Volkswagen Middle East announces comeback of legendary Scirocco to the region

Generations I and II of the legendary two-door sports car wrote history as the most successful Volkswagen coupé of all time with over 800,000 units sold. 34 years later, Volkswagen is set to continue this success by bringing the kind of sports car that people dream of into the showroom.

Joerg Andrischock, Acting Managing Director of Volkswagen Middle East, said:

"The original Scirocco presented in 1974 has long held the status of being a cult car due to its fascinating strategy of putting a sports car on wheels that is fit for use every day of the year at an affordable price. With the launch of the new Scirocco in the region, this iconic car is back bringing with it a successful history and established reputation which it has cumulated since its original launch."

"So far the new Scirocco has attracted an enormous amount of attention worldwide and is continuing to be a success story. It has already been awarded Car of the Year by BBC Top Gear magazine which is a great achievement for everyone at Volkswagen. We are confident that with the support and initiatives of our partners, the Scirocco will enjoy similar achievements and successes in this market," he added

At the event, Volkswagen Middle East was proud to introduce one of the key designers, Andreas Mindt who worked extensively on the design of the new Scirocco. Mindt shared with guests his expertise and knowledge on the evolution of this iconic car through its three generations from one of its key aspects - the design.

Andreas Mindt said, "The Scirocco is the sportiest Volkswagen car that Volkswagen has ever produced - an automobile of a new era with exciting forms, but which nonetheless embodies the typical values of a Volkswagen. When designing the Scirocco we had certain design characteristics that we wanted to feature in the car, these included designing a coupé that looks sporty, that has a progressive edge to it, a car with extreme dimensions - flat windows, a broad body - together with ample functionality. It is these combined elements that make the Scirocco a car that is suitable for everyday use."

Scirocco unites passion and logic

The new Scirocco offers pure driving pleasure, a new powerful design, high-end technologies such as DCC adaptive chassis control and the new 7-speed DSG dual clutch transmission. In addition, the Scirocco provides exclusive use of efficient turbo engines with up to 147 kW / 200 hp, space for four adults despite its sporty image, an extremely high level of safety and the everyday utility that is typical of all Volkswagen vehicles. This mix of passion and logic costs far less than expected based on the car's key data.

Although the third generation of the Scirocco follows exactly the same positioning as the first one, Volkswagen intentionally did not include the retro elements that were prominent in the original version. Conceptually the new Scirocco is a counterpart to the original version; this is because in the mid-1970s the successor to the Karmann Ghia also set out on new paths, both technically and visually.

Front end design of a new era

The third generation Scirocco is the first Volkswagen to sport the front end design of a new era. The main characteristic includes the chrome lamp bodies and high-sheen black interior surfaces of the headlamp housings that are joined by the radiator grille cross bar painted in high-sheen black.

The Volkswagen design team created a wagon-coupé based on flawless sports car fundamentals. This resulted in a side profile that had the potential to permeate a status that goes beyond class distinctions. Thanks to its long sweeping roofline and near-vertical rear window, it also frees up space for variability and up to 755 litres of cargo capacity.

With its short overhangs, the Scirocco efficiently utilises its 2,578 millimetre wheelbase to offer ample space. The Volkswagen is 1,404 millimetres tall, 4,256 millimetres long and its width measures 1,810 millimetres.

Two engines at market introduction

One challenge in creating an affordable sports car is to have both an extremely agile but also economical engine. The TSI gasoline direct injection engines do exactly this; maximum power with minimal consumption has made the Volkswagen TSI four cylinders synonymous with a new generation of the most fuel-efficient and at the same time sporty Volkswagen engines.

In the Middle East, Volkswagen will offer the Scirocco with two TSI engines (118 kW / 160 hp and 147 kW / 200 hp).

The 1.4 TSI engine, with its 118 kW, reaches the 100 km/h mark from a stop after just 8.0 seconds; its top speed is 218 km/h. Like all TSIs, this engine is also exceptionally economical (average consumption: 6.5 litres super unleaded per 100 kilometres) and torque strong (maximum of 240 Newton-metre at just 1,750 rpm).

At the highest performance level, a powerful 147kw/200hp (5,100 to 6,000 rpm) TSI is used in the Scirocco. On the 2.0 litre TSI engine, with its considerable 280 Newton-metre of torque and 4 cylinders, fuel consumption is just 7.7 litres per 100 kilometres. It delivers a top speed of 235 km/h and handles the sprint to 100 km/h in 7.2 seconds.

Two crisply shifting dual clutch transmissions

Standard equipment on the Scirocco is the smoothly and precisely shifting 6-speed transmission. The DSG dual clutch transmission is offered on Scirocco engines in the Middle East. A 6-speed DSG is used with the powerful 200 hp TSI. The 160 hp TSI distributes its power over an even broader range of gears with the 7-speed DSG.

Optional sport chassis with three level settings
Ideally tailored to the Scirocco is the new DCC adaptive chassis control system. Not only is the damper characteristic controlled here, but also tuning of the electro-mechanical power steering. Adaptive chassis control offers the three programmes 'Normal', 'Sport' and 'Comfort'. Significant here is the fact that adaptive chassis control improves the driving characteristics of the Scirocco full-time. That is, the suspension is continually adapted to the roadway and driving situation. The system also reacts to accelerator, brake and steering inputs. It is able to resolve the conflict in goals between a tight sport suspension and a comfortable one.

Standard features

The new Scirocco is one of the most attractive sports cars in terms of price but yet its standard features place it on the same level as the far more expensive coupés. Always on board are 17-inch alloy wheels, height-adjustable driver and front passenger seats, leather steering wheel, parking brake handle and shifting lever grip, sport seats, split folding rear seatbacks, power windows, air conditioning, ESP, braking assistant, six airbags, power steering and of course a sport chassis. On the top 200 hp model, standard equipment also includes chrome tailpipes, a 'Titanium black' roof liner and a sound generator.

Panorama vent sunroof

Supplying vast amounts of light to the interior is an optional large panorama vent sunroof that extends from the A-pillars to the B-pillars. At the press of the button the transparent roof opens up to 39 millimetres. When the sun is intense, a sunshade can slide over the sunroof for protection; however that is not likely to be necessary as the glass of the panorama vent sunroof only transmits 8.2% of the UV radiation, 2.8% of the infrared radiation (heat) and 6.9% of the visible light.

The new Volkswagen Scirocco is now available at competitive prices at all Volkswagen partners throughout the region.