11:34PM - 07.08.'14
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News Source: autoblog.com
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Germany's automakers seem to get their jollies by watching us scratch our heads. Instead of sticking to traditional automotive bodystyles, they've been deliberately blurring the lines between them and inventing new terminology with which to classify their creations. So we're left with low-slung sedans called "four-door coupes," crossovers marketed as "sports activity coupes" and slant-back luxury vehicles we wouldn't even know what to call. The upshot is that the customer is left with more choices, but those choices can also make buying a new German Whatchamacallit that much more bewildering. Which brings us to the Volkswagen Scirocco – a model which returned to the fold shortly before many of these segment-busters arrived on the scene. Volkswagen introduced the original Scirocco 40 years ago as a replacement of sorts for the Karmann Ghia (itself only VW's second model after the Beetle), with a timeless design penned by Giorgetto Giugiaro. The second-generation model arrived in 1981 and stayed in the mix until 1992, after which point the Corrado (with which it initially overlapped) effectively took its place until 1995. It took another baker's dozen years, however, before Wolfsburg saw fit to bring back the Scirocco. When it did, we were left trying to figure out what to call it. A hatchback? A coupe? A sports car? Volkswagen's own literature uses all three terms interchangeably, likely because, as fashion-forward as it is, the modern Scirocco's chopped-down, extended roofline seems to defy classification every bit as much as the Porsche Panamera, BMW X6 or Audi A7. Those questions weren't answered, naturally, with the debut of the facelifted model at the Geneva Motor Show in March. So with the sleek and stylish Scirocco still missing from North American showrooms, we boarded a flight for its home market in Germany to see if we could wrap our heads around this shapely enigma. The revived Scirocco revealed at the 2008 Geneva Motor Show was based on the VW Group's A5 platform that also underpinned the company's contemporary Golf, Jetta, Beetle and Tiguan, as well as an array of Audis, Seats, Škodas and Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles. Many of those models have since been replaced by new versions based on the automaker's more advanced MQB platform, and there will eventually be a new Scirocco built on the new modular architecture as well. But in the meantime, Volkswagen has given the existing Scirocco a mid-life facelift to keep up interest in showrooms. Although the updated Scirocco still looks very much like the outgoing one, put the two side by side and you'll immediately notice the sharply creased styling that updates its more rounded predecessor and better emphasizes its squat stance. Familiar but fresh is the name of the game. The headlights have been replaced with bi-Xenon units (optional on base versions, standard on the R), the taillights updated with LEDs, and the interior has been refitted as well with new seats, steering wheel, dash-top auxiliary gauge binnacle, trim and electronics. Of course there are new alloys and other minor updates as well, but the biggest advancements have been made under the hood. That's where you'll find a range of enhanced four-cylinder, turbocharged, direct-injection engines that are both more powerful and more economical than the preceding units. There are six options in all, including two diesels (with 148 or 181 horsepower) and four gasoline engines ranging from 123 hp in the base model all the way up to 276 hp in the top-of-the-line Scirocco R. Take a wild guess at which we chose to spend the day with. Although the Scirocco R doesn't pack quite as much punch (or as many driven wheels) as the latest 290-hp Golf R, it far outguns the lesser 210-hp GTI with which it shares its front-drive layout. With 15 more horses under the hood, the 2.0-liter turbo four in the new Scirocco R further outguns any sleeper Škoda has made to date, and proved enough to rocket the Seat Leon Cupra 280 around the Nürburgring in record time. Its 276 horses also puts the Scirocco R right on pace with other performance-tuned European hatchbacks like the Renaultsport Mégane 275 Trophy and Opel Astra OPC. Which brings us to the confusing bit – or the variety, depending on your perspective. When some rival automakers (like the aforementioned Renault and Opel) go with a more coupe-like form for their three-door hatchbacks, they leave the taller, boxier version with five doors exclusively. Volkswagen does both, so if you're in a market where the car is sold, you have the choice between the three-door Golf or Scirocco. |
