Volkswagen Scirocco Review

The Review

Test Drives Hatchbacks Volkswagen Scirocco Scirocco 3rd - (2008) 2.0 TDI (140 Hp) DPF

Pleasantly surprised by the get up and go of this little motor

Summary

I have driven most cars in the Volkswagen range and have always been pretty impressed with the mix between practical, comfortable, a bit sporty and well built! I guess that's a VW trait in general, so no surprises there! But for no particular reason, the little sporty Scirocco has always eluded me. So I jumped at the chance for a short drive in the Scirocco 2.0 TDI. Yes Diesel! For some reason, "diesel" and "Scirocco" have never been 2 words that I have used in the same sentence! Usually "TSI", "R lines" and "Rs" are more like it. Curious? Yes I was indeed. But having driven many German diesels over the past few years, I was ready to learn some new terms.

So what did I think of the Scirocco 2.0 diesel? VERY GOOD actually. Jumping into the car, it was easy to find a comfortable driving position! Steering column adjusts for height and reach so after a couple of movements I was ready to go. Twist the key and you get a smooth start (if you exclude the stall because the owner left the car in 1st gear.. Oops, manual cars :). Once I had recomposed myself and we were on move, the first thing I noticed is that smooth start continued on into the drive. Pretty quiet and composed all the way along.

The gearbox is good. Very easy to push through the gears, with pretty minimal movement to be honest. Compared to the Audi S1, which, when in sport mode, it always felt like you were forcing the car into the next gear, this was nice, comforting even. So far so good!

I spent about 30 minutes driving around the block in this car, and regardless of speed, the car felt composed and comfortable. This Scirocco does have a sport and normal mode, and in sport, things did tighten up both in terms of pick up and steering weight. So you do get a some extra bang for your buck by flicking over to the dark side!!!

Space inside was good and at no point did I feel stuffed up, so could have definitely drive for much longer in this car.

So... so far, we have a smooth hatchback, with good handling, nice pick up, using all the of its 140hp well, comfort and no doubt good fuel economy! Any down sides? Only one! But this is my gripe with most hatchbacks I have driven (maybe with the exception of the A3)! The pedals are too close together! the clutch and brakes are very narrow and the space between them is pretty water tight. Slowing down and gear changing at the same time was certainly a struggle! But as far as issues go, that was it!!!

I spoke to the owner to find out more about the car. He has owned the car for just under a year and so far is very happy. He loves the Scirocco for its looks, ease of driving and build quality. Of course it helps that he is rewarded with 40mpg in town and 55 on the motorway, giving him an average of around 45 combined. To the question, would you buy this car again, he said no to the specific version, because he has done that one now, however, a big thumbs up to the Scirocco overall and her would look next to an 2017 R line without hesitation.

Oh and we both agreed that the car is very good looking, especially in the sharp red, with the black alloy combination! Oh yes, we like that!!

So there you are. 30 mins in a Scirocco and definitely agree this car is worth a look in!

Would I recommend it? YES

Given, I only drove this car for 30 mins, I asked the owner whether he would recommend it (I would). His view was the same, especially for someone young, looking for a comfortable and sporty hatchback that is at the same time, pretty economical.