Volkswagen revealed the facelifted version of its Scirocco at the 2014 Geneva Motor Show, coincidentally 40 years after the first-generation car made its debut. If you're a Volkswagen Scirocco specialist you'll be able to spot the differences between this model and the one that went on sale in 2008 from several yards away, but the changes you'll see are cosmetic. The body shell has essentially remained untouched.
Few people, surely, would disagree that the Scirocco is a better-looking car than its close relative, the Golf. Unfortunately, while the Golf has a rear visibility problem, the Scirocco's is much worse. If you're sitting in the back you can hardly see out at all. Things are slightly better up front, but the driver still has to contend with major blind spots which make reversing, in particular, a needlessly difficult chore.
I've also felt that no Scirocco, with the possible exception of the R, is anything like as sporty as it appears to be. I had hoped that the 2014 upgrade might include a way of dealing with this, but apparently not.
The R-Line tested here undoubtedly looks the part, being fitted with its own bumpers and side skirts and 19-inch Talladega alloy wheels. These, however, suggest a type of driving experience which the suspension set-up can't provide. Like most of the others I've tried, this Scirocco feels no more interesting to drive than a past-generation Golf, and less so than a current one.
With the 181bhp 2.0-litre TDI diesel engine it's at least pleasantly quick in a straight line. 0-62mph takes 7.5 seconds, a time which is easily beaten by the 217bhp 2.0 TSI (6.5 seconds) and soundly thrashed by the Scirocco R (5.5 seconds). Still though, the pace is enough for most purposes, except perhaps showing off to your mates or bragging to them in the pub.
The Scirocco is obviously less practical than the Golf, with a modest 312 litres of luggage space. However, if carrying large amounts of luggage other items were a major consideration it probably wouldn't have occurred to you to consider a Scirocco in the first place.
As tested, the 2.0 TDI R-Line costs £28,375. In my view, the handling is worth only a small proportion of this, the straight-line performance a bit more and the looks a lot more.
On top of that, you get a decent amount of equipment for the money. Like all other Sciroccos, this one has DAB digital radio, Bluetooth connectivity, sports seats and automatic headlights and wipers as standard.
As befits the top non-R model in the range, the R-Line also has leather upholstery, dual-zone climate control air-conditioning, heated front seats and touchscreen satellite navigation, along with the exterior body styling.
