'Roc On

Here's another hot Volkswagen we in the United States and Canada cannot have! :-O

The current, third-generation Volkswagen Scirocco debuted in 2008 after the nameplate's twenty-year absence from VW's lineup.  Volkswagen's excuse for not bringing the Scirocco back to the New World at the time was that it didn't want this low-slung 2+2 sports coupe cannibalizing sales of the GTI, a high-performance version of what is essentially a family hatchback.  The company later admitted the real reason; because the euro was of greater value than the dollar (and still is), the Scirocco was (and still is) too expensive to sell in the United States.  (The Canadian dollar is also worth less than the euro.) So, when I heard that VW was freshening its legendary coupe, a pang of rue went right through me.

The car has been restyled with a look similar to the Golf on both ends, with LED taillights and LED daytime running front lights to boot.  The base engine is a 1.4-liter gasoline turbo four with an impressive 127 horsepower, with two optional Turbo Stratified Injection (TSI) gasoline engines displacing two liters - one with 177 horses, and another with 217 horses - available.      

The Scirocco to have is the R version, with a special sports suspension, along with a 276-hp two-liter four that propels you to 100 km/h (about 62 mph) in 5.5 seconds with a top speed of 155 mph.    

Oh yeah, the Scirocco also includes an adjustable chassis-control system, a standard six-speed manual transmission, an optional semi-automatic gearbox, parking sensors, and other available goodies.  (There are even optional diesel engines available, believe it or not.)  Admittedly, this car doesn't come cheap.  The base model in Germany starts at €23,900, or about $31,713.  Again, that's the base model.  The Scirocco R?  That'll set you back about €36,175, or - wait for it - $47,904!

So, yes, a Scirocco R at forty-eight grand might be a little too steep for us Yanks, but if Volkswagen had any imagination, it would find a way to include the Scirocco to the U.S. (and Canadian) lineup and lower the price a bit by, oh, I don't know, making it in Mexico?  Or even Tennessee?  Right, VW is too busy preparing a midsize SUV that unintentionally parodies the Ford Explorer instead of giving us the sort of fun cars we've come to expect from the hallowed German marque.  VW should be embracing its heritage of making cars for drivers, at a reasonable price, rather than trying to be just the German equivalent of Chevrolet or Toyota in terms of pricing and market positioning.  We dubbers in the States and in the Great White North been clamoring for the 'Roc's return to the New World, and maybe, when the first MQB-based 'Roc (the current Scirocco is based on the outgoing Mark 6 Golf's platform) debuts in Frankfurt or wherever, VW will design one with us in mind.

But don't bet on it.  :-(