| Week at the Wheel | VW Scirocco R |

Inside & Out:

The Scirocco shape is more squashed hatchback than rakish coupé, but we like its muscular proportions and aggressive nose. Even more so in R specification, the deeper front and rear bumpers, side skirts, rear diffuser and wing making it look even more purposeful. That's continued inside, with R-specific white instruments swept by blue needles, deep sports seats, gloss black trim inserts and a chunky perforated leather steering wheel, which in characteristic VW 'sporting' style has had the bottom portion squared off. Overall, it's all more sporting than the other Scirocco models, but done with VW's typical restraint and class.

Engine & Transmission:

Thanks to the 2.0-litre TSI petrol engine developing 261bhp, the Scirocco R is firmly in the super-hatch league for performance. Combined with Volkswagen's two-pedal, paddle-shift enabled DSG transmission the R shaves 0.2 seconds off the manual-equipped model to record a 0-62mph time of 5.8 seconds. That DSG improves emissions by 2g/km too, resulting in 192g/km of CO₂. It'll do 155mph if you've the space, but the engine's real strength is in its mid-range where it pulls strongly from relatively low revs.

It's only tardy if you're lazy with that dual-clutch transmission. Leave it in Drive and you could quickly forget that you're driving something so potent, the R revealing an easy, sensible side to its character. Select Sport or shift gears yourself and the R reveals a more dastardly bent, but you have to work at it to really enjoy it. The shifters on the back of the steering wheel are barely paddles, being more button like in their proportions and operation. This robs some interaction from the driving experience. In return, the exhaust is a constant accompaniment, though the blaring it provides sounding oddly muted and artificial.

Ride & Handling:

There's the opportunity to alter the Scirocco's dynamic make up accessible by the Active Chassis Control button. It changes the damper settings to give you a choice of either Normal, Sport or Comfort. You'll only switch it to Sport if you're at a circuit, or your council spends its entire budget on keeping its roads crack and ripple free. It's just too stiff to be useful in the UK, Comfort being the preferred set up. There's not a great deal of information delivered through the rim of that neat-looking wheel, though the steering itself is quick and accurate enough.

Grip is good too; as is traction, the R managing to use its power without too much fight from the wheel. The Golf GTI's XDS (electronic differential lock) undoubtedly helps here, keeping the nose under control when you're reaching the limits of traction and grip. It's all very impressive, but the real issue is that the R rarely goads you to drive it to a level where you'll ever appreciate its talents, with lesser Sciroccos somehow feeling more interesting and involving to drive than this range-topping model.

Equipment, Economy & Value for Money:

Along with the styling changes inside and out the R gets an equipment boost with standard kit including LED running lights, xenon headlamps, a touch screen, MP3 compatible, six-disc CD auto-changer and climate control. For the £28,000 or so VW asks, the R isn't cheap, especially when you consider that a Ford Focus RS is available for less - and it will thrill so much more, for much more of the time. The official combined economy figure of 35.3mpg is very optimistic, the R only ever returning around 20-22mpg in our hands - even when using its performance sparingly.

Overall:

Fast? Undoubtedly. Fun? Only occasionally. For our fast hatchbacks we want a bit more character. The Scirocco falls short on providing enjoyment behind the wheel. Sure, with four seats and a decent-sized boot it's relatively practical - even if the lack of a release on the boot lid itself is a constant source of frustration. However, the Scirocco range delivers more at lower price points, the DSG-equipped R not delivering the shot of adrenaline we'd hoped for. That might prove different with a manual transmission, but equipped with the dual-clutch transmission, the Scirocco R lacks the magic that its specification promises.