Coupé catwalk cat fight
Why the comparison?
Because for too long Audi has had its own way. There have always been alternatives to the TT, of course - Alfa Romeo's Brera, BMW's Z4 and Nissan's 350Z, to name a few - but none have risen to the challenge of meeting the TT's blend of style, kudos, build quality and - with the second generation at least - dynamic competence; it's a cocktail that equals ownership heaven. But, the new VW Scirocco has all those qualities too - while being significantly cheaper. Can it really dethrone the ubiquitous TT as the single twenty-something's default choice, though?
How are they similar?
Both are coupés that lure you in with their looks but make some practicality sacrifices to do so. However, one makes a significantly bigger sacrifice than the other - the TT's back seats are useless for anything other than bags. Both are built on the same VW Group platform - a platform that also underpins the Golf VI, Tiguan 4x4 and the SEAT Leon - and both attempt to bridge the gap between dynamism and cruising comfort.
Our test 2.0-litre TSI Scirocco came with VW's Adaptive Chassis Control as standard, which changes the damping, steering weight and throttle in three modes for a sharper or more comfort-oriented drive. It works a treat, too, transforming the VW from comfortable cruiser to sharp coupé at the prod of a button. Funnily enough, the Audi is available with a very similar system that alters the settings of its optional electromagnetic dampers - but at a hefty premium. Despite their mechanical similarities, however, the TT somehow feels a little softer, a little less dynamic from point-to-point, and its driving position is compromised by pedals set too high. Both can be specified with ultra-quick and smooth twin-clutch DSG gearboxes (called S tronic in Audi speak) and both are front-wheel drive - though the Audi also can also be specified with quattro four-wheel drive.
How do they differ?
The VW is, of course, the eponymous successor to the original Scirocco, sharing a 'coupé for the people' remit with its 1974 forebear. The same can't be said for the TT, which has always been billed as very much the premium small coupé. The difference in price, then, is marked: you'll pay around £4,000 more for a 197bhp TT than a Scirocco with an all-but-identical engine. However, the premium vs. mainstream tags that both adhere too are best seen over the entire ranges; where the Scirocco tops out with the 2.0 TSI version, the TT begins. So, while it's possible to drive away in the VW with a Twincharger 1.4-litre TSI engine for around £19k, you can leave an Audi forecourt in £43,000 worth of TT-RS. That's some halo model, and of course those four rings on the grille carry more cachet than the VW roundel.
So which one would we have?
Style is subjective, obviously, but the tangibles of practicality are not, and the Scirocco carries a significant advantage over the TT because it has two useable back seats and its boot is a few litres bigger and better shaped. However, it's that practicality, and the existence of the Golf with which the Scirocco shares much of its interior, that gives VW's coupé the vague whiff of a fancy three-door hatchback. The TT, on the other hand, has no such doppelganger; there's no suggestion that a TT is merely an Audi A3 'in drag'. So, for out-and-out street cred - which is, after all, a vast chunk of the appeal of a small coupé - the TT probably wins it. But, and this is a big but, the Scirocco is about as cool as cars get these days. It looks fantastic, particularly in a bright paint hue; the quality is genuinely knocking on the TT's door; it handles with every bit the flair of the TT; and it stands out as a more individual choice - until everybody cottons on, that is.
For us then, the Scirocco nudges it. When measured with like-for-like specification, there's so little variation in the driving experience it really makes no difference during day-to-day driving. The performance served up by the 197bhp 2.0-litre TSI unit, shared with the Golf V GTI, is hardly lacklustre, with it's smooth, torquey power delivery - and it will return economy in the mid-thirties too. So, get to a VW dealership and use the four grand you'll save to run and insure the Scirocco, we say.
