VW Scirocco R

Well some 5 months after I placed the order, the Scirocco is being delivered to the showroom today, I need to pop down with my UAE ID card and passport to get the free insurance sorted and I think I'll get the window tints (a must have over here to keep the heat down, not for chav image) put in at the showroom too.

I don't understand why I'm not feeling any excitement, maybe it's the 5 month wait, I've read the brochure until the pages are worn, I've googled the car and watched YouTube videos until I got bored with them too. I think I've just got bored waiting and hopefully will snap out of it when I see it parked up in the showroom.

I'll take the camera with me and get some snaps of the new beastie and report back later.

Mods are already on their way in the form of a set of Bilstein B16 Ride Control coilovers (the ones that switch between comfort and sport setting), a set of ADV.1 19" Alloys and when it's run in- a Superchips Bluefin which should have it sat at 300bhp without any other engine mods.
I'll leave it at that, I don't want to mess up any warranty by fitting intercoolers or air filters and the Bluefin is undetecable once it's flashed the ECU.

So here we go, my first ever brand new car

I really like the Sciroccos...I didnt want to but I do, and if it drives anything like my dads Golf GTI it be very enjoyable !!

Keep us updated on your thoughts...enjoy!

I think you will

Looking forward to seeing the photos of this

Great stuff Jimbo. Photos please.

Best car I have ever driven on a day to day basis (Had a company car for 9 months) and loved every second of it !!!!

Being bored will so vanish

Lovely from the front, ugly as sin from the back. Just like a coupe

Oh dear

Picture the scene, a VW dealer who has clearly just received a boat load of deliveries so snowed under with expectant owners (some not so patient as others) lots of sales staff running around with hair on fire trying to get cars registered (here in Dubai you go with the car to their DVLA and acquire your plate).

So I patiently wait 45 minutes to be seen - no coffee or water available as its Ramadan. Finally to keep me happy, the sales man said " your car is out the back sir, go and see it while you wait".

So out back I go and there it is, covered in 2" of dust and sand, looking like one of the many hundreds of abandoned cars you see at the airport where people have fled the country.

Ok I think to myself, its been here over a week and we have just had a sand storm so I can forgive that, I'm sure they will wash it before I actually collect it tonight.
I give the car a quick once over to look for dents or anything obvious, straight away the rear right wheel arch liner is hanging off and sat on the wheel and the front left alloy wheel has been kerbed!

At that point my already low opinion of VW Dubai and my underwhelming experience of buying this car hit rock bottom, I walked back in and rejected the car.

After some negotiating and shaking of heads, The car is going into the body shop to have the wheel repaired and the fabric arch liner reattached, whilst its in there they are fitting the window tints and giving it the bodywork paint protection for free (around £500 of extras).

So I'll report back in 2 days time, hopefully with something that resembles a new car?

Oh Jimbo... gutted mate..

The wheel arch isn't an issue/ They just pop back on, clips probably not been popped in correctly at the factory.

Well done for getting the extras though !!

Hopefully, a month down the line when you're really happy with the car, you'll look back at today and realise it was a blessing in disguise, getting all those extras for free for just a small inconvenience to you.

Aww, feel for you Jimbo

Good that you're getting some freebies, but disappointing that your car wasn't nice, shiny and ready as it should have been, for you to drive away and enjoy

Sorry to hear of the problems Jimbo, but are you really that surprised? I think I would have tried to get a new wheel unless that delays it even more. I hope they clean it OK without scratching it!

I hope once you get the car you'll like it more.

I've been told that the tints in Dubai, or any other hot country for that matter, make the car hotter. The darker windows get hotter and act like radiators. I think they suit the Scirocco however.

Not surprised at all Dave, I don't let things wind me up any more, I just told them to sort it and walked away.
No need for a new wheel, it was only a 5mm scuff on the rim of the front left alloy probably from shipping but regardless, it's a new car and it should look new. They've had it for 8 days to check it over and failed to spot this!

Get one of those stylish carpet dash covers which have function as well as form.
As an aside I been looking for pics of the Fiat and Alfa showroom I took 15yrs ago ish. They are photographs and lost in the loft.

Hope all comes good and looking foreward to pics.

Are you thinking sheepskin cover? A practical and classy addition to any dashboard.

NO!!

Got it yet??

A sneaky peak of the new beasty



Still got the suspension and wheels to get sorted before I release the full pics, the ride height is stratospheric at the moment, seriously needs to lose a few inches!

Only done 45kms in it so far and I'm currently on my way to Vegas again so can't really report on anything other than the voice controlled stereo and Bluetooth integration with the phone which is all a bit modern technology for me but all very cool non the less.

I'll report back soon when I've got some miles on it and it's run in.

Do you plan ecu maps? My 241 DC5 Got a couple of lenghts pulled on me by the golf R i was shocked.

No doubt the rocco R would be even quicker with just ecu map.

Cant say I know of anyone in Dubai that could mind?

I love these,and used to own the mk1 scirocco gt which I still love now.
Was going to buy one but ended up getting the Audi a6 instead.
Looks great ,lovely motor.

Glad you've got the car now and can't wait to see some more photos of it

I will post up pics as soon as its sorted T, the Billy's are currently on their way over so they can go straight on, the wheels will be a little longer, maybe another 2 months or so.

JBT, thanks, I love the front end and the rear haunches but I'm still not sold on the view from the rear, looks a bit too Honda civic for my likings but we'll see how it looks once lowered and with the new wheels.

Jonny, yes it will have the Superchips BlueFin so should be at 300bhp, there are actually quite a few places that will map your car over here, dont forget this is a playground for fast cars and tuning. I'm not sure how good they are at mapping though, that's why I've opted for the superchips option, it's all done in the uk and uploaded over the Internet.

These bad boys will be going in this week, there's quite a bit of wiring for the control box and the button to select damping rates but I'm excited to see how they feel compared to the standard damper.

As standard the car is quite firm but in a well controlled way, feels similar to my friends 911 in that there isn't too much suspension travel but what you do have is very well controlled.
I'll report back with pictures when it's done.

Que Jimbo spending half a million on all brands/types of suspension for the Scirocco R

Haha, no way, not this time..........

I aimed high with these purely for putting it on the track and being good on the road.
There is a good track 10 minutes from where I live in a place called motor city, as soon as the temps drop a little I'll be there.

I'm excited to see all this.
Are you carrying out the work yourself or having it done ?

I'm having the suspension fitted for me by a place called Panda Performance - yes it sounds a bit dodgy but they had some pretty exotic cars in there so I will put some trust in them.
I'd rather do it all myself but I'd have to get my tools shipped over and I don't really have anywhere to do the work.

Ok so the Bilsteins have been fitted and what a difference they make!
The standard car felt quite firm, a nice firm though with well controlled damping, still a bit of roll through the corners but not too much. The suspension ride height looked way too high, a good 4" gap between the wheel and arch at the front which just looked ugly to me, yet the suspension seemed to have limited travel or extra long bump stops? Speed bumps were a pain as the car felt very firm going over them, not in a crashy way, there was no crashing at all through the suspension, it was a very well matched and set up damper and spring.

On to the Bilsteins, in soft mode the ride is a little softer than standard but with better damping, it really does glide over the road in a very smooth and controlled manner, no crashing no harshness at all yet still feels just as tight through the corners.
One click of the button and it's into sport mode, this transforms the car, it's almost like you feel it squat down and tense its muscles. The ride is now firm,- firmer than standard, still no crashing but it feels very go-kart like, you can throw it in to corners and it just remains completely level and controlled, still managing to soak up the bumps (just).

These weren't cheap at £1700 for the complete kit but still cheaper than going for the DCC option at VW and I would imagine far superior than the VW kit. Bilstein make some of the better dampers available and this is the best kit they make so I was expecting good things and Im happy to report they are very very good.

We just need to talk Bilstein into making a kit fot the coupe now!

Jimbo, slightly off topic, what's happening with your coop ?
Have you sold it ?

Sean

Negative, she's tucked away in storage until I return...whenever that may be?

Well a bit of an update on the Scirocco; I did a track day at the Dubai race track a few weeks ago, it was a VW day so nothing to compare the car against apart from the Golf GTis and Golf R's, I had the only Scirocco R on track, the Golf seems a much more popular choice over here.

The suspension worked very well, nice and firm and cornered pretty flat. It's a similar feel to the coupe on the track, it will under steer through the apex if you carry too much speed into the corner so slower in and accelerate out just like the coupe.
It would really benefit from a bit of extra front camber which is adjustable on these and some better tyres for next time I take it out.





Still awaiting the ADV.1 wheels from the states, they should finish it off nicely in a Gunmetal Grey
I think the ride height is just about right, I can come down an extra inch or so but I think it looks about right where it is.

Gorgeous looking car

The ride height looks perfect

Looks good that Jimbo - missus is tempted by one as her next company car, just hope the scheme isn't phased out by then.

Another update on the Scirocco, I went shopping with a couple of fellow VW owners from work, one guy has a Golf R the other a Golf R32, we popped down to Park Ferme Workshop, a REVO Technik dealer over here.

I initially went for a stage 1 ECU re flash which is good for 300bhp with no hardware changes at all.....what I came away with was a little more than I intended but the car is going back in for a stage 2+ upgrade: EuroJet intercooler, VWR intake, Akrapovic turbo back exhaust and an uprated fuel pump.

Should be good for 380bhp on the standard turbo and similar torque figures.
To help with this it's getting some SuperAlloy wishbones with built in polly bushes, these also reposition the wishbone to give more caster and are 40% lighter than the standard wishbone so improve handling I guess?

I'll report back.

Sounds promising!

A few more odds and sods getting fitted this month:


SuperAlloy wishbones, 40% lighter than standard and these add a little more caster to the mix by off setting the rear mounting point.

The camber is also adjustable by slotted holes in the ball joint end.

Exhaust:
Just took delivery of an Akrapovic system with carbon tail pipes





The welds on this system are superb, a real quality piece of kit




It will be mated to a EuroJet downpipe and 200 cell cat which should free up quite a few ponies.

Other mods on their way are the EuroJet FMIC, Revo intake and Revo Stage II remap.

Looking forward to the transformation.

Sounds good, been keeping an eye on this and seems to be shaping up nicely.

Got the rims yet?

I need a little while for the funds to recover then they will be on their way. I'm undecided though;

ADV 8.1

Or

ADV 7.1 (which obviously look stunning on this car)

Both lovely, but think I prefer the ADV 7.1

What about some good old BBS, cant go wrong on a dub.

I'm not sure, I almost like the CH-R but I'm not 100% on the "motorsport" writing on them. I'll see if I can get a good price on these 7.1s, they would be my first choice too.

All the best and keep us posted!

Wow, you're not messing around there are you?Bloody fantastic looking motor mate, If you don't mind ill pop over to check it out at some point?

Lovely looking car Jimbo and no doubt quick with what you are doing to it?

Of course you can mate, are you in town at the moment?

Well it's been with me for 3 years and I still love the car but unfortunately it's time to move on from the Scirocco R.

If anyone is in the market for a more modern coupe replacement then this car is it. A good looking car with a really good motor which is very easily tuned to give some pretty impressive performance.

I've got the RS5 for performance but it is no match for just good clean fun, the RS is blisteringly quick, better handling, ultimately quicker A to B and a lovely car to drive but for looning around, the Scirocco wins.

So what's going to replace the Scirocco....well it's another VW in the form of the Touareg.
It's the 2016, 280hp V6 petrol sport version (which I don't believe they sell in the UK?). It's a nice spec, leather, nav,360' area view cameras, keyless entry, push button start, 20" alloys and big moon roof, it's coming in a metallic grey with chocolate leather interior.

I will be sad to see the Scirocco drive away but it's still got a years warranty on the car so now is the right time to sell.

Long live the Scirocco R

Nice write up and good to see someone following up on a thread for 3 years!!

Dark leather in dubai?!?! Hope it's air con'd!!
(the seats I mean)