VW Scirocco face-lift revealed
* Styling tweaks, more powerful engines * CO2 figures fall across the range * Face-lifted coupe on sale in August...
This is the new Volkswagen Scirocco, a face-lifted version of the small coupe that brings light tweaks to its styling and, more significantly, a revised engine line-up that promises better fuel economy and lower CO2 emissions.
The exterior styling modifications extend to new headlights (including optional bi-xenon units) and LED tail-lights. There’s also a new rear hatch design which, as on the latest Golf, incorporates a swivelling VW badge that opens the boot. Further tweaks include a black rear diffuser, new designs of 17in and 18in alloy wheels, and five new paint colours.
The cabin gets a refreshed fascia that’s designed to disguise the fact that the Scirocco’s origins are older than most of the rest of the VW line-up (this car is based on the Mk5 Golf). There are revised air vents, aluminium trim flashes to brighten the dashboard, a new storage area close to the handbrake and redesigned seat materials.
The bigger changes come under the bonnet, where the Scirocco’s engine line-up has been made more powerful across the range and up to 19% more economical. All engines with up to 217bhp get stop-start as standard, and all bar the 1.4 TSI engine can be ordered with a dual-clutch automatic gearbox.
The range starts with that 1.4 TSI, which now produces 123bhp (a small increase) but returns combined fuel economy and CO2 emissions of 52.3mpg and 125g/km; the outgoing 1.4 emits 149g/km. The remaining petrol motors are all 2.0-litre units; there’s a choice of three, with either 177bhp (47.1mpg and 139g/km), 217bhp (the motor from the latest Golf GTI, with 47.1mpg and 139g/km) or 276bhp (the Scirocco R, with 35.3mpg and 187g/km).
There are two 2.0-litre diesels to choose from; the 148bhp unit gives combined fuel economy and CO2 emissions of 68.9mpg and 107g/km, while the more powerful 181bhp motor returns 65.7mpg and 111g/km.
VW hasn’t announced any revised specs or prices for the models, but it’s likely that they’ll be broadly in line with the current range. That would gave the face-lifted Scirocco a starting figure of £20,500 when it arrives in dealerships from late summer.
