Road Test
Volkswagen Scirocco 2.0 TSI GT
Test date 10 September 2008
Price as tested £20,499
For Outstanding value for money, first-class ride and handling, practicality
AgainstLooks not to everyone's taste, interior lacks sparkle, poor rear visibility
Originally designed as a replacement for the Karmann Ghia, the first Scirocco was available with engines as small as 1.3 litres and power outputs as low as 60bhp.
The second-generation Scirocco made its debut in 1982, the availability of 1.8-litre, 16-valve engines doing wonders for its performance, and survived until 1992. VW announced that the current car would be built back in 2006 and showed the IROC concept car as a strong indication of its design cues.
When you read this test of VW’s all-new Scirocco, keep the figure of £90 at the back of your head.
It refers to the price difference between this Scirocco and a basic, three-door Golf GTi. Ninety quid. Some parking tickets cost more.
The pricing of the Scirocco is savagely aggressive and will be complemented next year by a still cheaper spec level and two more affordable engines: a 158bhp 1.4-litre petrol motor and VW’s new 2.0-litre turbodiesel with just 138bhp.
The company isn’t saying much about using the 168bhp variant of the diesel engine, but it’s known to be coming next year.
If it works as well in the Scirocco as it does in the Audi TT (140mph, 0-62mph in 7.5sec, 53.3mpg), it will most likely prove the pick of what’s already looking like a distinctly desirable bunch.
In the meantime, though, this 2.0-litre turbo Scirocco is the only one on the market and its GT trim level the only spec on offer. It costs £20,940 before options and could redraw the boundaries for what is possible in the coupé genre for this kind of money.
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