Flip through the latest issue of Gulf Weekly.
The hugely anticipated third generation Scirocco has finally embraced the region's roads. Generations I and II of the legendary two-door sports car wrote history as the most successful Volkswagen coupŽ of all time with over 800,000 units sold.
Now, 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."
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.
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.
In the Middle East, Volkswagen will offer the Scirocco with two TSI engines (118kW/ 160 hp and 147kW/ 200 hp).
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 200hp TSI. The 160hp TSI distributes its power over an even broader range of gears with the 7-speed DSG.
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 coupŽs.
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 200hp model, standard equipment also includes chrome tailpipes, a 'Titanium black' roof liner and a sound generator.
