First Times Drive: VW’s Scirocco R is a tasty bit of forbidden fruit

Of all the forbidden fruit that automakers keep from the U.S. market, one of the most intriguing is the Volkswagen Scirocco (Sure-Rocco).

Essentially a two-door Golf with a sexy, shapely body, the current generation Scirocco has been tearing up the roads in Europe since 2009.

Despite pleas from the VW cognoscenti to bring it stateside, the prevailing theory back at the company’s Wolfsburg headquarters is that it would cannibalize sales from the GTI (the U.S. is VW’s largest market for the GTI).

PHOTOS: VW’s 265-horsepower Scirocco R

So for now, the Scirocco remains purely an object of desire for American buyers. This won’t be changing any time soon. VW plans to refresh the current model next year and won’t introduce the next generation until 2016 at the earliest.

However, Jonathan Browning, VW’s North American chief executive, has said he’d like to see the next generation Scirocco sold in the U.S. To get a sense of what we’re missing in the meantime, Highway 1 grabbed the keys to the fastest Scirocco VW makes -- the Scirocco R -- to see what all the fuss is about.

As mentioned, this car rides on the same platform as the Golf, which VW sells in the U.S. This means it’s a compact, front-wheel-drive hatchback. The engine in the R is nearly identical to that in the Golf R Highway 1 tested in June 2012.

This means it uses a turbocharged, 2.0-liter, direct-injected four-cylinder engine that makes 265 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque. This power flows to the front wheels via a six-speed dual-clutch transmission with steering wheel mounted paddle shifters and a sport mode.

VW says this model will scoot from zero to 60 mph in 5.8 seconds and has a top speed of 155 mph.

Other changes to the base Scirocco to bring it to R spec include vented disc brakes, 19-inch alloy wheels, a wonderfully naughty exhaust system, a revised body kit, a retuned stability control system with a Sport setting, and a delicious chubby, flat-bottomed steering wheel.

The model we tested also had an optional adaptive suspension and steering system (called Dynamic Chassis Control for those keeping score at home). This system is another toy we don’t get in the U.S.; it allows drivers to choose one of three settings for the stiffness of the steering and suspension.

Though cool in theory, the DCC had less of an impact (see what we did there?) than expected. The changes in the steering feel between Comfort, Normal and Sport settings were robust. Yet the differences in the suspension weren’t much more than Comfort ironing out a little of the chatter that you might feel in Sport mode. For daily driving, we were content to just leave it in Comfort.

Despite routing all its 265 horsepower to the front wheels, the Scirocco R does an excellent job of erasing any significant torque steer. Rather, you can plant your right foot to the carpet and the car just takes off with a quickness that belies its 5.8-second zero-60 mph time.

Aiding in this hustle is the dual-clutch transmission, which deftly rips through one gear after the next with almost no discernable lag. This car may not be available in the U.S., but this gearbox is on other VWs, so definitely keep that in mind at the dealer.

Point the Scirocco at a corner, and keep the revs high (via either the sport mode or the paddles), and the car turns in and exits out with impressive predictability. Sure, there’s a little push to remind you this is a front-drive car, but the car’s hold of the road is great.

While hustling through said curves, driver and front passenger are held in place by a pair of heavily bolstered and very comfortable seats, covered in a fabric weave VW calls Kyalami. Though it sounds like a form of forbidden sushi, Kyalami is a race track in South Africa. Note to VW: Consider this stuff on seats in the U.S.

Backseat passengers have less to be thankful for. Leg and headroom is tight, so consider this a much less practical alternative to the Golf, where real adults can ride in the backseat with ease. Also small was the Scirocco’s trunk opening, though once the suitcases were crammed through the portal, there was decent room back there. The rear seatbacks also fold flat for bonus space.

Our main gripe with the car’s drivetrain was a dead zone in the middle of its powerband. This was only noticeable with the transmission in normal mode, and under light to moderate pressure on the throttle. We’d be cruising in our lane, go to make a pass, and find very little power on tap, and the transmission less eager to downshift than we’d like.

Keeping the DSG in sport mode corrected this, but then made the go pedal just a little too touchy for daily driving. The paddle shifters proved the saving grace in these situations. The car’s transmission was also clearly geared toward efficiency, and it wasn’t uncommon to find the car cruising in sixth gear much earlier than expected.

Regardless, the Scirocco R is a hoot. With surprising power and sound coming from what’s essentially a very dramatically shaped Golf, this is a car that is rightfully pined for in the U.S. It wouldn’t come cheap, as a base Scirocco R starts at just under $39,000 in Germany. But it artfully trades some of the GTI’s practicality for style in a way VW should be doing more of here. Forbidden -- and tasty -- fruit indeed.

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