Scirocco 1st reviews

[Vwphile]

Hi fellow Rocco Dubbers

Congrats to all those with their new arrivals!!

Now, how about some initial reports.

Is the car what you expected? What are the highlights? Unexpected bonuses. Any disappointments?

The only common criticism among the motoring journalists has been the hard ride. What are your thoughts?

Guys, I need your input before I commit myself.

Thanks in adavance

[vesssh]

I took a DSG one for a test drive yesterday, honestly wasnt as good as what i thirst thought.

The 19s are a little harsh, but this is over come by the ACC

Lack of rear vision and the small rear view mirror was also a turn off for me.

When it comes to me buying I am going to go with the Golf R as it feels like it handles the road better being AWD, in my opinion anyways

There is also no spare tyre, it has a tyre revival kit instead . . . .

[Bain]

A small review of the car:
Interior: Stylish yet not over the top. Its what Id call refined rather than boy racer styling.

Seats: It’s a 2 +2 seater with very comfortable bucket seats all round. It is going to take some time getting used to getting in and out of the vehicle as there isn’t a whole lot of head room and the side bolsters on the bottom of the seat are quite high.

Dash and display: Everything is within easy reach. Stereo is a touch screen display and integrates perfectly with any apple device. It has a 30 gig hdd in it to download all your favourite music/movies and an SD slot for whatever else you want to transfer/watch/listen from.

Performance: Wow.. wow… wow! The sound of the car is addictive! Off boost (below 1900rpm) the car is quite placid, but once you get past 1900rpm the car jumps forward with zeal! The gear changes are so quick and precise you get no jerk or slowing movement between gears. Its just a continuous roar to whatever speed you decide to stop at.

The most addictive part of the sound is when it changes up or down gears, there’s a popping sound between gears which gives it an almost Ferrari-esque gearbox sound. Its ogasmic in the cabin and it sounds crazy outside the car.

ACC: Adaptive Chassis Control. This little button allows me to soften/firm or auto the suspension within the car. It works pretty much the same as the magnetic ride in the Audis. The dampers harden or soften dependant on what is chosen. We tested this out on the way home last night down some back streets.

‘Comfort’ setting is what Id call smooth(ish) but there are still some hard bumps. I think this is because the 19 inch rims have rubber bands for tyres.
‘Sports’ firms the suspension up by quite a bit and reduces body roll. You can feel every ant you run over
‘Normal’ is adaptive and the car chooses the suspension for the speed/reaction of the road.

In regards to visibility, I find the rear view small but fine to use. The side mirrors are large enough to make up for the lack of rear view and you can always turn your head to check your blinds spots. Also the reversing sensors should help out even the most inept reverser.

Besides the AWD vs 2WD debate, this car handles well.

The one thing that this car has over the Golf R is its looks. No other car out there has the same looks as this. There is no 'poverty pack' look-a-likes on the road. When you see a Scirocco, you know that its the top of the line model because thats all you can get out here.

This is primarily the main reason I didnt want a Golf R. It looks pretty much the same as the base model with a small amount of body kit on it (besides the mechanicals). If you arent a car enthusiast most people will just assume you drive a 'Golf'. (and theres nothing wrong with driving just a Golf by the way)

Anyway, its all IMO at the end of the day.

[octagon]

Great review Bain

I agree with what you have said. The engine is mega... I love the start up and idle and the gear changes with the dsg are fantastic.

Im glad i waited for the scirocco over the golf r. Im from Perth and it does not rain here very often so the awd is not really missed and the wait saving in not having the awd makes the car feel so agile and responsive. The doors are very big, wide and heavy which makes parking in tight spaces a challenge but its no big deal.

I had a mkv gti and this is soooo much better in every way. The look you get from other gti owners is so funny, i think its a gti owners wet dream!

[triode12]

Took one for a test drive a couple of weeks ago.

Dislikes:
1. The MkVI GTI steering wheel, the buttons are not as intutive as the MKV steering wheel ones.
2. The high boot rim - makes it hard to load stuff into it and the fact that there is no boot release on the rear hatch makes things a bit inconvenient.
3. The lack of a spare wheel.
4. No lumbar support on the front seats and no leather option.
5. Not much difference btw the ACC settings.
6. Rear seat backs are rather thin.
7. steering has a bit of play (not as pin point as some other performance cars) but this also applies to the GTI and R.

Likes:
1. Car is light and nimble to drive. Better than Golf R in this regard IME.
2. Ride wasn't harsh even with 19 inch wheels.
3. Looks.
4. Standard options like 19 inch rims, Bixenons.
5. Exhaust note can be heard in the cabin.
6. Spacious (if not low roofed) cabin.

Did a traffic light GP with a EVO X MR with the car (he even had the jump on me bec I wasn't expecting him to do that) but was able to match his pace. EVO driver gave me a thumbs up to say he was impressed.

It isn't a dedicated race car like the Renault 250, EVO or WRX is but is better suited for day to day driving than the others. I want one.

[Mac135]

I have had three decent drives in the R. The first two were extended drives in the UK on a mix of motorway, A roads and some fairly flowing B roads. My last drive was a test drive here in inner Melbourne.

I'm a former GTI MkV owner - with APR stage 1 and a current BMW135i coupe owner. I've put an R on order to replace the 135.

There are a couple of practical considerations in replacing the 135i:

Firstly my wide hates the 135 and won't drive it - the R on the other hand is 'like a stylish GTI'. That is the one real tick that counts as I need to use her Tiguan 147 from time to time
The BMW's lack of a hatch limits what I can carry- I don't need a big luggage area just one that is easier to access than via a traditional boot.

What I like about the R

It is quick(ish) and certainly quick enough for tooling around Melbourne in
It is light on its feet- chuckable if you want, nimble as others have said
I love DSG- the Bimmers sport shift is OK but I miss the DSG
I love that it looks like nothing else
It is well specced - the options list was modest and it was easy to say yes, yes and yes.
Ride is better than the 135 - the Bimmer just crashes through bumps
It sounds great
As a two person car its spacious
It has a decent carrying capacity
I like the fact that there won't be that many on the road
It is well built - the tactile stuff feels good enough - typically VW quality without being absolutely premium (that said there is more hard plastic in the 135 cabin than in the R I think)
I even like that I have to adjust the seats - the 135 has electric seats and I get bored waiting for them to do their thing- it seems they take forever to move from one position to the other.

Gripes:

Well obviously none that were sufficient to put me off.

Mostly I don't think the interior is special enough - I know it had to be Golf or EOS based but for the top of the range car the lack of cover cup holders (for example cheapens) it a bit. I'm not fussed about the lack of leather and like the materials of the seats. I don't want a lounge room that moves but I just think the interior just doesn't live up to the promise of the exterior
My driving experience of the ACC has been such to leave me unconvinced - that will need to wait, though most of the motoring reviews I've read a positive about it.
Rear vision is undoubtedly compromised but it is a hatch/coupe after all. on balance I'll live with that.
Standard audio was poor- I hope the Dyn system fixes that but I've bought that unheard

In terms of the ownership experience I'm clearly going to have to wait to find out. The lack of boot access might really be a pain as others have suggested but on balance you would have to think that if that was your major criticism things are really pretty good. I'm also expecting the ride to be a bit busier here then I experienced in the UK.

RWD, FWD, AWD - we can argue that for ever. My R will never see a track and driving conditions here are generally good and unlikely to warrant AWD IMO. I can say that I think the R has a very good FWD chassis and control - again more than adequate enough for driving around Melbourne. Others will see that differently of course.

So, on the basis of 3 maybe 4 hours in the car I can only say I'm looking forward to saying farewell to my 135i and getting R'd up!

I meant to add that I'm really looking forward to reading what R owners here in Australia have to say about their new cars. More reviews please!

[Andych]

Great review...and while I am waiting for mine to now go from Port Kembla (the boat has docked ) I figured I would throw in a couple of comments on some common themes...

External hatch release or should I say lack of one... I am not sure this is such an issue.. there is a button in the drivers door and also one on the key... as Mac135 said... if that is a major criticism then things are pretty good.

The same goes for the rear vision really... it is pointless comparing the vision with a Golf.. while they are from the same manufacturer and share some parts they vastly different... and... if you compare the Roc to a Megane, Vauxhall Astra GTX etc and the vision issues are on a par with their competition... and really... it is a Sports Coupe.
When we were in the UK 2 years ago (where I fell in love with the Scirocco) we hired a Vauxhall Insignia and its rear vision was even worse than the Roc...
As far as the FWD vs AWD it is kind of a mute argument unless the comparison is against a "true" full time AWD... which the Golf R certainly is not...reality is that even though these cars (Roc R and Golf R etc) are no doubt "enthusiast" cars... for most of us they double as our daily drive and will handle anything Aussie roads throw at them as long as you are not being really stupid...

If the doubters still want to compare... pretty much every test where the Roc R goes up against Golf R on a racetrack... the Roc wins.. if it really matters that is...

I am also very much looking forward to mine being ready for delivery...

[tee_off]

Thanks for the first impressions. What about urban fuel consumption and refilling costs?

[triode12]

I have had three decent drives in the R. The first two were extended drives in the UK on a mix of motorway, A roads and some fairly flowing B roads. My last drive was a test drive here in inner Melbourne.

I'm a former GTI MkV owner - with APR stage 1 and a current BMW135i coupe owner. I've put an R on order to replace the 135.

There are a couple of practical considerations in replacing the 135i:

Firstly my wide hates the 135 and won't drive it - the R on the other hand is 'like a stylish GTI'. That is the one real tick that counts as I need to use her Tiguan 147 from time to time
The BMW's lack of a hatch limits what I can carry- I don't need a big luggage area just one that is easier to access than via a traditional boot.

What I like about the R

It is quick(ish) and certainly quick enough for tooling around Melbourne in
It is light on its feet- chuckable if you want, nimble as others have said
I love DSG- the Bimmers sport shift is OK but I miss the DSG
I love that it looks like nothing else
It is well specced - the options list was modest and it was easy to say yes, yes and yes.
Ride is better than the 135 - the Bimmer just crashes through bumps
It sounds great
As a two person car its spacious
It has a decent carrying capacity
I like the fact that there won't be that many on the road
It is well built - the tactile stuff feels good enough - typically VW quality without being absolutely premium (that said there is more hard plastic in the 135 cabin than in the R I think)
I even like that I have to adjust the seats - the 135 has electric seats and I get bored waiting for them to do their thing- it seems they take forever to move from one position to the other.

Gripes:

Well obviously none that were sufficient to put me off.

Mostly I don't think the interior is special enough - I know it had to be Golf or EOS based but for the top of the range car the lack of cover cup holders (for example cheapens) it a bit. I'm not fussed about the lack of leather and like the materials of the seats. I don't want a lounge room that moves but I just think the interior just doesn't live up to the promise of the exterior
My driving experience of the ACC has been such to leave me unconvinced - that will need to wait, though most of the motoring reviews I've read a positive about it.
Rear vision is undoubtedly compromised but it is a hatch/coupe after all. on balance I'll live with that.
Standard audio was poor- I hope the Dyn system fixes that but I've bought that unheard

In terms of the ownership experience I'm clearly going to have to wait to find out. The lack of boot access might really be a pain as others have suggested but on balance you would have to think that if that was your major criticism things are really pretty good. I'm also expecting the ride to be a bit busier here then I experienced in the UK.

RWD, FWD, AWD - we can argue that for ever. My R will never see a track and driving conditions here are generally good and unlikely to warrant AWD IMO. I can say that I think the R has a very good FWD chassis and control - again more than adequate enough for driving around Melbourne. Others will see that differently of course.

So, on the basis of 3 maybe 4 hours in the car I can only say I'm looking forward to saying farewell to my 135i and getting R'd up!

I meant to add that I'm really looking forward to reading what R owners here in Australia have to say about their new cars. More reviews please!

When I was in Sg about 2 years ago, apart from testing the GT version of the car, they had the 2.0T version which had leather seats. And leather does make the car look at lot classier than the cloth seats.




---------- Post added at 12:33 AM ---------- Previous post was at 12:08 AM ----------

Thanks for the first impressions. What about urban fuel consumption and refilling costs?

It'll be 10-11L per 100km. approx $70-80 per tank at today's fuel costs.

[ZIO]

And I'd say min 95 ulp if not 98