RedRobin Posted August 13, 2008 Report Share Posted August 13, 2008 ....Was at my VW dealer's today and one of the guys said: "Hey Robin, we've got a Scirocco coming in next week, do you want a drive?"....Does The Pope sh!t in the woods!? (I think that should read "Bears"). DSG 2.0T version in silver. I said "You do know I'm not going to be buying one?" and he said "Yes, but I want to know what you think of it". We'll wait for a sunny day. Watch this space.................. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CarMad Posted August 13, 2008 Report Share Posted August 13, 2008 Nice one, we expect loads of photos and a full TSN review. Look forward to reading it Robin. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cagey Posted August 14, 2008 Report Share Posted August 14, 2008 I've seen a couple now out and about - VW UK cars I guess. TBH, from the couple I've seen, I'm not entirely convinced by the looks. Both have been in 'R32' blue. I think it could be a car that is quite colour sensitive. Look forward to hearing how a box-fresh 'stock' car compares though Robin... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt R Posted August 19, 2008 Report Share Posted August 19, 2008 I have driven our demo today, it does feel like it handles better than a GTI, tad disappointed with the dash, hybrid mix of Eos and GOlf GTI. Our demo is Black with Black leather and it is very dark inside, it has panoramic roof which helps lighten a bit but not a lot. Rear view visibility will put some off i guess, not helped by the rather large rear headrests that are not removable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robsales Posted August 19, 2008 Report Share Posted August 19, 2008 We've got our demo model, Rising Blue with Black Leather, Going to be registered 1st September, If anyone wants to know more just ask!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedRobin Posted August 19, 2008 Author Report Share Posted August 19, 2008 ....Am hoping to get my driving session this week but haven't heard yet. Possibly waiting for registration too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoeGTI Posted August 19, 2008 Report Share Posted August 19, 2008 Pics of one that landed in a Northern-Irish dealership today: New Scirocco Arrived! - VAGdrivers.net - Sponsored by O'Reilly & Sons, Longford - 043 46321 - Main VW Dealers I think that blue suits it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pumazooma Posted August 19, 2008 Report Share Posted August 19, 2008 That looks super sweet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bagwafu Posted August 19, 2008 Report Share Posted August 19, 2008 Agree. Hope it looks as nice in Black Pearl. My delivery date now slipped to late Oct BW Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt R Posted August 20, 2008 Report Share Posted August 20, 2008 We've got our demo model, Rising Blue with Black Leather, Going to be registered 1st September, If anyone wants to know more just ask!!!! Surprised you are waiting to register, ours is already taxed and ready to go! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcuthell Posted August 20, 2008 Report Share Posted August 20, 2008 Agree. Hope it looks as nice in Black Pearl. My delivery date now slipped to late Oct BW Why did yours move bac?. My build date is now week 40 paid a £1500 deposit but another dealer local to me has got a build week 38 available! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedRobin Posted August 20, 2008 Author Report Share Posted August 20, 2008 ....My test drive is booked for Friday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davyk31 Posted August 20, 2008 Report Share Posted August 20, 2008 Saw the demo last night at my dealers, rising blue. Lovely colour, not so sure on the car itself, not really a Coupe more of a lower 3 door hatch. Wheels did not look too big and quite a suspension gap although it was just off the transporter so that might be the reason. Looking forward to seeing it all cleaned up to see what I think then. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bagwafu Posted August 20, 2008 Report Share Posted August 20, 2008 Why did yours move bac?. No idea. Now build week 41. BW Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt R Posted August 20, 2008 Report Share Posted August 20, 2008 Saw the demo last night at my dealers, rising blue. Lovely colour, not so sure on the car itself, not really a Coupe more of a lower 3 door hatch. Wheels did not look too big and quite a suspension gap although it was just off the transporter so that might be the reason. Looking forward to seeing it all cleaned up to see what I think then. The suspension doesn't seem to lower much, ours still has quite a large gap! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedRobin Posted August 20, 2008 Author Report Share Posted August 20, 2008 The suspension doesn't seem to lower much, ours still has quite a large gap! ....Do you think this has anything to do with the switchable variable ride settings? I'll be in Sport setting the whole time - Surely it can't be that uncomfortable! It's not exactly a Lotus or Caterham etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt R Posted August 20, 2008 Report Share Posted August 20, 2008 No, I only drove it in sport! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cuprabob Posted August 20, 2008 Report Share Posted August 20, 2008 The suspension doesn't seem to lower much, ours still has quite a large gap! My understanding is that this doesn't change the ride height but only the firmness of the damping settings Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedRobin Posted August 20, 2008 Author Report Share Posted August 20, 2008 My understanding is that this doesn't change the ride height but only the firmness of the damping settings ....Yes but perhaps the relatively large wheel arch gap is to allow more travel when at softer settings - I don't know, just guessing. Looks far too big a gap anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cuprabob Posted August 20, 2008 Report Share Posted August 20, 2008 ....Yes but perhaps the relatively large wheel arch gap is to allow more travel when at softer settings - I don't know, just guessing. Looks far too big a gap anyway. I wouldn't have thought so as the wheels go up inside the arches on full compression. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedRobin Posted August 20, 2008 Author Report Share Posted August 20, 2008 ....I dunno why the big gap. I'll check out the silver one I'm going to drive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bagwafu Posted August 21, 2008 Report Share Posted August 21, 2008 Dealer just called and said his demo had arrived yesterday - offered me a drive this afternoon - will post first thoughts here later today. BW Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedRobin Posted August 21, 2008 Author Report Share Posted August 21, 2008 Dealer just called and said his demo had arrived yesterday - offered me a drive this afternoon - will post first thoughts here later today.BW .... Mine's tomorrow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bagwafu Posted August 21, 2008 Report Share Posted August 21, 2008 (edited) Well having sat in the new Scirocco in March at VW UK in Milton Keynes I’ve just had the chance to drive the demo at my local dealer, who is dealing with my order. The pre production model I saw back in March was featured in the What Car Reader Test Team and was a DSG in Candy White, Truffle Leather, all bells and whistles inside but only 17’ Alloys. The car I saw and drove today was a manual, metallic blue, Anthracite Leather, some bells and half a whistle but had the standard 18’ alloys, and only 59 miles on the clock. First impressions looking at it on the forecourt were yup it’s still lovely to look at, even in a colour I don’t particularly like. But in detail:Outside: The wheels really look better in the larger size – yes there is a gap of about 2 inches from the tyre to the sill but it doesn’t look excessive. The understated spoiler, combined with the smooth enclosed tailgate latches really add to the posterior view, which in itself is accentuated by the slightly bulging rear end – altogether very pleasing on the eye. Round the front it is a tad menacing whilst being subtly different from other VW’s. Some may not like the VW badge stuck on the bonnet however personally I think it works quite well. The boot is not tiny, nor is it massive but it will easily take a couple of suitcases or a weekly Tesco shop - the bag hooks look like a nice feature. The lip to get stuff into the boot is quite high. Spare wheel is a spindly looking spacer, enough to get you to where you need to in order to get any puncture fixed. Inside: Standard VAG – not a lot of flair – I think VW could have put a bit more work into this area. The steering wheel with its flat bottom is good, and the driving position is very good, even for someone like me who is 6’ 2”. The side windows are very long, giving good visibility and more on this later. The leather looks and works well (however I think the Truffle is nicer ), the seat feels very supportive and the gear lever and pedals placed fine. Compared to a Golf or my Octavia you feel more enclosed without being restricted in any movement at all, it feels lot smaller from the inside – there are reports of people potentially feeling claustrophobic however for me this was not so – the opposite actually – I loved it and this is one of the reasons I am changing my Octavia because it feels too big for me personally. The dealer accompanied me and he is 6' 6" and looked quite comfortable in the passenger seat. In the back there is space for two people however I would guess that two large adults, although being able to fit, might get uncomfortable on longer runs. Smaller people would have no worries and the back seats (having sat in them) are very comfortable and supportive. So overall inside it works well but could have been spiced up a tiny bit. I really didn’t like the triangle door handles when I first saw the car in March however now having seen them again they look ok. On the road: Now I drive a diesel 170 bhp VRS Octavia which develops 258 lb/ft toque – the engine in this Scirocco develops 27 bhp more power but 50 lb/ft less torque, hence there are significant differences in the way the power is delivered. I have only driven a Golf MkV GTD, so I have no prior experience of the 200 horsepower unit in this car. I drove the Scirocco on an A road for about 8 miles before returning via the same road – this road includes 2 small stretches of dual carriageway. Traffic was heavy (Summer tourists in Cornwall!) hence my only chance to open it up came on one of the dual bits, after the speed camera (!) – reaching about 70 mph briefly . Acceleration is good, torque is actually quite nice - you can definitely feel the torque without it being harsh – which it can be at times in my Skoda. I can only guess that this engine will rev a lot higher than mine which tends to have all power tail off and feel strangled at about 5000 rpm. I guess performance is very similar to the Golf GTI however without experience I can’t comment – I might add the dealer said he thought the Scirocco was a tad punchier however this may be due a differing suspension setting who knows. The manual gearbox was smooth and presented no problems, and the gear ratios seemed spaced at optimum intervals. I am getting a DSG so not applicable to me. Engine noise as you accelerate if definitely audible however of more note is the sweet sound coming from the exhaust – difficult to describe but an understated lovely sort of not quite but nearly tinny sound of the engine speeding up. Road noise over rubbish roads is quite high, however on good roads and once you reach about 65-70 mph it sounds no noisier than any other car I have driven. Ride is very comfortable – I went the first stretch in ‘Comfort’ setting and returned in ‘Sport’ – the steering and handling is noticeably tightened up in the latter setting – unfortunately due to the traffic I wasn’t able to have a more in depth look at this – maybe next time! All seems fine though. Visibility out the front and to the sides is very good – the side windows are massive (lengthwise) and allow you to see loads – there have been reports of wide pillars etc disrupting the view however I thought it was the opposite – you just have to bend your neck a bit which as an ex biker I always do anyway. Visibility through the back window is very restrictive, especially with the fixed headrests in the back seats however I was very pleased and surprised to notice how much you see behind you from the wing mirrors which although not looking oversize give a brilliant view behind you. So all those worries of not being able to see to your rear, for me anyway, have gone away. Well I don’t know what else to write, apart from the neat feature of the windows coming down a tiny bit every time you open and close the doors and the fact that as a VW it is very solid as you would expect. I wasn’t able to go that fast, or explore the handling too much (although on a reasonably tight roundabout going 2/3 rds round it the handling was very stable under moderate acceleration throughout). I was impressed with the overall package, and feel justified in ordering one prior to driving it. Now I have driven it, I look forward to sunny weather and empty Cornish roads. Visibly it is stunning (IMO) and mechanically it is sound. I think it will be a winner. Thanks to Mark and all at Helston VW for the opportunity to drive the car. BW Edited August 21, 2008 by Bagwafu Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcuthell Posted August 21, 2008 Report Share Posted August 21, 2008 Very good review - you should be a road tester for a living!!! Thanks for taking the time. My DSG test drive is tomorrow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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