AUTO TALK
ABSOLUTELY ROCKING
VOLKSWAGEN HAS FINALLY REVIVED ITS CULT CLASSIC BUT DOES THE THIRD-GENERATION SCIROCCO LIVE UP TO THE FAMILY NAME? MALCOLM XAVIER CRASTA FINDS OUT
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ometime during the early 1970s, Volkswagen began work on a car that they internally designated as the ‘Type 53’. It had the underpinnings of the Golf but was re-engineered to be far sportier and the styling was penned by legendary automobile designer Giorgetto Giugiaro. Soon after going on sale in 1974 the car, now called the Scirocco achieved cult status. This was primarily due to the fact that the Scirocco was an affordable sports car with everyday utility. A heavily re-designed “Mark II” variant went on sale in 1982 and continued to do so until its production stopped in 1992. Then finally, at the 2006 Paris motor show, it was back in the form of the stunning IROC concept. But, it was not until late 2008 that we got our chance to see it in showrooms, and what a sight it was! From the front it has a very aggressive and imposing design followed by a very prominent character line running down the side of the low slung vehicle and ends in a rather controversial, and quite wide, rear end.
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May 2009
Roomy feel Open the rather large doors and sink yourself into the very supportive leather sport seats and you will find yourself right at home. The seating position is just perfect and there is more than enough articulation of the seats and flat-bottomed steering wheel to make anyone comfortable regardless of their height. But the same cannot be said about the rear passengers. While the generous legroom is never an issue, unless someone really tall sits up front, getting in and out can be really tricky because of the low roofline. Aside from this the interior is the regular fare most of us have come to expect from VW. The cabin is tastefully designed, beautifully built and very user friendly and those triangular door handles are a great touch. The touch screen navigation and entertainment system is intuitive, responsive and a breeze to master. Overall it is a great place to be especially when you consider how devoid of wind noise it is. Although the same cannot be said about