In part 1 of Volkswagen Scirocco R-Line Black Edition 2.0 litre TDI 150 PS BlueMotion Technology: Love Is Easy, MotorMartin looked at the quite stunning styling that Volkswagen saw fit to adorn their latest Scirocco with and how, in MotorMartin’s opinion, the end result was a particular triumph for both old and new fans of that iconic Scirocco name, a fact highlighted in the short film below, kindly provided to MotorMartin by Volkswagen from their excellent YouTube channel, which shows the original holder of that iconic Scirocco name.
https://youtu.be/fFxB_uxROl8
As previously discussed, MotorMartin was fortunate to chat with the ever lovely Karen from the Swansway Group, a large multi franchise operation based in Crewe (01270 419061,) when they rung with the offer of the Scirocco R-Line Black Edition and it would have been extremely rude and remiss to say no, wouldn’t it?
Stepping into the Scirocco the first thing you notice is how far you have to lower yourself down into the sporty leather driver seat, it feels like your sitting on the floor of the Volkswagen and reminded MotorMartin very much of getting into a late MK3 Ford Capri from back in the day. This is by no means a criticism, merely an example of the sporting driving position that the Scirocco places you into. It’s a seating position unlike other hot hatches, which can’t always disguise their more humdrum origins, and gives you a real sense of purpose from the moment you relax into the sporty heated leather seat and begin to make yourself comfortable.
Dominating your eyeline is the positioning of the three dials above the centre console angled towards the driver, the most important of which is the turbo boost. That’s right, turbo boost. Now I don’t know if it’s MotorMartin’s 1980s Essex upbringing, but placing a turbo boost dial in a car instantly and without any argument, makes the car much, much better, faster and, of course, sexier. And make no mistake, as previously discussed in part 1, this is a gorgeous, standout sportscar with styling to match.
With the Scirocco representing the best that Volkswagen have to offer, the feel and quality of the interior is beyond reproach. The steering and seats are infinitely adjustable whilst everything that you touch or press has a reassuring solidity with carefully chosen materials and lighting that creates a quite superior ambience. The result of this careful attention to the details make this a very comfortable and special place to spend time in. In MotorMartin’s opinion, this really does set the benchmark for car interiors that is very hard to beat. Superb indeed.
The technology that Volkswagen have designed into the Scirocco is equally impressive, including, as it does, duel zone climate control, heated leather seats, parking sensors, front and rear, ultrasonic audible with audio volume reduction when activated and an optical parking display via vehicle’s audio system, coasting function in Eco mode (all DSG engines), dusk sensor, automatic driving lights, hill hold function, speed sensitive power-assisted steering, multifunction computer, includes visual gear change recommendation for improved fuel consumption (manual gearbox only), electronic odometer, trip, service interval display and fuel gauge, sports instrument dials, warning ‘lights on’ buzzer, composition media system, 6.5″ colour touch-screen, Bluetooth telephone and audio connection for compatible devices, DAB digital radio receiver, MDI (MultiDeviceInterface) via USB connection – compatible products only, music playback from MP3, WMA and AAC files – SD card reader, simultaneous pairing of 2 compatible mobile devices, single CD player, SMS functionality – read, compose and send SMS messages using touch-screen display (when stationary, compatible Android smartphones only), Title and cover art display. And I could go on, suffice to say that the higher the specification model you find yourself in, the more features you get.
But it’s the driving experience, over everything else, that defines this most sporting of Volkswagen. After all, there are already enough cars out there on the forecourts of this green and pleasant land of ours, whose looks promise so much but ultimately fail to deliver, something that the Scirocco certainly has no reason to worry about.
Rather than spend the weekend pottering between everyday family jobs, the supermarket, swimming lessons and such like, tasks that the Scirocco is supremely capable of undertaking with complete comfort and efficiency but that’s not what you want to hear about. I think that it’s safe to say that this is a car that offers something more, a sense of purpose that envelops you the moment you close the drivers door and switch on the engine. With that in mind, a drive to the superb driving roads and scenery of Anglesey, North Wales seemed like a true test of the VW’s abilities and, let’s be honest, a fantastic day out for MotorMartin.
Heading out from Bradford, West Yorkshire and onto the extended tedium of the M62, showed the composure offered by the Scirocco at motorway speeds, cruising at 70mph (for the few occasions where the Highways Agency have forgotten to set the limit to 50mph for the incredible amount of non existent roadworks that appear to permanently feature across this motorway, the M60, M6 and others.) and the Volkswagen proves itself to be an extremely comfortable and efficient motorway cruiser. In fact, MotorMartin would question why you would need to look anywhere else if you regularly travel further afield and wish to do so in a sporting, yet practical fashion.
Suspension that delivers a superb ride means that the miles pass easily by allowing you the time to appreciate the power delivery from the 2.0 litre TDI 150 PS engine with it’s DSG gearbox. As with most diesel powerplants, the torque available, 251 lbs/ft at 1750, provides a distinctive shove in the back when you put your foot down as the Scirocco delivers so low down in the rev range. And it’s this performance that becomes so addictive once the incredible driving roads of North Wales and Anglesey come in to view.
The six speed automatic DSG gearbox allows for the Volkswagen to decide upon the optimum gear selection for any given situation, a job that the electronic brain does really rather well and yet, for those wanting to be more in control when the tarmac stretches out into the distance, the flappy paddles behind the steering wheel allow for manual selection and a deeper and perhaps more involved connection with the driving experience. The technology works brilliantly, allowing the driver to exploit that torque and get the drive necessary to connect the bends into one, seamless and flowing blend of straights and corners.
Volkswagen’s design department clearly have strong links with their all conquering motorsports programme as, directly or indirectly, the Volkswagen commitment to winning is clearly threaded throughout the research and development that took place bringing all of their ideas to fruition. The way that you can place the car exactly where you want it to be on the road is almost subliminal. Think of the action and before you know it the Volkswagen is ready for more, it’s as if it is working on a whole new level, a tier above its direct competition. It really is that impressive.
And upon Anglesey’s deserted, twisting roads?
The Scirocco was fantastic, not only had it transported MotorMartin, family and picnic in comfort over a three hundred and fifty ‘ish mile day but it had also been the perfect GT car on the motorway and A roads and then, by placing the gearbox into sport, the Scirocco was transformed, just as the roads were upon arrival on Anglesey. As a sports car, the Volkswagen R-Line Black Edition 2.0 litre TDI 150 PS is a genuinely great piece of engineering and excellence, it feels great from the moment that you lower yourself down into those beautiful leather seats and point the front wheels towards the twists and turns ahead. The fact that it does so whilst looking so great is more than just a happy coincidence. Volkswagen have refined and improved their Scirocco since its launch way back in the summer of 2008 and, in MotorMartin’s opinion, they have a stunning, modern sports car on their books.
MotorMartin is about ‘real life’ motoring, that ability of a car, no matter the type or style, to put a smile on the face of the driver. To offer that difficult to achieve combination of fun and practicality that MotorMartin looks for is surely the holy grail of the mainstream manufacturer, after all, that is surely what we all want, other than the aspirational cars that we can only dream about.
The Scirocco, particularly in R-Line Black specification, is a car that does everything that you could possibly want or need. A starting price, according to the wonderful Swansway Volkswagen, of £21,040 must surely go down as a bargain, whilst a call to Crewe Volkswagen on 01270 449164 or Wrexham Volkswagen on 01978 800554, both members of the Swansway Group, will show the wide range of finance packages and offers available and are well worth a call.
What a day, what wonderful roads, what a car.
Where will you go?