Just as you can spoil a good curry by making it too hot, so Volkswagen has, by warming up the recipe for the Scirocco, rather overdone its hitherto delightful coupé.

At first glance it’s hard to spot the problem. VW’s designers have expertly wielded their pens to add muscle to the Scirocco’s good looks with new bumpers, a deeper front spoiler, a larger rear wing and flared sideskirts, while its engineers have made sure the result does not flatter to deceive. Engine power rises from 197bhp to 261bhp, hacking back the 0-62mph time from 7.2sec to 6sec and raising top speed from 146mph to 155mph. The car has firmer suspension, bigger brakes and an electronic differential to ensure all the extra power is kept under control.

After driving it, though, I’d happily give it all back for a car as nuanced and complete as the standard Scirocco. The R has two basic failings: the high-output engine has a new exhaust system that makes too much unwelcome noise, and the car’s stiffer springs make the ride altogether too hard and damn near uncomfortable. It may work well enough on autobahns and satin-smooth Bavarian lanes, but on the poorly surfaced British motorways and bumpy back roads on which I drove the Scirocco R, it felt crude and unruly, sensations I’ve never had in many happy hours of driving other Sciroccos.

I’d forgive it those faults if the amount of raw driving pleasure had increased by a commensurate

amount, but it has not. Yes, the R is substantially quicker than before, but it has always been a mistake to presume that fast equals fun, and while I appreciated the way the R could be threaded down a quick short cut, I don’t think I’d have enjoyed myself any less in the non-R version.

It’s true: the spectre of the standard Scirocco haunted my time in the R. If

it did not exist and the R were

launched as a stand-alone product, it would doubtless receive a warm welcome. Instead, the basic, 197bhp Scirocco serves as the elephant in the room: a car that is cheaper, just as good to drive and, to be frank, better to live with than the R.

The specs

Volkswagen Scirocco R £26,945

Engine: 1984cc, four cylinders

Power: 261bhp @ 5100rpm