Mini Test Road Test
Volkswagen’s new Scirocco is the product of an age-old formula that produces a sporty model that shares the bones of a comparatively pedestrian model. In the ’70s and ’80s, the Golf/Rabbit platform provided the basis for the first- and second-generation Sciroccos.
A Scirocco hasn’t been sold in the U.S. since the second-gen model of 1989, and the wait for one may continue as the new third-gen car probably won’t be coming to our shores. Although the car meets U.S. regulations, VW says the European-built Scirocco wouldn’t make enough money in the land of the weak dollar to merit selling it here. And VW is probably wary of potentially cannibalizing the sales of the GTI, a car also built in Europe.
We drove a version of the Scirocco that we think might have the best chance of getting sent across the Atlantic, the 200-hp, turbocharged 2.0-liter version. The powertrain is identical to the one in the GTI, and not surprisingly, its acceleration is on par with that of the GTI. But VW is quick to point out that the Scirocco isn’t simply a rebodied GTI. The strut front-suspension design is shared with the GTI, but the track is wider. In back is a multilink suspension borrowed from the Passat but done in lightweight aluminum.
One option that would be worth considering is the three-mode adaptive suspension, dubbed DCC, that comes with Comfort, Normal, and Sport settings. Sport mode is the stiffest, as usual, but selecting it also dials back the amount of assist from the power steering. That gives the steering a very direct feel, which, coupled with the low seating position and the seemingly lower center of gravity, adds a sharp feel to the Scirocco that the GTI can’t quite match.
Aside from a few trim pieces and the door skins, this Scirocco’s interior is lifted wholesale from VW's retractable hardtop, the two-door Eos. The most unusual aspect of the Scirocco’s interior is its low seating position.
In Europe, the Scirocco will be priced just above the GTI, and the Scirocco offers much of the driving pleasure that makes the far more expensive and also loosely GTI-based Audi TT feel special. Further running into the TT’s territory is a rumored 3.6-liter V-6 version with all-wheel drive that makes nearly 300 horsepower. VW officially denies its existence, but nonetheless, an in-house source confirms that such a car has already undergone testing at the Nürburgring. Now, quick, somebody fix the dollar.
