The Volkswagen Scirocco won the Parkers New Car Awards for the sports car that offered the most car for your cash.
Nowhere is frugal motoring more important than when considering a company car, so can this new GT BlueMotion version deliver sports car performance and a useful saving on company car tax?
The Scirocco GT BlueMotion Technology 2.0-litre TDI 140PS (that's a lengthy badge to cover the bootlid) uses the standard two-litre diesel fitted with VW's fuel saving BlueMotion technology. This consists of stop/start (which cuts the engine when the car is stationary and in neutral), brake energy regeneration and gearchange indicator to maximise fuel efficiency.
It may not seem a lot but it does perform the trick for emissions and economy. Fuel consumption is a mildly impressive 62mpg, while the car emits just 118g/km of CO2 dropping it in to the 13% BIK taxation band. This means you'll be paying £49.02 based on a 20% annual tax and 98.03 on 40%.
However, does all this scrimping and saving prove a bit of a killjoy to the driving experience? The simple answer is no. As it's a diesel, power comes in low down and builds all the way to 4,000rpm, but most acceleration will be gained by making the most of the pulling power between 1,750-2,500rpm.
The six-speed manual gearbox allows good, secure changes with relative ease, making the most of the pulling power is a pleasure. However, unlike the petrol versions (particularly the 2.0-litre TSi) you don't get any strong feelings of power building to a crescendo as the revs build to the red line. Think quick but deceptive progress - this version of the Scirocco can build and hold speed without drama and yet is more than capable of cruising along at motorway speeds.
The facts back this up too with 9.3 seconds 0-62mph time and top speed of 129mph - respectable for any sports car.
VW has also avoided dressing this version of the Scirocco to look like an eco car - there are no solid aerodynamic wheel trims or overt faired in grills to reduce drag. Apart from the badge on the boot it is hard to tell this more parsimonious version from any other Scirocco model.
So is this the version that affords you your sporting thrills without paying huge company car tax bills? Nearly, but not quite. Certainly there are significant savings to be had over the other variants, and it is pretty rapid, but it does lack the outright visceral thrills of the bigger petrol-engined versions.
However, this is a marginal point. In fact, this version could prove to the star in the range given you sacrifice little in the way of outright performance and gain considerably on saving dosh.
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