The most affordable Volkswagen Scirocco is fitted with a titchy 1.4-litre petrol engine. But, don’t stop reading – it also boasts a supercharger and turbocharger, so it still has a decent turn of speed.

To be precise, it will whine and then hiss its way from 0-62mph in 8 seconds dead, putting it amongst the ‘warm’ hatch brigade and making it over a second quicker than the Hyundai Coupe.

It’s undoubtedly the most interesting engine to come out of the ‘downsizing’ trend, where manufacturers are racing to build smaller engines which are leaner and greener while still being just as punchy as their predecessors.

Supercharged shove

Because the supercharger kicks in just above tick over, there is diesel-like shove when you first put your foot down, accompanied by the quiet hum of a dentist’s drill under the bonnet.

Keep accelerating and the engine reminds you it’s a petrol – you don’t have to reach for next gear – and the turbocharger takes over to keep the motor ‘on the boil’ until you reach the 6,400rpm red line.

There is real pace here, and you can carry plenty of speed across country, but there is one problem.

Because the 1.4-litre TSI shares the adaptive suspension of the full-fat 2-litre TSI and has just as much grip, it can feel slightly underpowered.

It might only be a gripe enthusiastic drivers and track day-goers are likely to have, but drive a Scirocco quickly and the 200bhp 2-litre engine is better able to exploit the brilliant chassis.

Well-judged handling

The steering is accurate and well weighted and the ‘comfort’ and ‘normal’ suspension settings are ideal for British roads, offering heaps of adhesion while staying quite soft and absorbing mid-corner bumps. ‘Sport’ is best left for track use, making the Scirocco noticeably firmer and sharpening throttle response.

Our test car came fitted with a slick six-speed manual gearbox, and the 1.4-litre TSI is now also available with a seven-speed DSG semi-automatic. 

Where the smaller engine wins back points is at the pumps, averaging 42.8mpg over the 37.2mpg of the 2-litre.

Emissions are lower too: 154g/km versus 179g/km, meaning a cheaper tax bill. Benefit in Kind rates drop from 23% to 18% and insurance should be cheaper thanks to a decrease from group 16 to 14.

Diesel economy still rules

Serious money-savers will want to check out the newly released diesel Scirocco models too; the 140bhp and 170bhp 2-litre TDI averaging 55.4 and 53.3mpg respectively, while emitting 134 and 139g/km.

There are now more Sciroccos on the road – quantities bolstered by sales exceeding Volkswagen’s expectations – but it still looks fresh.

The design hasn’t shown any sign of growing too familiar yet – largely because there is nothing else like it on the road.

An equivalent five-door Golf is £75 more without the fancy adjustable suspension, so for anyone not needing the extra practicality it seems like a no-brainer to go for the ultra-cool Scirocco.

We still think the 2-litre TSI is the consummate all-rounder, but those happy to trade a little performance in exchange for smaller bills should test drive the 1.4 before making their decision – or make the leap to a diesel.