A storm is coming
Proper sports car mechanicals packed into a stylish yet sensible package
Roomy interior, well-sorted handling characteristics 
Interior is too similar to other VWs, steering could do with more feel The Volkswagen Scirocco looks all set to blow away the competition
By Lionel Kong in Lisbon, Portugal
REMEMBER THE ORIGINAL Volkswagen Scirocco? The car takes its name from a Mediterranean storm wind that first appeared on the scene in 1974 and today many consider it to be the first trendy coupe of the modern Volkswagen era. The fact that it was reasonably affordable for its time helped the car sell very well too. It continued into a second generation model that ran from 1982 to 1992 before being replaced by the ill-fated Corrado, which never sold in great numbers and which eventually was dropped from the VW lineup.
16 years on from the last Scirocco, VW unveils the third-generation version of the car. It’s worlds apart from what the rest of the current VW lineup looks like, at least from the outside, and is designed to set the look for the other VWs to come.
A low nose and narrow intake grille means that the VW badge moves up onto the bonnet rather than residing on the grille itself. The Scirocco is marketed as a two-door coupe, but rather than having the traditional steeply raked rear window that most coupes sport, it has a flat rear hatch, making it look more like a low slung three-door hatchback.
In case anyone is still unsure of the Scirocco’s purpose, the muscular flared rear wheel arches shout out that this isn’t just a basic run-of-the-mill shopping trolley.
