New Volkswagen Scirocco

Thirty-four years ago, the Giorgetto Giugiaro designed Scirocco made its debut and achieved cult status. Like its namesake, the new Scirocco comes as a fresh breathe of air in its third and latest incarnation. Drawing inspiration from the Golf, the sporty hatchback looks and performs more smartly than the average commuter.

 

The car’s exteriors are inspired from the VW Golf but yet the car looks sufficiently different from the popular hatchback. Although not really a coupe, the car’s unique front-end, low ground clearance and wide rear gives it a sporty stance. Unfortunately the car does not perform as sportily as it looks but is far more powerful than the average commuter.

The sporty hatchback/coupe features less leg and head-room at the back and the interiors are frugal. Nevertheless, the seats are covered in Anthracite Vienna leather and are very comfortable to sit on. The lumbar support for the driver’s seat is electronically controlled and avoids straining the driver’s back during long-drives. The seats also come with automatic heating and the entire cabin environment is governed by a dual-zone climate control that is capable of providing different temperatures to the passenger and driver’s sides of the car.

 

The Scirocco comes in three different engines. The basic one is the 1.4litre TSI petrol engine that manages a maximum output of 158bhp and a mileage of 15kmpl. For those looking for power, the ultimate option would be the 2.0litre TSI petrol engine that’s also available in the Golf GTI. It produces a lot of torque and powers the coupe from 0-100kmph in an astonishing 7.2 seconds. And finally, the economy variant is the direct injection 2.0 litre TDI diesel engine that produces 138bhp of power and returns a mileage of over 20kmpl.

 

Safety in sports cars is as important as their performance figures. Thankfully, the Scirocco is well-equipped and comes with six airbags - front, side and curtain - and Electronic Stability Control (ESP) as standard fitment. The sporty hatchback also comes with Adaptive Chassis Control (ACC) which gives the car the much appropriate grip during different driving conditions; it operates in three modes, Normal, Comfort and Sport. Each mode alters the damper rates, the level of steering assistance and the throttle response. Add to that, the front wheel drive ensures you always stick to the road and seldom veer from your path.

Post-crash safety features include movable head-restraints for the front seats which reduce the possibility of whiplash from a rear-end collision. And in the event of a major accident the car’s hazard lights are automatically triggered on, the doors are unlocked and the fuel pump is shut off to avoid an explosion due to leaky fuel. Other little safety features include automatic headlights, rain sensitive windscreen wipers and auto-dimming rear view mirror- all available as factory fitments.

 

The Scirocco is basically available in three variants, each with different engines- The 1.4 litre TSI petrol, the 2.0 litre TSI petrol and the 2.0 litre TDI diesel starting at 21,434 pounds, 22,264 pounds and 22,931 pounds respectively or about Rs. 16.4 lakhs, 17 lakhs and 17.6 lakhs respectively.