VW Scirocco and eco models

By James Foxall

Motor shows & events

04 March 2008 16:05

So what's new on Volkswagen's Geneva Motor Show stand?

By far the most exciting offering from VW was the production version of the new Scirocco. The good news is the firm has managed to combine the aggressive deep front air dams and skinny grille first shown on the car's concept with a healthy dose of the original Giugiaro penned model. Expect prices to start at around GBP20,000.

Other new cars, predictably considering the current preoccupation with the environment, all had an eco-friendly twist. There's the Golf TDI Hybrid which combines a three-cylinder common-rail turbo diesel with a 25bhp electric motor. It runs on electricity round town, the diesel at higher speeds. The result is 83mpg and 89g/km of CO2.

The Sharan MPV's long in the tooth but VW has eked another couple of years out of it with the BlueMotion version. Longer gear ratios and minor bodywork tweaks yield a reduction in the seven-seater's consumption to 45.6mpg.

Finally there's the Passat Estate EcoFuel, a car with a 150bhp TSI engine that runs on natural gas.

CAR highlight

The Scirocco is back and how. Despite sharing a wheelbase with the Golf GTI it's longer, lower and wider than the hatch. As with most VW products it'll come with a wide range of engines including two-litre T FSI at launch this June and later on two-litre turbo diesels with varying outputs.

What were they thinking?

The Caddy Maxi's ugly and prices for passenger versions start at GBP15,995. Why would you when the Touran's a similar price?

In a nutshell

Something for performance fans and environmentally aware drivers alike on the VW stand.

4/5

Volkswagen Scirocco unveiled

By Mark Nichol

First official pictures

03 March 2008 20:00

VW has finally taken the wraps off the new Scirocco, 15 years after killing off the last generation coupe. Due to be officially unveiled at Geneva 2008, the Golf-based Scirocco has a pleasingly similar exterior to the Iroc concept shown at the 2006 Paris Motor Show, although the concept’s space-age interior has, predictably, undergone the full production watering-down.

Isn’t the Scirocco just a three-door Golf in a different suit?

How cynical. The Scirocco shares plenty with the Golf, including its chassis and a load of interior parts, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. It’s an important model for VW – the company hasn’t had a sporty coupe in its line-up since the Corrado retired in 1996. It replaced the original 1974 Giugiaro-designed Scirocco in 1989.

Now, 12 years on from the Corrado, VW has taken the Golf's underpinnings and stretched a longer, lower and wider body over the top to create the new Scirocco, a proper four-seat coupe which retains the practicality of small family hatchback.

So, the Scirocco should accommodate four adults in relative comfort and the boot can swallow 292 litres – only 58 less than the Golf.

The Scirocco’s a coupe, so shouldn’t you be telling me about its performance?

Indeed. The Scirocco will be launched with only one engine option, but thankfully that engine is the 2.0 T-FSI from the Golf GTI, good for 197bhp and 207lb ft of torque. VW hasn’t spilled the beans on performance figures for the new coupe yet, but expect the 0-62mph sprint to be in the same region as the Golf’s 6.9 seconds (with the optional DSG 'box fitted).

But what really separates the Scirocco from common-or-garden Golfs is the adaptive chassis control, which allows the driver to alter the damping and steering settings by switching between comfort, normal and sport modes.

The coupe also features VW’s electronic stability programme (ESP), anti-lock brakes (ABS) and hydraulic brake assist.

What, no diesel? Isn’t Volkswagen missing a trick there?

Don’t worry, a range of petrol TSI and diesel TDI engines will be dropped under the front-drive coupe’s bonnet from 2009 onwards, though VW is tight-lipped on exactly what they’ll be. Smart money will go on the 2.0 TDI diesel unit making an appearance, particularly in light of Audi’s new 168bhp TT TDI, and although VW has ruled out a four-wheel drive R32 variant on cost grounds, a lighter, forced-induction four-pot R20 with 230bhp is set to become the flagship. Expect VW's clever turbo and supercharged 1.4 TSI to feature too, in both 138bhp and 168bhp guises.

Two gearboxes will be available at launch – a six-speed manual and VW’s excellent 6-speed twin-clutch DSG, followed by a seven-speed DSG in 2009.

Don’t tell me – there’ll be a massive price premium for the Scirocco over an equivalent Golf

Once again your cynicism is misplaced. There’s no exact price yet, but VW expects the 2.0 T-FSI launch model to cost around £20,000 – that’s £815 less than a three-door Golf GTI. Of course, that number will probably be a few hundred pounds awry of the list price, but it appears the traditional premium justified by calling a three-door a ‘coupe’ has been waived.

Volkswagen is opening the order book on the Scirocco in June for first UK deliveries in September.

Volkswagen Scirocco and eco-tech at Geneva

By Ben Pulman

First official pictures

28 February 2008 11:29

Volkswagen will show off the new Scirocco and a Golf TDI Hybrid concept at the 2008 Geneva Motor Show next week. The Scirocco will come with four engines, in TDI and TSI forms, ranging from a 1.4 TSI (120bhp) to a 2.0T (197bhp). Adaptive chassis control will also be available, and prices are expected to be slightly more than the equivalent three-door Golf.

CAR Online will bring you the first pictures of the Scirocco on Monday night, but until then you’ll have to make do with details of VW’s eco-friendly announcements. The company went green with envy at the 2007 Frankfurt show when Mercedes rolled out 19 fuel efficient cars. Now it’s VW’s turn to prove it’s a friend of Mother Nature.

The VW Golf Hybrid

The Golf TDI Hybrid concept is claimed to achieve a staggering 83.1mpg. It can run on electric power only, while a seven-speed DSG gearbox is tuned for better fuel consumption and emissions. Don’t expect to see the system in this generation of Golf, though: the Mk5 Golf will become Mk6 at the Paris Motor Show later in 2008.

What else will Volskwagen show off?

Also on display will be a 148bhp Passat Estate TSI EcoFuel which runs on natural gas. The gas-fuelled TSI engine will reach production before the end of 2008, in both Passat saloon and estate forms.

VW will also show a Bluemotion version of its Sharan MPV. The 13-year-old car will apparently achieve 45.6mpg, hardly stunning when the regular 1.9-litre diesel will do 43.5mpg. The Sharan Bluemotion is, however, based on the 2.0-litre TDI, and betters that car's 42.8mpg and CO2 emissions (177g/km to 159g/km).

There will also be a Golf Estate 4Moition with four-wheel drive at Geneva, and the Passat CC will also make its European debut.

CAR Online will be reporting live from the Geneva Motor Show all next week, so make sure you check make each day for the latest news and new metal