front end give the vehicle a distinctive clean and modern edge that fits with the modernised engine.

Battery regeneration, BlueMotion Technology and a multifunctional on-board computer that senses everything from when the AC needs to be adjusted to keep the occupants at a prime temperature to when it’s raining and even when it starts getting dark, so don’t

be surprised when the headlight switch on without your input. All working together the Scirocco comes with a £0 road tax, sticking it to the man and make driving it even more of a pleasure. I can only imagine what it must be like to own this beauty that, with a diesel engine that does seventy miles to the gallon and finding itself in Insurance group 23E.

CDs, USBs and Bluetooth capabilities provide access to all of your favourite music and convenient cup holders and cubby holes make sure that nothing is ever rolling around or rattling.

In the end, smooth responsive, with so much applied torque that you feel confident in every situation the Scirocco is a top class vehicle for anyone. What it offers is something new, a sense of owning a future classic.