I actually compared a 2010 Scirocco R (as featured here) to a 1 year old Focus ST (current model). Ironically both were the same price, which gives a painful demonstration of how badly the ford depreciates, and now the VW retains its value. Hopping into the Scirocco, it felt well made, premium and the seating position was instantly superb. It was a great place to sit. The drive was confident, assured, and quiet when just driving around town. It turned into an animal on the open road. Compare that to the Focus ST, which by comparison (in spite of being some 4-5 years newer), felt old fashioned, and very very cheap inside. Lots of extremely low rent plastics absolutely everywhere. The dials were lit up like blackpool and the recaro's were frankly uncomfortable. It torque steered everywhere, even in 3rd gear, and just didn't feel all that planted on the road. I put my money where my mouth was and bought the Scirocco over the newer ST. I remain happy with that choice!
The Focus RS just doesn't cut it for me, in my opinion it looks too vulgar and just screams out boy racer, buy one of these and you should expect to get pulled over by the cops on a regular basis. The Scirocco R on the other hand is sleek and sexy both inside and out, as a car should be. Tastefully designed to perfection. Well done VW
That's the point of the RS, it's supposed to stand out. The VW is sleeker yes, but the RS says "I'm a fire breathing 310bhp fwd monster!" And it's looks do its part. If I want a hot hatch I want it to look hot too.
I just bought scirocco R and I have to say that it's just freakin awesome! So fun to drive, everytime I get out of it, I want to comeback and drive somwhere again :)
I have the scirocco R from april 2012, i love that car with whole my heart, i have also DSG and the optional recaro bucket seats. Now i drive it on winter tyres with a cheap aluminium wheel lol Want to have my original 19 inch weels back under it :)
I have this Rocco but mine is an vw individual. Its amazing. But can I just say how your reviewing capabilities suck, while you get in the rs and while driving say the rs feels more exciting to drive than the vw. Then in your conclusion you say the vw wins because the Rocco is definitely more exciting to drive. Well which one is it man. Complete bogus reviewing skills. Shaking my head.
@theaznbboy865 They aren't flashing, it's just when camcorders record LED lights they don't very well pick them up so it appears to be flashing but it's just a glitch with the camera lens.
why is the Mazda 3MPS never brought up in any of these hot hatch comparos? when mine was released (2007) there was barely anything that could touch it, yet it's largely forgotten... btw, that Scirroco is gorgeous, and quite possibly my next car :)
@TheAdrianBravo It's because of the LED's. They actually flash really fast, invisible for the human eye. With a camera, you have a certain amount of images per second. These are not in sync with the very quick flashing of the LED's, which causes the flickering image.
I've seen 3 separate track tests comparing the Golf R V Scirocco R, everyone deemed the Scirocco the more involved, faster, better handling car. The Golf R under-steers a lot for a 4wd and weighs 130kg more... Scirocco doesn't need 4wd or Rwd, it out handles everything else in it's class other the the Megane RS. It's a pure drivers car. The WRX is 4wd and gets demolished on a track by the Scirocco and Megane RS.
Look man, i gave my opinion from what I experience first hand since I'm studying here in the UK and that's what I observe around me. I don't make the steriotypes,.......i just see them, and judging from your reply, you prove my point
@haloaum On the contrary. I got both the new Golf and the new Scirocco, and they are they are very different in feel and style. While the Golf feels more like a family car with soft steering and calm driving, the scirocco feels more sporty with a more little harder steering, which is good for a sports car. Also the engine is not the same and the interior and feel of the cabin is also different.
Imagine if they'd put in the Audi TT-RS's 5-cylinder engine in the Scirocco! As good as the Scirocco may be, everyone who's waiting for the Golf R is right. it's the car that we're all waiting for, so hurry up and give us a review of it. In the meantime, great videos Autocar, thanks!
@haloaum most quality surveys do not actually look specifically at engine reliability. They look at any issue the car is brought to the dealership for. I had an 85 Scirocco with 276,000 miles on it when I got it, drove it another 50k, crashed it and the engine still ran like a top.
Love both cars, but on looks alone I like the Scirocco, there again I am a mature driver 😉, I just feel it would look good parked anywhere, be it at the Hilton or on supermarket car park 😀
You are lucky to have her, man! I trust your word as you own this car. He's got a friend of mine but I have not had the pleasure of riding. I would have preferred not front wheel drive, for attitude, riding position, and distance from the road. It looks like a supercar, and the latter usually have a rear wheel drive or full. If manufacturers have built in this way, there will be a reason! :) There is always a Great car! Especially the R Sorry my english ;)
@tigertank2 7:59min. with a Focus? That will be faster than a M3 or a Cayman S. The Ford understeers more (i saw it on the Ring) Thats the correct times for the Ring: Focus RS MKII: 8:26min. 305hp Scirocco R : 8:30min. 265hp VW Golf R: 8:23min. 270hp
@amirullah It's because the Ford Focus RS was too hyped up for what it is and now its been beat by a German car....which I find awesome....i love the Scirocco R
True, what car do you drive? you know it's crazzy but Cuba still makes a lot of parts for the 80's cars. Yeah some cars are harder to find and parts for them are even more rare. all depends on the vehicle, nice thing abotu gm back in the day you could pretty much swap parts almost without major mods
@sjerdolu for me personaly its a really tough decision, but some things you wrote are pretty stupid (i dont drive neither of these two, i drive a type-r) R20's 4 wheel drive is a big advantage even though it adds weight but the latest RS does not have torque problems because its built very intelegent. 5 doors might come handy but i prefer 3 doors (mostly the look). If you buy such hatch you dont buy it to look classy, and since when is impreza ugly?
@cristip60 even with all the tricks ford used, it still suffers from some torque steer. check out the top gear review of the rs, ron jeremy drove it w/o hands on the track and you could see the steering wheel jerk around and the car move on its own from the torque steer.
@heatfullrat the CLC is not a hot hatch, it rather a freezing cold, for old men, drive me eco, over dead man driving and not noticing suspension type of hatch.
tested an exactly the same yesterday (my mom is at vw so i get to test most of new cars). Anyway this car is amazing. I was thinking that coming from vw this is really extreme. For an example you cannot drive in the sportgear in the city becase it is way to aggressive. I can imagine how it felt in the 80:s getting in a Golf GTI and i felt that this is the GTI of the 2011... I will take it for a ride tomorrow and put an youtube..
@lupo0144 though I respect your comment...there is a reason that race cars, race car drivers and professional drivers of atleast true road cars have been and always will be rear wheel drive OR all wheel. For a professional driver, RWD has far better control and performance, though the FWD car will always be a SAFER car for the general consumer that is not a pro driver.
not that im questioning the 'Better plastics, better materials, better build quality,' of the scirocco, erm....are the led lights of the volks supposed to be flashing like that at the beginning?
yup purely agree with you, i started this comments because some users were blindly commenting like illitterates that Ford is waste and VW is the best, i just wantd to point out the insignificance of the video comparison, bothare good brands, Ford usually a VFM brand and VW a premium brand or a luxury brand and which 1 is better relies purely on priorities, so this video is utterly a single persons perspective and i cudnt accept the fact that gr8 website like autocar did such a comparison
@dassekaka You know what, I've actually been considering trying out Sweden. Only been there once (for maybe 14 hours). But also because I'm currently studying to become a Mechanic and would like to build my own car some day and that just isn't possible in Denmark. But thanks for the somewhat invite :D
Both Scirocco R and Focus RS are unbelievably great cars. I personally would prefer the RS but thats just a matter of taste. The Scirocco looks amazing but the RS gives me that kind of rallye feeling.
ray...I have to agree. I once owned the 1980 Scirocco and this car had a much better look. Why ruin a good design when improving hopefully other things.
my wife drives a Volvo XC-70 with the turbo 5. Even though its has the worst most boring automatic transmission in the world, every once in while, if you gun it just right, you can hear that great engine doing its thing and get a sense you are driving something cool.
@stitcha123 aparently it happens with led lights when theyr recorded on camera. it happens in other videos with led runners....hav no idea why lol nuthin to do with the car tho :)
Anyone know why the Day running lights keep flashing? The Scirocco is an amazing car, one of the best looking cars of all time. It really winds me up how all TV presenters sit/lean on such nice cars :(
@aspiringdrummer17 I couldn't agree more! Here the roads are long and straight for the most part (I'm in Texas and I can drive 3 hours in each direction and still be in the same state), so the big power is nice. The two different types of cars are designed for entirely different purposes and as an enthusiast I can appreciate that. It's nice to hear from a real fan from across the pond and not some American-hating moron. I'm actually a big fan of imports too. Speed is a universal language
I would pick the rs simply because of that exhaust note from the 5 cylinder volvo engine.Oh and one more thing if you want a "sports car"go by an elise or mx5
Scirocco LOOKS AMAZING!!! It's one of my favorites
I actually compared a 2010 Scirocco R (as featured here) to a 1 year old Focus ST (current model). Ironically both were the same price, which gives a painful demonstration of how badly the ford depreciates, and now the VW retains its value. Hopping into the Scirocco, it felt well made, premium and the seating position was instantly superb. It was a great place to sit. The drive was confident, assured, and quiet when just driving around town. It turned into an animal on the open road. Compare that to the Focus ST, which by comparison (in spite of being some 4-5 years newer), felt old fashioned, and very very cheap inside. Lots of extremely low rent plastics absolutely everywhere. The dials were lit up like blackpool and the recaro's were frankly uncomfortable. It torque steered everywhere, even in 3rd gear, and just didn't feel all that planted on the road. I put my money where my mouth was and bought the Scirocco over the newer ST. I remain happy with that choice!
I bought mine 4 years ago and still love it.
Two years later and the RS is a cult favourite and appreciating in value, meanwhile the scirocco has been completely forgotten about
Richie Crozier definitely. The RS’s are now collectors items while the R’s are still falling
Your comment deprecated faster than the VW.
The Scirocco R looks great. I recently drove the new version of the basic model, can't wait to get my hands on the updated R later this year!
The Focus RS just doesn't cut it for me, in my opinion it looks too vulgar and just screams out boy racer, buy one of these and you should expect to get pulled over by the cops on a regular basis. The Scirocco R on the other hand is sleek and sexy both inside and out, as a car should be. Tastefully designed to perfection. Well done VW
That's the point of the RS, it's supposed to stand out. The VW is sleeker yes, but the RS says "I'm a fire breathing 310bhp fwd monster!" And it's looks do its part. If I want a hot hatch I want it to look hot too.
Really I think the Scirocco R inside looks too much like a standard Scirocco. At least the RS stands out inside or out
Colin Heasley I'm 22 own a green rs, never been pulled over once in over a year of ownership
I got mine Blue mk2 for 3 years now only 2 tickets 0 controls ;0 And i will not sell it I will get mk3 in 2 years time then the price will be good :)
11 years later and the limited RSs are appreciating in value.
Legendary cars that never become boring.
I just bought scirocco R and I have to say that it's just freakin awesome! So fun to drive, everytime I get out of it, I want to comeback and drive somwhere again :)
The Scirocco is one of the best designs in the last couple years. What a great looking car
Wish VW would move the logo up to the hood for all the models, looks so much sexier and leaves the front looking sleek and elegant
.
I have the scirocco R from april 2012, i love that car with whole my heart, i have also DSG and the optional recaro bucket seats.
Now i drive it on winter tyres with a cheap aluminium wheel lol
Want to have my original 19 inch weels back under it :)
I have this Rocco but mine is an vw individual. Its amazing. But can I just say how your reviewing capabilities suck, while you get in the rs and while driving say the rs feels more exciting to drive than the vw. Then in your conclusion you say the vw wins because the Rocco is definitely more exciting to drive. Well which one is it man. Complete bogus reviewing skills. Shaking my head.
I love how he describes the steering as delicious!!
a nice car indeed and rare for sure. nice to hear you keep her in shape
Please bring the Scirocco down under to Australia as I will definitely buy one!
Love all the RS built cars, now I'm finally getting my hands on the 2016 Focus RS! The AWD should put RS refinement to a whole new level!
It is a lot of fun believe me I have one and enjoy driving it as much as I can, I absolutely love it :)
@theaznbboy865
They aren't flashing, it's just when camcorders record LED lights they don't very well pick them up so it appears to be flashing but it's just a glitch with the camera lens.
why is the Mazda 3MPS never brought up in any of these hot hatch comparos? when mine was released (2007) there was barely anything that could touch it, yet it's largely forgotten...
btw, that Scirroco is gorgeous, and quite possibly my next car :)
@MadeOfCrazyWood Those are the LED's. The camera tends to capture these. You see these on the other VW/Audi when the do reviews on them.
@TheAdrianBravo It's because of the LED's. They actually flash really fast, invisible for the human eye. With a camera, you have a certain amount of images per second. These are not in sync with the very quick flashing of the LED's, which causes the flickering image.
@RickMartin7 I know, cant wait. Loved the Electric gold ST at the NAIAS
exact, but I don't know which one to choose, they are both superb cars
SCIROCCO R is a beast of a car...
Can't wait !!!
I've seen 3 separate track tests comparing the Golf R V Scirocco R, everyone deemed the Scirocco the more involved, faster, better handling car. The Golf R under-steers a lot for a 4wd and weighs 130kg more... Scirocco doesn't need 4wd or Rwd, it out handles everything else in it's class other the the Megane RS. It's a pure drivers car. The WRX is 4wd and gets demolished on a track by the Scirocco and Megane RS.
@TheAdrianBravo its the camera, its something about leds i think they turn on and off several times a second but we cant tell with out human eyes
Its delicious...! I like the looks of the VW, they really got the design right! Good job!
if the scirocco was rear wheel drive it will bee the perfect hot hatch...beautiful,fast and alot of fun
From the front, the Scirocco R is one of the best looking cars on the market. Pretty fast, However I would still get it remapped if I bought one.
The RS doesn't look half as good as the Roc
A nice RS will set you back 20-25k the same scirocco can be bought for less thank 15m
Look man, i gave my opinion from what I experience first hand since I'm studying here in the UK and that's what I observe around me. I don't make the steriotypes,.......i just see them, and judging from your reply, you prove my point
@haloaum On the contrary. I got both the new Golf and the new Scirocco, and they are they are very different in feel and style.
While the Golf feels more like a family car with soft steering and calm driving, the scirocco feels more sporty with a more little harder steering, which is good for a sports car. Also the engine is not the same and the interior and feel of the cabin is also different.
I Love Focus RS and nothing's gonna change that (maybe except it's successor :D)
btw this car has the FSI engine not the newer TSI engine this is because the K04 turbo is only compatible with the FSI
Imagine if they'd put in the Audi TT-RS's 5-cylinder engine in the Scirocco! As good as the Scirocco may be, everyone who's waiting for the Golf R is right. it's the car that we're all waiting for, so hurry up and give us a review of it. In the meantime, great videos Autocar, thanks!
@haloaum most quality surveys do not actually look specifically at engine reliability. They look at any issue the car is brought to the dealership for. I had an 85 Scirocco with 276,000 miles on it when I got it, drove it another 50k, crashed it and the engine still ran like a top.
Love both cars, but on looks alone I like the Scirocco, there again I am a mature driver 😉, I just feel it would look good parked anywhere, be it at the Hilton or on supermarket car park 😀
You are lucky to have her, man! I trust your word as you own this car. He's got a friend of mine but I have not had the pleasure of riding. I would have preferred not front wheel drive, for attitude, riding position, and distance from the road. It looks like a supercar, and the latter usually have a rear wheel drive or full. If manufacturers have built in this way, there will be a reason! :) There is always a Great car! Especially the R
Sorry my english ;)
BOTHare GREAT and BEAUTIFUL cars
i love this guy already
@tigertank2 7:59min. with a Focus? That will be faster than a M3 or a Cayman S. The Ford understeers more (i saw it on the Ring)
Thats the correct times for the Ring:
Focus RS MKII: 8:26min. 305hp
Scirocco R : 8:30min. 265hp
VW Golf R: 8:23min. 270hp
@viciousdestiny I don't know.......the L.E.D. lights should be powered by DC current as is normal.
wow i was admiring the countryside and the rainbow.
Well thats the first time ive ever heard steering of a car be called delicious. Love them both.
Scirocco ofc :-) ! love it
@mymom1234 only from the led side. the video camera wont have a frequency as such
@amirullah It's because the Ford Focus RS was too hyped up for what it is and now its been beat by a German car....which I find awesome....i love the Scirocco R
True, what car do you drive? you know it's crazzy but Cuba still makes a lot of parts for the 80's cars. Yeah some cars are harder to find and parts for them are even more rare. all depends on the vehicle, nice thing abotu gm back in the day you could pretty much swap parts almost without major mods
@sharpanator Golf R 5.2s? Can you link to some sources for that. 5.5s with DSG is what I've seen everywhere for 0-100 (0-62).
@sjerdolu for me personaly its a really tough decision, but some things you wrote are pretty stupid (i dont drive neither of these two, i drive a type-r)
R20's 4 wheel drive is a big advantage even though it adds weight but the latest RS does not have torque problems because its built very intelegent. 5 doors might come handy but i prefer 3 doors (mostly the look). If you buy such hatch you dont buy it to look classy, and since when is impreza ugly?
@cristip60 even with all the tricks ford used, it still suffers from some torque steer. check out the top gear review of the rs, ron jeremy drove it w/o hands on the track and you could see the steering wheel jerk around and the car move on its own from the torque steer.
@heatfullrat the CLC is not a hot hatch, it rather a freezing cold, for old men, drive me eco, over dead man driving and not noticing suspension type of hatch.
Me too, but my friend owns this car, and goes very well. The fact is that I would have preferred to different wheel drive.
LED lights somehow cant be captured on camera properly. This causes the blinking. Can be seen on many other viodeos.
True. Both brands make great cars just the vehicles compared should have been different. Completely agree
tested an exactly the same yesterday (my mom is at vw so i get to test most of new cars).
Anyway this car is amazing.
I was thinking that coming from vw this is really extreme.
For an example you cannot drive in the sportgear in the city becase it is way to aggressive.
I can imagine how it felt in the 80:s getting in a Golf GTI and i felt that this is the GTI of the 2011...
I will take it for a ride tomorrow and put an youtube..
@lupo0144 though I respect your comment...there is a reason that race cars, race car drivers and professional drivers of atleast true road cars have been and always will be rear wheel drive OR all wheel. For a professional driver, RWD has far better control and performance, though the FWD car will always be a SAFER car for the general consumer that is not a pro driver.
@LuricRaja2 thats only because they have been track raceing longer
How do they do for pinking those leds lights constantely , i saw this in top gear too
not that im questioning the 'Better plastics, better materials, better build quality,' of the scirocco, erm....are the led lights of the volks supposed to be flashing like that at the beginning?
yup purely agree with you, i started this comments because some users were blindly commenting like illitterates that Ford is waste and VW is the best, i just wantd to point out the insignificance of the video comparison, bothare good brands, Ford usually a VFM brand and VW a premium brand or a luxury brand and which 1 is better relies purely on priorities, so this video is utterly a single persons perspective and i cudnt accept the fact that gr8 website like autocar did such a comparison
Were the LEDs flashing at the beginning? Anyone know why/how to do it?
@dassekaka You know what, I've actually been considering trying out Sweden. Only been there once (for maybe 14 hours). But also because I'm currently studying to become a Mechanic and would like to build my own car some day and that just isn't possible in Denmark. But thanks for the somewhat invite :D
Both Scirocco R and Focus RS are unbelievably great cars. I personally would prefer the RS but thats just a matter of taste. The Scirocco looks amazing but the RS gives me that kind of rallye feeling.
@amirullah
because RS is supposed to be the "limited" and probably one of ht e"fastest" small cars out there..
Is there an R2 scirocco coming out soon ?
both lush cars. but im in love with the scirocco!
Somehow LEDs cant be captured on video correctly. Ive seen this on many other videos. So dont worry their not actually blinking.
@Eball06 That's good, all these cars should only come in MT
ray...I have to agree. I once owned the 1980 Scirocco and this car had a much better look. Why ruin a good design when improving hopefully other things.
Scirocco r thebesthothatch
coupe
my wife drives a Volvo XC-70 with the turbo 5. Even though its has the worst most boring automatic transmission in the world, every once in while, if you gun it just right, you can hear that great engine doing its thing and get a sense you are driving something cool.
how does it have more torque steer still with revo knuckle struts?
Another well-educated answer from the folks in the States.
@tigertank2 That was a tuned Focus ;-)
When will scirocco come to USA?
scirocco r, focus rs, punto abarth, brera. wish at least one of these could make it to the states
how long could a beautiful look last
@LuricRaja2 is that why the corvettes own at alms ?
i wish they were available in the us
4:17 wooow , nice rainbow !
@oppanheimer Im sure you guys get Sciroccos in AUs, we have them here in NZ.
That's because it's LED lights and I found them to flicker in videos. So no glitch there :)
God, it's a beauty, this Scirocco. Too bad we dont get it here in Canada. Otherwise, I'd would be my next car. I love them sporty hatches.
I'd go for the golf because of its AWD system. It's basically a Audi TTS
why are fog lights blinking on the Scirocco?
@TheAdrianBravo they look like there flickering but its just the camera like taking a video of a tv
i love that road hes driving on
i totally agree!
i still like them both!
@stitcha123 aparently it happens with led lights when theyr recorded on camera. it happens in other videos with led runners....hav no idea why lol nuthin to do with the car tho :)
but which is better: Golf R vs. Sciorocco R??? Love Autocar Videos!
Anyone know why the Day running lights keep flashing? The Scirocco is an amazing car, one of the best looking cars of all time.
It really winds me up how all TV presenters sit/lean on such nice cars :(
at 1:58 why do the led strip lights keep flickering
@aspiringdrummer17 I couldn't agree more! Here the roads are long and straight for the most part (I'm in Texas and I can drive 3 hours in each direction and still be in the same state), so the big power is nice. The two different types of cars are designed for entirely different purposes and as an enthusiast I can appreciate that. It's nice to hear from a real fan from across the pond and not some American-hating moron. I'm actually a big fan of imports too. Speed is a universal language
I would pick the rs simply because of that exhaust note from the 5 cylinder volvo engine.Oh and one more thing if you want a "sports car"go by an elise or mx5
That Scirocco R is so sexy; absolutely gorgeous!
What's up with the strobe turn signals?
Wish we could get the scirocco in the USA
@MrEWS1966 I assume it was a German import over to the U.K.
didnt tell us it had torque steer when pitted against the gt-r and won (on the focus rs)
Is this like the the European gti?