The nameplate isn’t quite ready for a U.S. return, but VW is trying to maintain interest in its three-door Scirocco nonetheless. To wit, last summer we were given the opportunity to test the 261-hp Scirocco R on American soil, and now the company has face lifted the entire lineup. While the refreshed ’Roc will remain confined to other markets, we’re pretty sure the all-new next-gen model will head stateside in three years or so.
While the Scirocco traditionally was a fastback coupe, the current generation is a three-door hatch, and more of a shooting brake. More than 200,000 examples have been sold since the third-gen Scirocco arrived for 2009, but the vehicle is a bit unloved by the senior management in Wolfsburg, as it is one of the last remnants of the somewhat baroque school of design practiced under exiled former chief designer Murat Günak.
VW's current design team has thus made a feeble attempt to bring the model more in line with the more angular styling language epitomized by vehicles like the new MkVII Golf. But the budget must have been, er, rather light: Excepting a new tailgate with a horizontal crease, the sheetmetal is unchanged. The front and rear bumper are restyled, however, to make the regular Scirocco evoke the look of the 2015 GTI hatchback, and the Scirocco R gets its own new fascias. Both the halogen and the optional HID headlights feature new signature elements, and the taillight innards have been reworked with standard LED illumination. There are new 17-, 18-, and 19-inch wheel designs, and a leather-wrapped steering wheel and sport seats are now included on all models.
Inside, VW has made slight updates to the somewhat boxy dashboard, which is shared with the Eos convertible, a vehicle you probably forgot existed. We like the adoption of the three gauges on top of dashboard for oil temperature, turbo boost pressure, and a stopwatch, but could have done without the "tubular" look of the main instrumentation, a once-sporty styling cue that has long been beaten to death.
Other cabin upgrades include new color and trim choices, including "Matthew" fabric and "Greg" faux suede. Conspicuous by their absence are this season’s hot new “Hank” burlap and “Louis Charlesworth XII” velvet upholsteries. (Two of the aforementioned are not real things.) We'll stick to the "Vienna" leather. Whatever your choice of lining, the Scirocco's interior is roomy up front but hardly suited to haul rear occupants for longer than quick trips to, say, Matthew and Greg’s house.
The Scirocco's front-wheel-drive chassis carries over unchanged, and this means buyers still get the old but excellent PQ35 platform that sat under the MkVI Golf and its kin. The bones are heavier overall than the latest MQB architecture, but the Scirocco won't adopt that platform until the next full redesign.
At least VW has thoroughly updated the powertrain portfolio: The regular Scirocco comes with a choice of three upgraded turbocharged gasoline four-cylinder engines: a 123-hp 1.4-liter, a 178-hp 2.0-liter, and a 217-hp 2.0-liter. There are also more powerful versions of the 2.0-liter TDI rated at 148 and 181 horsepower. The top-of-the-line Scirocco R receives a power boost from 261 to 276 horsepower. A six-speed manual is standard with all engines, while dual-clutch automatics are optional. And all models, with the exception of the R, are fitted with an engine stop-start system.
As VW continues to try and make massive progress in the U.S. market, adding the halo effect and incremental sales of the Scirocco could make sense. While this current one is really good, we hope the next one will be great—and that you’ll get to drive it.
