Instrumented Test
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Lighter, more powerful, and more front-drive than the Golf R we got here.
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 1980s (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 it stacks up against the architecturally similar Golf R that was sold here through the 2013 model year; it 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, it 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 our skidpad.
A curb weight roughly 300 pounds skinnier than the Golf R’s helps cement the Scirocco’s drag-strip victory. An additional 3 horsepower and 15 lb-ft of torque (for totals of 261 and 258, respectively), as well as an optional dual-clutch automatic transmission with launch control, also don’t hurt. The lighter Scirocco also feels fleeter of foot when the going gets twisty. Adventurous pilots can fully defeat its stability control (something that isn’t even an option in the American 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 also happens to start at a lower price than the Golf R in Europe, which is just one of the challenges VW faces as it considers bringing the next one here. (At current exchange rates, our Scirocco R test car rings in at an eye-watering $58,129 with $8580 in options—it would need to cost less than the Golf R’s mid-$30,000 price tag to be palatable here.) That price hierarchy wouldn’t hold 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 very flexible MQB architecture. This, of course, would allow it to be built alongside the Mk 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 also 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 also was checking out the car.
So it appears there may be some 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 the current model won’t be redesigned for another few years, a decision won’t happen anytime soon. Rest easy, Golf R owners—for now.
Specifications
VEHICLE TYPE: front-engine, front-wheel-drive, 4-passenger, 3-door hatchback
PRICE AS TESTED: €43,818 (base price: €37,350 ≈ $49,548 U.S.)
ENGINE TYPE: turbocharged and intercooled DOHC 16-valve inline-4, iron block and aluminum head, direct fuel injection
Displacement: 121 cu in, 1984 cc
Power: 261 hp @ 6000 rpm
Torque: 258 lb-ft @ 2500 rpm
TRANSMISSION: 6-speed dual-clutch automatic with manual shifting mode
DIMENSIONS:
Wheelbase: 101.5 in
Length: 167.2 in
Width: 71.7 in Height: 54.9 in
Curb weight: 3104 lb
C/D TEST RESULTS:
Zero to 60 mph: 5.2 sec
Zero to 100 mph: 12.5 sec
Zero to 130 mph: 23.4 sec
Rolling start, 5–60 mph: 5.9 sec
Top gear, 30–50 mph: 2.9 sec
Top gear, 50–70 mph: 3.4 sec
Standing ¼-mile: 13.7 sec @ 104 mph
Top speed (redline limited): 157 mph
Braking, 70–0 mph: 167 ft
Roadholding, 300-ft-dia skidpad: 0.94 g
FUEL ECONOMY:
C/D observed: 23 mpg
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