Volkswagen Scirocco
£19,104
Miles per gallon: 55.4
CO2 per km: 138 GRAMS
Good for: Blue moods
Bad for: Red alerts
The car pictured here is Volkswagen's latest take on its iconic sport coupe, the Scirocco. The fact that it's blue - "Rising Blue Metallic with Anthracite 'Vienna' leather upholstery" to be precise - means two things. One, it joins the ranks of the most popular colour choice for cars in the UK - more than 7m blue cars are currently registered in Britain. And two, according to imotormag, an online motoring magazine, it will be 15 per cent less likely to break down than that most cursed of car colours, grey. In fact, the only car colour found to be more reliable than blue is red. But how can a car's colour affect whether it is more or less likely to break down? Various theories are put forward by imotormag, ranging from the psychological profile of drivers who opt for red, to the more prosaic idea that grey cars are usually destined for the rental/fleet market. Either way, next time you shake your head dismissively when some poor sap describes his car as "a nice red one" remember that they clearly know more than you ...
Whatever colour it comes in, the Scirocco is a highly emotive marque among car fanciers. The original two-door, four-seat pulling machine first pounded our streets way back in 1974. And for anyone who came of age in that heady decade, it was a byword for speed. I can still picture the yellow two-tone model a friend bought in Munich and drove over to England. (Yellow, the least popular colour for cars, also fares poorly in the reliability stakes). But boyhood memory is an unreliable witness. I Googled an image of that lusted-after 1974 model and couldn't believe how boxy, ungainly and awkward it looked. What were we all so excited about? Still, 35 years is a long time in a boy's life, and the new Scirocco has as little in common with that car as we do with short trousers and tuck boxes.
The new 'Roc gives VW the chance to prove it has a fun side after all. It's built for driving and is centred - to the detriment of your fellow passengers - on the driver. At the wheel you sit, legs and arms outstretched, in a position which echoes the car's flowing design - you feel low, direct and involved. But those in the back get little more than a view of your dandruff and a slot window so narrow it'd struggle to be re-employed as a letterbox. Who cares? This is a car for the people up front.
From the outside, there's a sense of the Golf about it, a slightly squashed one. The Scirocco is 10cm lower and looks much wider due to the full-width grille. But both cars share the same chassis and engine. However, the Scirocco gives the impression of greater speed. The driver can also choose from three adaptive chassis-control settings: "comfort" for motorways, "sport" for speed and "normal" for, well, normal. The ACC adjusts the throttle map for better response, the steering for a sharper feel and, most importantly, the damping of the suspension for better control.
So, if you're tempted, and you've every reason to want to become one of the 9,000 drivers who'll take delivery of a Scirocco this year, just be sure to get it in lipstick red.
