THE NEW VOLKSWAGEN SCIROCCO BREEZES INTO GENEVA

 

 

 

 

 

As a teenager growing up in the mid to late '70's, and having a best friend and his father working in a Volkswagen dealership, and eventually working for that dealership after high school,

Volkswagen play a big part in the type of vehicle I would be driving.  I owned three Beetles, four if you count one I used as a part car.

 

The one Volkswagen the I always loved, but never had a chance to own would be the Volkswagen Scirocco. This is a car that really fit my personality, sporty, fast and fun to drive.

 

Fast-forward to the 2014's, thirty years sine the last legitimate Scirocco was built.

As well as a better engine, the new Scirocco has had quite a hefty facelift to bring it in line with VW's current design language. So a more aggressive and angular nose and new 18-inch alloy wheels.

 Inside, the cockpit is equally sporty with a dedicated charge gauge for monitoring the turbo's activity and a chronometer for timing runs.

 

And, with a 276hp 2-liter turbo engine crowbarred under the sloping hood, the range-topping R promises much, although how much -- in terms of performance -- Volkswagen won't be revealing until the show gets underway on March 4.

 

However, if the figures for the Golf R are anything to go by, expect to go from 0-100 km/h in under 5 seconds. The two cars share the same engine and the Scirocco will be lighter and more aerodynamic.

 VW's latest generation Golf-derived coupé will be making its global debut at the Geneva Motor Show, which is quite fitting seeing as the company chose the same event to unveil the original Scirocco some 40 years ago.

 

And, with a 276hp 2-liter turbo engine crowbarred under the sloping hood, the range-topping R promises much, although how much -- in terms of performance -- Volkswagen won't be revealing until the show gets underway on March 4.  

 The R also gets full sports seats for extra support in the bends.

And it can be specified with VW's sublime seven-speed DSG paddle-shift dual-clutch transmission or with a standard six-speed manual.

 

 The DSG will add weight to the car but it will enable immediate yet smooth gear changes and perfect blips of the throttle on the down change.

 

For those that just want the looks, the Scirocco will be available with a choice of two 2-liter diesel engines, the more powerful of which will offer up 184PS (181hp) and a fuel economy of up to 68.9mpg (4.1L/100km), when it goes on sale this May