There have been so many R-badged Volkswagens launched lately that you might be in a quandary as to which is the best one to spend your 400-odd grand on.
In April, Volkwagen South Africa introduced the Golf R hatchback in manual and DSG auto versions, and last month the sexier Scirocco coupé followed suit and became the recipient of the same high-performance powerplant, also in manual and DSG options.
At the heart of the R cars is the same two-litre direct-injection turbo engine, a tweaked version of the 155kW/280Nm motor that powers the Golf GTi. Boost’s been raised to 1.2 bar and there’s a new intercooler to cope with the extra heat that generates. The engine’s also been reinforced with a new alloy head, uprated pistons, conrods and high-pressure injectors, all resulting in healthy outputs of 188kW and 350Nm.
It’s a torquey engine with minimal turbo lag and great overtaking tractability, punching strong from low revs and surfing a fat torque curve all the way up to its 250km/h max.
Where the hatch and coupé differ is that the Golf R employs all-wheel drive whereas the Scirocco R’s pulled along by its front wheels. That much power through the steered wheels is usually a recipe for supreme torque steer and understeer, but the clever white coats at VW have solved the issue with an understeer-reducing XDS electronically-controlled front differential, which is an extension of the electronic limited-slip differential (EDL) and Electronic Stabilisation Programme (ESP).
What all the technical jargon boils down to is a car that’s swift but civilised. Boot the throttle as hard as you like - off the line or out of a tight corner - and the front wheels track straight and true, with minimal side to side movement. You don’t have to fight the steering wheel like a bucking rodeo horse, as was the case with some big-powered front-wheel drive hatches of days gone by.
There’s good traction through corners too, which makes the Scirocco R fly through a twisty handling course in an entertainingly fleet-footed and forgiving fashion. The proviso is that you leave the ESP system switched on. Cut the traction assistance and the front wheels spin like a cornered politician when you jab the throttle with any kind of gusto. It’s a very well sorted traction-control system that reduces wheelspin without spoiling the fun or causing irritating flat spots in the power delivery.
We tested the six-speed manual, which delivered a best 0-100km/h time of 6.7 seconds on the highveld, which is pretty quick. If sizzling sprint times are your main mission then the DSG two-pedalled Scirocco R’s the one to go for, though it comes at a R14 500 price premium. It’s about half a second quicker to a hundred than the manual (gone are the days when autos were the slow option) and it’s also effortless in day-to-day driving with its seamlessly quick shifts.
I like the manual though, especially when driving the car in anger through a mountain pass, or on a racetrack, where it offers more driver involvement. It’s a fine transmission that snicks through its gears with a slick and positive feel, and on the convenience side there’s a hill-hold function that prevents roll-back on pullofs.
The R-ness isn’t only restricted to the engine. Braking ability is improved with a set of uprated brake discs and new callipers finished in gloss black, along with specially tuned dampers. The Scirocco R’s electro-mechanical power steering is also tweaked to give more feel.
A new exhaust system is fitted, with dual big-bore tailpipes that have lots of visual menace but a rather muted soundtrack.
Added cosmetic muscle includes more aggressive front and rear bumpers, bi-xenon headlights with LED daytime running lights, and a gloss black grille with an ‘R’ badge. The rear gets a new bumper featuring a diffuser, with smoked tail lights and a larger rear wing. R-specific 19” Talladega rims, wearing low-profile 235/35 tyres, look great but make for a jittery ride on bumpy roads.
The adaptive chassis control, a R10 470 optional extra, affects the steering, suspension and throttle responses in Normal, Comfort and Sport settings but I found it didn’t affect the ride quality much.
R-specific goodies in the interior include blue speedo and tacho needles, sculpted leather sports seats, gloss black and aluminium detailing and a flat-bottomed steering wheel, which has fingertip controls - but my small gripe is that the audio buttons are small and poorly located; it’s almost easier to reach for the radio itself.
VERDICT
Volkswagen’s sexy coupé now gets the performance to match its racy styling.
The Scirocco manual is possibly the more purist version of the R, even if it’s not as quick as the DSG. -Drive Times