by Alexander Tallberg March 3, 2008 11:47 PM
Filed Under: German, Volkswagen
Today Volkswagen has officially announced the comeback of the much anticipated legendary two-door Scirocco - dubbed as both 'versatile and affordable.' Exactly 34 years ago, Volkswagen launched the original first-generation Scirocco at the Geneva Motor Show in 1974.
When production of the second-generation Scirocco ended in 1992, the Corrado carried on the mantle of Volkswagen's sport coupe, but Corrado's life cycle was cut short in 1995 due to gloomy sales figures. Fast forward to 2008 and you'll find that conceptually, little has changed. The Scirocco is the sports car you can drive every day of the year and it'll be priced competitively at affordable prices, VW says. Volkswagen claims that the Scirocco incorporates "the successful marriage top technology and low running costs, dynamic performance and high comfort, a surprisingly spacious interior and an uncompromising sporty design."
As it goes on sale in late summer, prices start at 21,750 euros in Germany. Martin Winterkorn, Volkswagen Group Chairman, says that "what we have done with the Scirocco is to put the kind of sports car in our showrooms that people have dreamed of owning. A dream that a good deal of motorists – in spite of all the high-end engineering we have integrated – can actually afford."
In a nut shell, these are the most important details:
Engines
Three petrol engines will be available
122 hp TSI - 9.7 second acceleration (0-100 km/h) - 200 Nm torque - 200 km/h - 6.1 liters / 100 km
160 hp TSI - 8.0 second acceleration - 240 Nm torque - 217 km/h - 6.5 liters / 100 km
200 hp TSI - 7.2 second acceleration - 280 Nm torque - 235 km/h - 7.6 liters / 100 km
One diesel engine will be available
140 hp TDI - 9.3 second acceleration - 320 Nm torque - 207 km/h - 5.4 liters / 100 km
6-speed DSG available on 200 hp TSI and 140 hp TDI, 7-seven speed DSG available on 160 hp TSI
Other features
Four full-fledged sports seats
Cargo area - 292 liters
17 inch wheels and hidden B-pillar
Front end - Volkswagen's "new design language"
Adapative Chassis Control - control over suspension and steering (Normal/Sport/Comfort)
Volkswagen in Geneva: international debut of the new Scirocco
Sporty and innovative – The Scirocco with adaptive chassis control and 7-speed DSG
Versatile and affordable – The legendary two-door makes its comeback
Volkswagen is putting on a spectacular parade of new models in Geneva with a host of international product debuts. Taking centre stage will be the highlight of the show, the new Scirocco – a completely re-engineered all-round sports car. Another vehicle being showcased at Lake Geneva is the Golf TDI Hybrid. This concept car runs on just 3.4 litres of diesel per 100 kilometres. The 150-PS Passat Estate TSI EcoFuel, also debuting in Geneva, represents a technology leap for automobiles run on natural gas. Other Volkswagen world premieres will be the extremely fuel-efficient Sharan BlueMotion (6.0 litres per 100 km) and the four-wheel-drive Golf Estate 4Motion. The Passat CC will also be on display for the first time ever in Europe.
It's back: 34 years after the first Scirocco was unveiled to a waiting world at the Geneva Motor Show, Volkswagen is presenting a new Scirocco for a new era at the same venue. Now as then, the coupé is inspired by the fascinating idea of creating a sports car for every day of the year at truly affordable prices. And that is the essence of the Scirocco: the successful marriage top technology and low running costs, dynamic performance and high comfort, a surprisingly spacious interior and an uncompromising sporty design.
As the Volkswagen Group's Chairman of the Board of Management, Prof. Dr. Martin Winterkorn, commented: "What we have done with the Scirocco is to put the kind of sports car in our showrooms that people have dreamed of owning. A dream that a good deal of motorists – in spite of all the high-end engineering we have integrated – can actually afford." The Scirocco will be launched Europe-wide in late summer with prices in Germany starting at 21,750 euros; other countries will follow over the course of the next year.
With its Golf TDI Hybrid, Volkswagen demonstrates the potential inherent in the combination of a high-tech diesel engine, an electric motor and 7-speed DSG technology. On show for the first time in the world at the Geneva Motor Show, the concept car consumes no more than 3.4 litres of diesel fuel per 100 kilometres. The powerful full-hybrid Golf TDI Hybrid can be run either in internal-combustion mode only or in mixed operation – the powerful yet thrifty combination of TDI and electric motor. The car is also designed to run on emissions-free electric power only. Power transmission to the front axle is managed by a 7-speed DSG gearbox. In city traffic, the automatic stop-start system will even switch off the turbo-diesel when the vehicle is stationary.
The Passat Estate TSI EcoFuel being premiered in Geneva marks the beginning of a new era for natural-gas-fuelled automobiles. Until now, passenger cars powered by eco-friendly, low-consumption natural gas have tended to be "mild mannered". The Passat changes that once and for all with its 110-kW / 150-PS TSI engine. And yet the direct-injection turbo engine in the Passat, specifically designed to run on natural gas, consumes no more than 5.2 kilograms of gas per 100 kilometres. The Passat and the Passat Estate TSI EcoFuel are due to be launched on the market around year-end.
Volkswagen is continuing its BlueMotion campaign in 2008. The latest model in the series is the Sharan BlueMotion on display for the first time at the Geneva show. With an extremely low average fuel consumption of 6.0 litres of diesel per 100 kilometres, the Sharan BlueMotion uses 0.7 of a litre less than the "conventional" model. By the same token, CO2 emissions are reduced from 177 g/km to 159 g/km. These are first-rate values for a seven-seater van with up to 2,610 litres of cargo volume and a permissible gross vehicle weight of 2,510 kilograms. This Volkswagen is driven by a 103-kW / 140-PS TDI engine complete with a diesel particulate filter (DPF). The BlueMotion option is available in combination with the Trendline and Comfortline equipment packages. Deliveries of the vehicle are scheduled to commence this summer.
As of now, Volkswagen is offering the Golf Estate in a version with permanent four-wheel drive. This automobile is designed to enable as much as 100 percent of the engine torque to be transmitted to the rear wheels should extreme circumstances require. This gives the Golf Estate TDI 4Motion the best possible grip even in the most adverse conditions. The 4Motion system is coupled with a fuel-efficient, high-torque TDI engine that delivers 77 KW / 105 PS. The Golf Estate TDI 4Motion accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in 12.9 seconds, has a top speed of 185 km/h and consumes just 6.0 litres of diesel per 100 kilometres. An attractive advantage for drivers with towing requirements is that the Golf Estate TDI 4Motion is permitted to tow as much as 1,500 kilograms on gradients of up to twelve per cent – that’s 100 kilograms more than its front-wheel-drive counterpart.
The GTI has its own practical appeal with more headroom, four doors, and a sunroof (the original Sciroccos didn't have one and this looks low enough to exclude it.) It's also likely to be more pricey than the GTI and unless they give it AWD or the 3.6, it may not cannibalize the GTI.
This looks so much better than the golf, and that interior mmmmmmm, the seats look like they belong on a ferrari. Going to be a sector leader in sales i predict.
sorry but i dont like this car... i would way rather hav a mini or a c30.. it looks squished nd wide nd long nd all that doesnt make a good looking car... i couldnt care less if i didnt come to australia...
as expected, with vw. you have all this company generated hype about how secret they want to keep the model before launch wit the customary trickle of info. then on the day all you get is a typical yawn inducing (in terms of looks) car that has "seen it all before" written over its sorry face. this is not a patch on the Scirocco's of the past. i know for sure no one buys a vw for its looks thats for sure. audi should be raising its eye over the slight resemblence to the 3 door a3.
I agree. Yawn. VW always hypes up their concept cars and then dumbs them down considerably. Yes, it will have some excitement when it first comes out, but it will quickly fade into just another average hot-hatch. Come on VW, don't you know that desire is fed by fantasy? With the internet and film, we have come to expect freshness and bold statements. This new Scirocco is nice but it already looks dated. Yawn.
They should use it to replace the 3-doors Golf/Rabbit, and only keep the 5-doors for the Golf VI (which will probably be heavier and seems to have a dreadfully boring look)
somehow the design looks like a stepchild of the new subary impreza in the front and the volvo c 30 in the back with too much asian influence. Would have to see it on the street. I first didn't think that the M3 was all that much cooler than the 3 series coupe untill you stand next to it...
I think it looks stunning. One concern is the dash looks a bit dated as a similar design has already been implemented in the golf and Eos. However, I totally agree the car will look much better in real life, and with the 2.0 TSI engine from the Golf GTI, I bet it will be amazing to drive.
Are you guys kidding, this car is the best styling effort from VW in YEARS, people who know the scirocco of old are buying family cars and passats, new generation, new styling.
122 what do you care about the point of this car?this something that vw must care.if you don't like it just don't buy it.anyway the car is gorgeous...from every angle...
'looks great but its going to kill the sales of the gti.' I own a GTI MK5 and would never choose to buy this Scirroco. Looks awful from the rear, some BMW / Audi poor clone. I'll stick to mine thank you very much. Can't speak for others, but I think the comment a massive overreaction: just because it's new in design, doesn't mean everyone wants one.
Wouldn't call it a really sportscar with those engines + performance... Well done VW at least tried something diff from their other boring models.. however still looks like a flat version Golf .....
