It's a welcome return for a much-loved VW model, but can the Scirocco make the leap from a bygone era to tempt modern tastes, asks Michael McAleer,motoring editor
SO HERE we are, winding back the clock an hour for winter and winding back the economy an era as well. No doubt some Temple Bar palm reader has foretold the omens of the 1980s already, but even the cynics can't help spotting coincidences.
Lionel Richie playing sold-out gigs in Dublin. Teachers with hand-written cardboard signs outside the Dáil, a Lenihan second in command, Liverpool at the top of the league and the Scirocco VW's hot new thing. According to one barber admiring the car last week, the mullet is back as well.
Did the Germans see this coming? Does this explain their constant devotion to Phil Collins? Did someone in Germany decide that 1985 and Sussudio represent the pinnacle of human endeavour?
It's appropriate, amid all this 1980s nostalgia, that the people's car brand resurrects what was the affordable sports car of its time. Forget about the plethora of Porsches that fills the airport car park these days, or the line of Bentleys in Blackrock - back then, when the sighting of a Ferrari was spoken of in whispered tones for months after, Sciroccos were hot property. Drainpipe stonewashed jeans, a curly mullet and a Scirocco were a combined statement of success. Well, you clearly had a job, which was something.
During my youth, a summer spent street trading in Germany was made all the more adventurous by a battered Scirocco, destined for the scrapheap but resurrected as our autobahn chariot. It even made it to Ireland - re-registered of course.
To those who warmly recall the original, Scirocco stands for affordable motoring but sporty design, room for four or five gangling students and a boot full of sleeping bags. Any replacement needs to fit that bill.
And yet we've all moved on from there. You can rewind the clock, but you can't ignore what's happened since.
The first few hours with the new car didn't fail to fulfill our expectationas or excitement. Driving down the M1, cars swarmed around to get a better look. We've driven supercars and got less attention than this.
Yet this is no ode to Scirocco. Since its left our forecourts in 1992 the world has moved on.
This car may look fantastic and handle sharply, but there's still that niggling feeling that others have done this sporty hatch format in recent years and arguably achieved just as much. Even VW within its own model range offers a GTi Golf that takes some beating.
This is supposedly a coupé. Yet if you don't like the Volvo C30 or the BMW 1-Series hatchback, how can you seriously suggest this is a very different proposition? It's lower set than the other two, which makes getting in and out a bit of a pain for taller people. The back seats are functional, but the ever-narrowing glasshouse also means that you've got a postbox view of the outside world back there. Claustrophics will get palpatations even thinking about it.
The boot is more like a bucket, with a high lip and relatively small aperture. It's fine for what it is, but it's nowhere near as practical as your average hatchback. The interior could also have benefited from a little more differentiation from the average VW. For €35,000 or so, you'd have hoped to have a more distinctive specification.
Many of the internal space sacrifices were clearly made in the name of eyecatching exterior style, a sacrifice many potential Scirocco owners make every day in their diet and dress sense.
The Scirocco does look great. But it should be more than some trophy car for the image-conscious who want to trade up from their Mini. It needs to live up to its styling on the tarmac.
In that regard, VW has given the Scirocco a couple of decent engines. The 122bhp 1.4-litre turbocharged petrol from the Golf GT would have been the ideal buy prior to the tax changes, but it's still good value at €27,560. However, for a kick to match the looks then VW's well-established 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine, putting out 197bhp, is the one to go for. You can have it with either a six-speed manual transmission or VW's well-respected dual-clutch gearbox (DSG).
We've previously raved about this fancy automatic transmission, one of the smoothest and quickest-changing auto boxes on the market. Strangely in this particular incarnation, things don't work as well.
Once up and running everything is fine, but at city traffic speeds there seems to be a distinctive turbo-lag and the slightly power lurches, along with the efforts of the DSG to find the right gear are disconcerting. The DSG may be ultra-smooth but it doesn't feel as responsive here as in other models.
Kick down from start and the front wheels jump about and stir, fighting for grip. Clearly the power is there - yet working up through the gears, there's a mix of lurches and power fades. It all suggests the manual transmission is a better buy, and nearly €1,700 less.
If there is one more niggling criticism, it's that VW could do a little more work on its lights. On dark back roads it could really do with more light at full beam. During some night testing at a European Car of the Year jury event we took out a Scirocco and the new Volvo XC60. On a dark, cloud-covered night, it was the lamps of the Volvo from behind that were relied on to light the road ahead.
On the plus side, there's a nice rasp note from the exhaust at mid to high revs and once the car gets into a rhythm it zips around like a proper sports car. Low-set seating adds to the sense of fun. There's a cocoon feel to the cabin.
In terms of ride quality, the Scirocco is surprisingly supple and has its own characteristics, despite being based on the Golf platform. It's a sports car of course, so don't expect a magic carpet ride, but it's not as firm as we had feared and while it doesn't sacrifice much in terms of handling ability, it's forgiving on badly covered surfaces. The cornering is sharp enough to put a smile on your face while it doesn't really step out of line when you kick down mid-bend.
At approximately €35,000 for the 2.0-litre, it's competitively priced and if you buy into the idea that this is a coupé rather than a hot hatch, it's great value. Even with its futuristic front end, it's still not as smart as some of the latest Alfa Romeos but it comes with a better badge in terms of resale values.
You could buy a true hot hatch for this money, but it would probably be a bit too lairy for a potential Scirocco owner. So what you have here is a model name with a great heritage and a good price, and with the sort of styling to attract all sorts of newcomers.
Even in these difficult times, the Scirocco's certain to be a big seller for a brand whose design workshop seems to have suddenly sprung to life after several years in the doldrums. While the Golf is indistinguishable from the previous version, VW dealers certainly have some smart metal on forecourts to pull in the punters.
So welcome back, Scirocco. A new generation of owners awaits and the great looks and sporty handling for this car will serve them well.
Yet strangely, for those of us who remember the original and have moved on in life, its sacrifices at the altar of style over practicality represent less a reawakening of youth, but more a reminder of our middle age.
Factfile: Volkswagen Scirocco 2.0 TSi DSG
Engine: 1984cc four-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine putting out 197bhp @ 5,000rpm and 280Nm of torque @ 1,750rpm
0-100km/h: 7.1 secs
Consumption: 7.6 L/100km (37.2mpg)
Specification: dual front, side and dual curtain airbags; radio/CD with 8 speakers; Isofix for two child seats in rear; three- spoke leather steering wheel; 17" alloys. Options include: six-CD changer (€742); Xenon headlights (€1,693); Bluetooth phone and voice control (€668); leather seats (€2,230)
L/100km (mpg):urban: 10.5 (26.9); extra-urban: 5.9 (47.9); combined: 7.6 (37.2)
CO2 emissions:179g/km
Tax: €600 (€630 from Jan 1st)
Price: €36,400 (manual: €34,710)