Don’t let the body shape or name distract from the essential fleet character of this car.
Essentially what you’re looking at is a three-door Golf given sports attitude. Okay, yes, VW‘s Scirocco is launching with the 200PS 2.0-litre turbo engine out of the Golf GTi from September, but early next year it’s followed by a blown 160PS 1.4 and a 2.0-litre diesel; not the 170PS version initially – just a nice, tax-friendly 140 with fuel consumption in the 50s. And for all an estimated start price of under £19,000.
It’s no wonder VW reckons 40% of all Sciroccos will go to business drivers.
The divisive looks either evoke a crouching tiger or elephant-flattened Golf depending on mood, but the rear-wheel drive hint from those muscular haunches is a styling sham. Underneath it’s mostly all next-generation Golf, lighter than the current car but also a fair bit less practical. The boot, accessed through the tiny hatch aperture, is supermini proportioned, even with the seat backs down, and there’s only room for two in the rear. However, those two could comfortably be six-footers, which isn’t a boast the Audi TT could ever make.
Inside, it’s pure Golf bar a few new…
