| Week at the Wheel | VW Scirocco GT 2.0 TSI |

Inside & Out:

Certain cars just aren't that photogenic. This is one of them. For whatever reason, the Scirocco just doesn't picture as well as a car this gorgeous should; it really is one stunning sheet metal concoction. From all angles it looks coherently drawn; squat; sporty; tight; lithe; handsome and any other favourable adjective you care to bestow upon it. You might disagree, but you'd be wrong and you'd also be in disagreement with all the slack jawed blokes who gawped at out 'viper green' test car wherever it went. Its strong shoulder line, scooped flanks and shallow glasshouse combine to concoct a shape that is, to these eyes, more interesting than even the Audi TT. The Scirocco's novelty value may be aiding that view, granted, but few cars we've tested have generated as much positive conversation. It's the shizzle, as one of those people said.

Inside it's nowhere near as visceral, because its Golf DNA is too obvious. At the same time, it's hard to level too much criticism at it because there's nothing wrong in there. Its build quality and ergonomics are pretty flawless, and the few non-Golf flashes dabbed around the cabin work well: grab handles have never looked so good, nor have back seats. Nothing is aberrant: the driving position is spot on, the dashboard is clear.

Plus, and this is the Scirocco's killer hook, it has actual, useable space everywhere: there's room above your head, room behind the front seats and room behind the back seats.

Engine & Transmission:

We already know plenty about the engine because it's basically the same 197bhp turbocharged four-pot lump found in the Mk V Golf GTI. And while it's far from the most manic pack of horses ever to power a coupé, this Scirocco is quick, has a smooth power delivery from low revs and a free-revving sort of character. If we have a criticism of it, it's that there often seems to be a slight lack of grunt in the midrange at times - with 207lb.ft of twist, it has a few less lb.feet than the standard 236lb.ft found in loads of VW diesel engines, but feels notably weaker. Yet, if it's dichotomy you're after, here's one: it torque steers. Hmm. We'll get into that later.

Our test car demanded the use of a clutch pedal to change gears, rather than the press car standard issue DSG. Fortunately it turned out to be a delight: while DSG never fails to impress us with its black magic, precognitive gear change predictions, a good old stick shifter is really the best way to fly in a car like this. Thankfully, the six-speeder is tight and easy to slot through the cogs; it never loses its way, even when its operator is furiously trying to match the car's quoted 7.2-second 0-62mph time. The whole engine-transmission partnership works a treat.

Ride & Handling:

It's front drive, so it's always going to be at a disadvantage against, say, its Bavarian brethren, but nonetheless there's a wonderful sharpness and composure about the way the Scirocco conducts itself. VW's Adaptive Chassis Control is standard and, with the exception of the new BMW 7 Series, it's the best such system we've tried, particularly with regard to the ride. Set the centre console button to 'sport' and the damping and steering tighten up enough to transmit all the right signals to your backside and palms; turn in is accurate, but not artificially weighted or so sharp as to be twitchy. Comfort mode, on the other hand, loosens the suspension tangibly but without letting go enough to make the car bouncy or spongy.

But the most impressive thing about it is that it doesn't feel like a Golf. Not that doing so would be such a bad thing, but you'd feel a bit ripped off if it did, right - like going to the clinic for a hair transplant but waking up to find they've just glued a wig on top of your bonce. Anyway, the Scirocco's wider track and lower posture are tangible; it feels more planted, squat, and alert than the Golf.

But back to that torque steer thing: it's a genuine blight on an otherwise impeccable setup. Gun the throttle from standstill and the front wheels will wriggle about all over the place, the traction control going mental, pretty much until you've secured third gear. It's controllable with a smooth throttle action, but it's a surprising blot all the same, particularly when at all other times the impression is that the chassis could cope with more power.

Equipment, Economy & Value for Money:

Amazingly, in a world where marketing guff dictates that makers can charge more for a car by making it less practical and giving it fewer doors, the Scirocco undercuts its Golf GTI equivalent. The arrival of the new Golf GTI has actually widened the gap, so although that car has had a slight power hike, it's over £1,000 more expensive than the high-end GT spec Scirocco, which is a shade over £20k. Time will tell whether the Golf is good enough to justify that premium, but it'll have to be very good.

Let's leave the Golf, though, and bring the Audi TT into the equation - against which the Scirocco is positively bargain basement. Consider that a TT with the same 2.0-litre engine will cost over £4k more and you can see that VW is aiming for spiritual succession to the original Scirocco, a proper working class hero. It's not cheap, obviously, but for those looks, the build quality and the pace, it's deeply impressive. It doesn't scrimp on the spec either, with your 20-odd grand getting Active Chassis Control, dual zone air-conditioning, automatic wipers and headlamps, a touch screen stereo, the delicious 18-inch rims you see on the pictures here and tinted windows. It's enough, for sure, and you can of course spec it much further.

Economy is equally impressive, with the 2.0-litre TSI engine returning 37.2mpg (a believable figure based on our week with the car) and emitting 179g/km of CO₂.

Overall:

Really, talking to people about the Scirocco can become an exercise in generating superlatives. It's not perfect, obviously, but then it's just so difficult to find fault with. It's stylish, spacious, brilliant to drive in all circumstances, built with archetypal Germanic integrity and, most significantly, full of character. In fact, VW has come as close to producing the apotheosis of the small coupé as we could have hoped. If only the cabin had a bit more aesthetic flair and it had a little more power, it would be pretty much flawless. As you can tell, we like it. A lot.