Windblown

GOOD LOOKING: Volkswagon's latest Scirocco.

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Supercharged and named after an Arab breeze, VW's Scirocco coupe looks a lot more expensive than it is, writes DAVE MOORE.

Our liking for coupes in New Zealand can be a little inconsistent. There was a time when just about every maker had something sporting in its stable with two doors, a slick profile and some attitude under the bonnet.

You could scour the car yards and source Preludes, Cordias, Integras, Celicas, Probes and others from the cheaper brands. The posher marques also offered two-door coupes, with Fiat's unimaginatively named coupe being one in particular worth a look.

Right now, the affordable coupe market's a bit thin, with Hyundai's Tiburon really the only Asian offering worth looking at, and unless you're very quick, you'll miss the last of Holden's European sourced Astra coupes.

All is not lost, however, with VW having just relaunched its Scirocco name in the form of a Golf-based coupe that costs - engine for engine - very close to the hatchback donor car.

Actually, that's a little disingenuous of me. The 1.4-litre 118kW TSi model at $50,590 is about $4000 more than the Golf with the same DSG transmission drivetrain, while the $56,990 2.0-litre 147kW TSi version, is $1000 CHEAPER than its equivalent Golf, albeit with 8 fewer kW on tap.

Similarly-powered the Scirocco may be, but with the coupe weighing about 60kg less than the hatch, it will probably be the quicker vehicle off the mark.

Both cars come with VW's DSG transmission, and neither will have a conventional manual gearbox on our market. But this is no great loss, as the paddle, or lever shifted transmissions can be left in "D" like a conventional automatic system, or swapped from ratio-to-ratio by hand, with no need to worry about clutch actuation.

Having driven both versions of the car's drivetrain, I have to say that while the wee 1.4TSi doesn't quite have the hard-edged thrust of the GTi-powered 2.0-litre, its sweetness of power and torque delivery and the uncannily crisp shift processes really won me over. It's also a tad quieter and smoother, and with an economy rating of well under 7L/100km, it could save you on fuel, as well as $6500 in terms of sticker outlay.

Mind you, that's me, the punchy 2.0-litre is a pure gas to drive, its coarser nature and irrefutable extra thrust will be a buzz for younger owners who'll make the Scirocco a single car choice. The 1.4 TSi will reach 100kmh in about eight seconds, and the 2.0-litre about a second quicker than that.

But coupes aren't all about performance. They're about style, with a dab of practicality, and Volkswagen coupes, right back to the original 1970s Scirocco, its follow-up Mark II and the very rare in New Zealand Corrado model had always been drop-dead good-looking in their day and pretty good at offering a family's worth of occupant room at the same time. This meant that VW's coupes have often been a good choice as transport when the kids have flown the coop, but at a time you're never sure when they're going to be calling from the airport or bus station.

The new Scirocco continues the tradition. I had a friend almost fall off his bike with shock when he saw my test example, only to run after me as I turned in to a parking space, uttering words like: "gorgeous", "look at those hips" and "how much?"

I answered his "how much" question after he'd insinuated himself into the driver's seat - helmeted and lycra'd from his commute - and he was still fizzing with enthusiasm.

I knew what he meant about the hips - from the rear, the Scirocco's waistline swells muscularly, ending up much wider than the car's tapered glasshouse.

That taper probably contributes to the car's only real weak points: a dark rear cabin and miserable rearward visibility. But hey, as I explained, it's a coupe, already.

Side-on, the long, lissom lines give some hint as to how VW has managed to imbue its coupe with not far off the Golf's interior space, while extra-long frameless doors allow easy access to the car's front and rear.

The cabin's execution is pleasing, with the sideways-ribbed seats being as good to look at as they are to sit in, but the real key to the Scirocco's interior, for all its Golf-like familiarity, is its character.

You feel good to sit in the car, everything feels solid and a little special and the nice thing is that this doesn't change as you move off.

Both models come standard with VW's current array of chassis electronics, and each can be optioned with the company's DDC driving system and other goodies and thus equipped, the sheer tactility, communication and energy imparted to the driver is without peer in terms of front-drive cars.

The power-assisted steering is well-weighted, with a gorgeous sweet-spot that feeds all sorts of information through the palms of your hands, without a hint of kick- back.

It's the same with the brakes. Whether you're stamping on the pedal for really hard retardation, or feathering it to ease down to lower traffic speeds, you always know where you are in terms of velocity and distance - trust me, this isn't always the case! While you could alter the 2.0-litre test model's suspension, steering and throttle responses at the touch of a button, great for track days, perhaps, it's surprisingly nimble, even when left to its own devices.

Being lower-set and possessed of a slightly lower centre of gravity, the Scirocco's turn-in seems even sharper than the Golf GTi's, its balance and poise as you ease back on the throttle mid-bend is remarkable, and it's all the more directly imparted to the driver by the supportive, wraparound seating.

The Scirocco's ride quality is very similar to the latest Golf VI's, in that it shrugs off bumps and holes while still being able to offer good body control while pressing on. There was a little road noise, to be honest, but once hooked-up in top gear - 7th in the 1.4, and 6th in the 2.0-litre - you'd never regret setting out on a full day's drive in the Scirocco.

When you come across a few bends, just to make things interesting, it will just reinforce why you opted for a coupe this time and not a hatch.

And who's to know it could even have cost you less?

VW SCIROCCO

* Drivetrains: 1.4 TSi - Transverse FWD 1390cc DOHC 16v four, 118kW at 5800rpm, 240Nm at 1500 to 4500rpm. 7-spd DSG transmission. Max 218kmh, 0-100kmh 8secs, 6.4L/100km, 148g/km CO2. 2.0 TSi - Transverse FWD 1984cc DOHC 16v four, 147kW at 5100 to 6000rpm, 280Nm at 1700 to 5000rpm. 6-spd DSG. Max 233kmh, 0-100kmh 7.1 secs, 7.6L/100km, 179g/km CO2.

* Dimensions: L 4256mm, W 1810mm, H 1404mm, W/base 2578mm, Weight 1271 to 1298kg, Fuel 50L.

* Pricing: Scirocco 1.4-litre TSi $50,590. 2.0-litre TSi $56,990.

* Hot: Looks, practicality, chassis, performance and price.

* Not: Dark rear cabin, poor rearward visibility.

* Verdict: Hard to argue against when you're on a Golf budget and the kids have gone. The 1.4-litre car is the pick.