VOLKSWAGEN’S ALL NEW SCIROCCO TWO-DOOR, FOUR-SEATER COUPE
26 August 2008 - Volkswagen (UK)

500 firm pre-orders already in the UK out of the 3,350 vehicle allocation until year end.

Next year VW expects to achieve around 9,000 UK Scirocco sales and retail customers should account for 60% of purchases. Initial UK orders have mainly come from customers in their late 20’s and early 30’s, predominately male but married or with a partner. Three months before the sports coupe went on sales over 11,000 potential UK customers had signed up to receive email updates about the new vehicle.

The new Scirocco was unveiled in March this year at the Geneva Motor Show, 34 years after the original version. The two previous generations of VW Scirocco sold in the UK between 1974 and 1993 achieved a total of 77,000 registrations.

The new Scirocco is a sporting two-door combining coupe styling with GTi performance. The new model is based on the current Golf GTI hatchbacks and uses a modified version of the same platform and underpinnings. The sixth generation new Golf is due next January and uses a further modified version of the same platform but it will not have the low muscular stance of the Scirocco and likely a toned down version of its new style nose and grille, said to be the new face of Volkswagen.

Initially the Scirocco is offered only with a 2.0-litre TSI 200PS turbocharged with intercooler, direct injection petrol engine and a choice of 6-speed manual or DSG twin-clutch auto gearboxes. The engine has been revised from the current Golf 2.0-litre TSI unit, now re-engineered for more torque, improved fuel economy, lower CO2 emissions and for faster and easier servicing.

The manual model costs £20.940 with a premium of £1,300 for the DSG gearbox. There will be two trim levels, Scirocco and Scirocco GT but only the latter is available from launch.

Future engine options include a 1.4-litre-TSI turbo/supercharger petrol engine developing 160PS due in January with a range starter price of around £18,000 to £18,500. Transmission options will be 6-speed manual or 7-speed DSG. By Spring next year there will also be 2.0-litre 140 and 170PS TDI turbodiesel engines added to the range. A high performance R version is also expected but VW said this week it will not use the current R32 model 6-cylinder petrol engine and this is no discussion within the company on this ‘hot’ variant having 4Motion all-wheel drive.

All Scirocco models have six airbags, electronic stabilization control and anti-lock braking. GT specification models additionally have 18-inch alloy wheels, adaptive chassis control, electronic climate control and leather trim for the steering wheel, gear and brake levers.

Views
The aggressively styled Volkswagen Scirocco 2.0-litre TSI 200PS petrol two-door coupe with its four sculptured passenger seats looks very good value in its sales sector at £20,940 for the manual transmission model in GT trim, the likely most popular model – for now. However at around, or just over £18,000, future additional models with the highly rated 1.4-litre supercharged and turbocharged 160PS petrol unit looks an even better option when it comes to comparing price with performance.

The stunning looks of the Scirocco coupe will certainly steal sales away from the new VW Golf GTi, due early next year, and it will appeal to BMW 1 Series Coupe and Volvo C30 owners as well.

The Scirocco is 40mm longer than the current Golf GTi, 51mm wider and 97mm lower in overall height. The muscular looks with wide wheelarches have a 35mm increase in the front track and 59mm at the rear. The curved muscular styling lines, low stance and wide haunches give it a high performance purposeful look for a car just 4,256m in overall length.

Space inside is roomy at the front and the extra width is very noticeable. In the rear the sports seats look snug but can just about accommodate two adult passengers. If the sunroof option is specified both front and rear passengers will notice the lack of headroom. The rear seats are split so they can be folded down to increase the boot size from 292 to 755-litres. The boot is smallish but deep, and the aperture for loading is also relatively narrow front to rear. The rear side windows and tailgate window are also small and with the rear head restraints in position rearward visibility is not great.

However in all other respects the coupe is a stunner. The interior design is smart and the quality impeccable and it makes you really want to own one of these cars if you are in the market for a compact sporty car. I can see it appealing to all ages, young and older singles and couples. The new Scirocco really has broad appeal.

It also has performance to match the looks. The revised 2.0-litre 200PS turbocharged direct injection petrol engine develops 280Nm of torque from just 1,700rpm, this is torque output and engine speeds normally associated with modern diesels. So the out and out acceleration is first class but most of all it is the flexibility and acceleration response at low engine speeds that impresses most. The progress of petrol engine development from Volkswagen is outstanding and with petrol considerably cheaper than diesel and petrol models also less costly, for many people petrol models now make more sense.

For the record this engine propels the Scirocco from 0-62mph in 7.2 seconds reaching a top speed of 146mph. Average fuel economy is officially 37.2mpg. During my brief test drives this week the manual transmission model returned 30.7mpg and the 6-speed DSG version 30.2mpg over the same test route. With CO2 emissions of 179g/km the vehicle excise duty is Band E costing £170 a year.

In the handling department the Scirocco excels, as does the Golf GTi in its class. With its relatively long wheelbase the fore to aft stability is first rate and the low stance and wider front and rear tracks provides a roll-free flat ride during fast cornering. The steering is needle sharp and the coupe has huge amounts of grip despite the fact it is driving and steering through the front wheels.

The Scirocco has been a long awaited new model and now it has arrived it doesn’t disappoint. In fact it is one of the best new cars to be introduced this year – it will sell like hot cakes even in our depressed new car market.

MILESTONES. Volkswagen Scirocco GT 2.0-litre TSI 200PS two-door coupe. Price: £20,940. Engine: 2.0-litre, direct injection petrol with turbocharger and intercooler, 200PS, 280Nm of torque from 1,700rpm. Performance: 146mph, 0-62mph 7.2 seconds, 37.2mpg (30.7mpg actual), CO2 179g/km, VED Band E £170. Benefit in kind tax: 23%. Insurance group: 11E. For: Sports styling inside and out, great build quality, fun to drive, desirability, well priced, expected high residual values, a wide choice of modern engine options from next year. Against: Sunroof restricts headroom, rear and rear quarter visibility is limited.

Miles Better News Agency

http://www.vw.co.uk

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