Instrumented Test
TESTED
Dig Volkswagen’s excellent Golf hatchback but yearn for something a little less practical and a lot saucier? Light-bulb moment: It exists, and it’s called the Scirocco. Enthusiasts know the car’s deal: The first- and second-generation models were sold here in the 1970s and ’80s (full history here), but the third-gen model, introduced after a long hiatus, was restricted to Europe. In what could be a tease or a signal of future intentions, Volkswagen sent us a 261-hp Scirocco R—complete with a genuine Wolfsburg registration plate—for a quick test.
Alas, four-wheeled forbidden fruit can be dangerous, and not just because the allure of a hot, foreign-market car can grip your loins like a self-defense trainee. We had previously driven a 2010 Scirocco R, but this marks our first chance to gather hard performance data. Naturally, we set out to explore how the Scirocco stacks up against the architecturally similar Golf R that was sold here through the 2013 model year and makes way for the new one within the next couple of years. The two share their turbocharged 2.0-liter four and underlying platform, but the front-drive Scirocco has two fewer driven wheels than the all-wheel-drive Golf R.
Golf R, What Golf R?
First, an apology to current Golf R owners: The Scirocco R solidly wipes the floor with your sophisticated Euro hatch. It hits 60 mph in 5.2 seconds, on its way to a 13.7-second quarter-mile sprint completed at 104 mph—0.7 second and 0.6 second quicker (and 5 mph faster) than the last Golf R we tested. Top speed is an equally impressive 157 mph, and thanks to its sticky summer tires, the Scirocco clung to our skidpad at 0.94 g. The Golf R, by comparison, tops out at 127 mph and was limited by its all-season tires to 0.86 g on the skidpad.
A curb weight roughly 300 pounds skinnier than the Golf R’s helps cement the Scirocco’s drag-strip victory. An additional 3 hp and 15 lb-ft of torque (for totals of 261 and 258, respectively) and an optional dual-clutch automatic transmission with launch control don’t hurt, either. The lighter Scirocco feels fleeter of foot when the going gets twisty. Adventurous pilots can fully defeat its stability control (something that isn’t even an option on the U.S. Golf R), which allows for lift-throttle oversteer. If you think the Golf’s all-wheel-drive system reigns superior, well, it doesn’t. It merely dulls the Golf/Scirocco platform’s inherent understeer when throttling through corners and doesn’t add much hoon value.
Building the Case, Just in Case
Besides being sexier and faster, the Scirocco R starts at a lower price than the Golf R’s in Europe, which is just one of the challenges VW faces as it considers bringing the next Scirocco here. (At current exchange rates, our car rings in at an eye-watering $58,129 as tested, with $8580 in options. It would need to cost less than the Golf R’s mid-$30,000 price to be palatable in the U.S.) We’re sure VW product planners are working out those kinks as they chart the next-gen Golf and Scirocco, the latter of which will also be built off the flexible MQB architecture. This, of course, would allow it to be built alongside the Mark VII Golf in North America, thereby reducing the impact of currency fluctuations on the car’s business case.
Meanwhile, we decided to take our European-model Scirocco test car to Munk’s Motors, the local German-iron specialist shop, to read the pulse of some American enthusiasts. As expected, the techs and customers knew exactly what the Scirocco was and went ape. (We snapped some photos with a first-gen model—see sidebar below—because, well, Sciroccos are awesome.) Away from the shop, John Q. Public proved equally Scirocco-philic. A dad in a Charger volleyed numerous questions while stopped alongside us at a traffic light before asking if we wanted “to race a Hemi.” A lady at the gas station called it “gorgeous.” And some dude in a Z06 cut across three lanes on the highway to get a closer look, nearly taking out a motorcyclist—who was also checking out the Scirocco.
It appears there might be potential customers out there, especially if you troll online forums, but that doesn’t make Volkswagen’s efforts to find room in its U.S. lineup any easier. Still, Volkswagen of America delivered when enthusiasts bleated loudly enough about wanting the Golf R here. So there’s hope, but given that the current model won’t be redesigned for a few years, a decision won’t happen anytime soon. Rest easy, Golf R owners—for now.
The Other Blue Meat
Woe as it might be, Volkswagen doesnt stock its press fleet with first-generation Sciroccos, so we needed to source one. Thankfully, local Scirocco owner Bret Scott volunteered his steed for some glamour shots. Painted a blue hue that vaguely matched that of our Rising Blue Metallic 2013 Scirocco, Scotts right-hand-drive ride is nearly as Euro-market as ours. The car was sourced from Jersey, an island dependency of the U.K. that sits just off the French coast in the English Channel. He paid a mere £400 for it. After the purchase, Scott ran the VIN and discovered his car is a nonproduction vehicle. It likely was used as an auto-show display model in the late 1970s, having been reassembled at least once to incorporate minor year-over-year updates before being sold to a previous private owner.
