Test Drive last weekend
Posted: Thu Sep 04, 2008 6:01 pm
Hi All
This is my first post, good to see a Scirocco specific forum, hopefully it will flourish as more people become aware of it
I currently drive an EP3 CTR, which I've had for 3 years. I have been quite keen to see and drive a scirocco since it was announced, and last weekend I had the opportunity. I drove both a DSG and manual at different dealer. Here is a review which I posted on another forum, with some pics. I think since then I have decided against ordering one at the moment, but I'm going to hold out and hope they bring out an R version, which hopefully will have more power and offer a slightly more exciting drive. It was a very competent car, but it just lacked that edge to the drive that I'm looking for.
Well I had a test drive in a scirocco today, it was a DSG, but that left me wanting to try a manual so I went to a different dealer and tried that too :-D i’m not particularly good at writing up reviews but i’ll give it a go.
Now i’ve driven quite a few cars in my quest to find a replacement for my EP3, these include the following:
Lean Cupra
Gti Edition 30
Astra VXR
S2000
350z
Z4 coupe 3.0si
Impreza STI spec-D PPP
First impressions
I think it looks great, particularly from the front. I’m less sure about the rear design but there is no doubt that it was head and shoulders above anything else in the VW showroom in terms of exterior appeal. There was a photographer there taking photos of people picking up their 58 plate motors, and he thought it was fantastic. I think it could do with lowering slightly, as theres a bit of a gap between the top of the tyres and the wheel arch. The wheels themselves are 18’s and really do look good. They had 235 width rubber so plenty of grip potential. It also has daytime running lights, which are nowhere near as obvious as the Audi’s you see everywhere.
Inside
I really liked the interior, yes the dash is straight out of an EOS and not amazingly exciting, but it does look nice, the plastics are very good and the build seemed excellent. The leather seats are fantastic, fully adjustable and very comfy while also offering a lot of support. The multifunction wheel is also fully adjustable so finding a good driving position was easy. The odd shaped door handles and framless windows on the doors also added to the appeal.
It was easier to get into the rear than the civic, and there was plenty of legroom in the back, but my head was almost touching the roof and i’m only 5’ 8”.
Performance
It did feel quick, and obviously easier to get to the power with the torque than the EP3, but it didn’t seem quite as quick as the civic or the figures that evo magazine achieved. DSG did feel slightly quicker, but the manual more fun. The gearbox was good, but the throw slightly longer than ideal, but the EP3 does show up most gearboxes. Its very difficult to judge the performace on a car thats only done 15 miles but I did feel I would have wanted a bit more power.
Drive
It has the adaptive suspension that allows comfort/normal/sport mode. To be honest it was not that obvious when changing between the different settings, sport did feel firmer when cornering but the ride was still comfortable, I think I would just leave it in sport. The handling was very good, felt very composed with loads of grip, without too much roll, but the steering didn’t seem that direct and lacked some feel, the civic felt better getting back in afterwards!!
Running costs
It generates just 179g/km, which I think is £170 tax for the year currently, rising to £210 by 2010, which is very impressive for a petrol car with this power. In the current climate (which I imagine is only going to get worse) this can only be a good thing. I got about 20mpg on my test drive, which was reasonable given the ultra low mileage and my driving during it. VW quote a combined figure of 37.2 mpg. Depreciation – impossible to tell in the current market, its new so I imagine that will help, together with the relative “greenness”, and I think it will hold a lot of appeal for a few years, but no doubt it will suffer as all new cars do.
Boot
The opening is not that wide, and the lip is really high, so getting heavy items in and out would be tricky, but there is more than enough space for me and it has split fold seats
Equipment
This did really impress me. The following are some of the standard fit stuff: Stereo – very good! Colour touch screen, 8 speakers, 6cd changer, SD card reader, aux in, USB and ipod connecter. I’m not big into my sound systems but it sounded good to me. Auto dimming mirrors, auto lights/wipers, dual-zone climate control, multi function steering wheel to trip computer and stereo.
I would want to see the cloth seats, but the leather was very nice, and comes with heated seats and electric lumber for the expensive £1,500 cost, but I think I would pay this. No other options really appeal, rear parking sensors might make sense with the poor rear visabililty, the panoramic sunroof would be nice if money was no issue, but it only tilts so I wouldn’t be able to justify the £600 cost.
Conclusion
Would I buy one? I am considering it, I think if it offered the same power as the Ed30 or Cupra then I think I would be doing a deal tomorrow. I know you could always chip etc but I’d rather not have to do that. It also lacked a little of the excitement that I want. If I had an open winding country road in front of me, I know the EP3 would be more fun. The trouble is that I hardly ever get to drive on roads like that, and the scirocco would be a better place to be the rest of the time. I see brokers are offering a manual for £19,500, add the leather it gets to £21,000. This doesn't seem too bad, slightly more than the usual hot hatch lot (although less than the golf!). The current economic situation is also making me think I should stay put, but its a good car!
Here are some pics I took
This is my first post, good to see a Scirocco specific forum, hopefully it will flourish as more people become aware of it
I currently drive an EP3 CTR, which I've had for 3 years. I have been quite keen to see and drive a scirocco since it was announced, and last weekend I had the opportunity. I drove both a DSG and manual at different dealer. Here is a review which I posted on another forum, with some pics. I think since then I have decided against ordering one at the moment, but I'm going to hold out and hope they bring out an R version, which hopefully will have more power and offer a slightly more exciting drive. It was a very competent car, but it just lacked that edge to the drive that I'm looking for.
Well I had a test drive in a scirocco today, it was a DSG, but that left me wanting to try a manual so I went to a different dealer and tried that too :-D i’m not particularly good at writing up reviews but i’ll give it a go.
Now i’ve driven quite a few cars in my quest to find a replacement for my EP3, these include the following:
Lean Cupra
Gti Edition 30
Astra VXR
S2000
350z
Z4 coupe 3.0si
Impreza STI spec-D PPP
First impressions
I think it looks great, particularly from the front. I’m less sure about the rear design but there is no doubt that it was head and shoulders above anything else in the VW showroom in terms of exterior appeal. There was a photographer there taking photos of people picking up their 58 plate motors, and he thought it was fantastic. I think it could do with lowering slightly, as theres a bit of a gap between the top of the tyres and the wheel arch. The wheels themselves are 18’s and really do look good. They had 235 width rubber so plenty of grip potential. It also has daytime running lights, which are nowhere near as obvious as the Audi’s you see everywhere.
Inside
I really liked the interior, yes the dash is straight out of an EOS and not amazingly exciting, but it does look nice, the plastics are very good and the build seemed excellent. The leather seats are fantastic, fully adjustable and very comfy while also offering a lot of support. The multifunction wheel is also fully adjustable so finding a good driving position was easy. The odd shaped door handles and framless windows on the doors also added to the appeal.
It was easier to get into the rear than the civic, and there was plenty of legroom in the back, but my head was almost touching the roof and i’m only 5’ 8”.
Performance
It did feel quick, and obviously easier to get to the power with the torque than the EP3, but it didn’t seem quite as quick as the civic or the figures that evo magazine achieved. DSG did feel slightly quicker, but the manual more fun. The gearbox was good, but the throw slightly longer than ideal, but the EP3 does show up most gearboxes. Its very difficult to judge the performace on a car thats only done 15 miles but I did feel I would have wanted a bit more power.
Drive
It has the adaptive suspension that allows comfort/normal/sport mode. To be honest it was not that obvious when changing between the different settings, sport did feel firmer when cornering but the ride was still comfortable, I think I would just leave it in sport. The handling was very good, felt very composed with loads of grip, without too much roll, but the steering didn’t seem that direct and lacked some feel, the civic felt better getting back in afterwards!!
Running costs
It generates just 179g/km, which I think is £170 tax for the year currently, rising to £210 by 2010, which is very impressive for a petrol car with this power. In the current climate (which I imagine is only going to get worse) this can only be a good thing. I got about 20mpg on my test drive, which was reasonable given the ultra low mileage and my driving during it. VW quote a combined figure of 37.2 mpg. Depreciation – impossible to tell in the current market, its new so I imagine that will help, together with the relative “greenness”, and I think it will hold a lot of appeal for a few years, but no doubt it will suffer as all new cars do.
Boot
The opening is not that wide, and the lip is really high, so getting heavy items in and out would be tricky, but there is more than enough space for me and it has split fold seats
Equipment
This did really impress me. The following are some of the standard fit stuff: Stereo – very good! Colour touch screen, 8 speakers, 6cd changer, SD card reader, aux in, USB and ipod connecter. I’m not big into my sound systems but it sounded good to me. Auto dimming mirrors, auto lights/wipers, dual-zone climate control, multi function steering wheel to trip computer and stereo.
I would want to see the cloth seats, but the leather was very nice, and comes with heated seats and electric lumber for the expensive £1,500 cost, but I think I would pay this. No other options really appeal, rear parking sensors might make sense with the poor rear visabililty, the panoramic sunroof would be nice if money was no issue, but it only tilts so I wouldn’t be able to justify the £600 cost.
Conclusion
Would I buy one? I am considering it, I think if it offered the same power as the Ed30 or Cupra then I think I would be doing a deal tomorrow. I know you could always chip etc but I’d rather not have to do that. It also lacked a little of the excitement that I want. If I had an open winding country road in front of me, I know the EP3 would be more fun. The trouble is that I hardly ever get to drive on roads like that, and the scirocco would be a better place to be the rest of the time. I see brokers are offering a manual for £19,500, add the leather it gets to £21,000. This doesn't seem too bad, slightly more than the usual hot hatch lot (although less than the golf!). The current economic situation is also making me think I should stay put, but its a good car!
Here are some pics I took