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Volkswagen Scirocco GT 2.0l TSi Review

Author	Riyad Emeran
Published	2nd Apr 2009
Manufacturer	Volkswagen
Price	From £19,105
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The Scirocco comes equipped with an array of six airbags - front, side and curtain - and unlike some cars, the passenger seat airbags can be deactivated by the end user with the ignition key. Obviously if you want to use a baby seat in the front, you'll need the airbag switched off first. The two front seats are fitted with head restraints that move towards the occupant in the event of a rear collision to avoid whiplash, while the seatbelts have pre-tensioners to keep you fixed firmly against the seat back. There's no Euro NCAP crash test data available for the Scirocco yet though.

Adding to the crash safety credentials, in the event of a collision the hazard lights are automatically triggered, the doors unlocked, the interior lights are switched on and the fuel pump is shut off. The latter obviously reduces the risk of explosion, while interior lights will make it easier for rescuers to see who is in the car and having the doors unlocked will allow them to get those people out. Obviously we didn't test any of these features, but I'm going to take VW's word that it all works.

There are Isofix mounting points located on both the rear seats, so even if you have a couple of young children, you shouldn't have any problem fitting them into the Scirocco. My three year old daughter seemed to have plenty of room in the back, although as with any three door car, it can be a bit of a performance getting children in and out of car seats.

The test car came equipped with rear parking sensors - an option that costs £330. However, unlike many parking sensor systems, the one in the Scirocco gives you a visual as well as audible indication of how close you are to an object. The main RNS 510 display instantly switches to the parking sensor screen as soon as reverse gear is engaged. In then shows you how close you are to an obstacle, and where that object is in relation to the car.

There's no keyless entry or push button start on the Scirocco, instead VW has stuck with the flip style key that it has been using for some time. On the plus side, the key fob can be used for global open and close duties - pressing and holding the unlock button will open all the windows and the sunroof, while pressing and holding the lock button will do the opposite. The latter is particularly useful if you get out of the car and realise that you've forgotten to close the sunroof, as I did several times. And of course there's an alarm and immobiliser as standard.

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Riyad said on 3rd April 2009

@ChrisC - now that sounds like a great idea - I do love Brands as a circuit too :) I was actually throwing the new Cayman around Porsche’s new facility at Silverstone last week, bu... more

Steve said on 10th April 2009

I think the car tech section is a great idea, as it is often difficult to decide on the merits of many of the expensive options available.

I recently ordered a new S... more

Riyad said on 16th April 2009

@Steve - pretty much anything that you plug the iPhone into comes up with that message, but it doesn't stop it from working. There are very few peripherals that actually carry... more

Steve said on 20th April 2009

@Riyad - great to know that the iPhone should work with the stereo in that case!

I have done some research and apparently the factory-fit Bluetooth option only suppo... more

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