Volkswagen’s new Scirocco has been named Car of the Year 2008 by Top Gear.
The judging panel was made up of members of the road test team and journalists from Top Gear magazine, the country’s biggest selling motoring and most widely read men’s magazine, and topgear.com which boasts two million users a month.
A Volkswagen spokesman commented: “The Scirocco has received a fantastic reception since its launch earlier this year and to be named Car of the Year by such a tough and well-respected group of judges is a real honour.”
Equipped with a powerful and efficient 2.0-litre TSI engine producing 200bhp, the new Scirocco is the most technically advanced production coupé that Volkswagen has produced. That variant retails from €34,710 here.
All models benefit from adaptive chassis control which operates via a set of four electrically adjustable dampers to alter the car’s suspension, steering, and throttle response set-up, and allows the driver to choose the most appropriate setting for the journey.
This system particularly impressed the judges with them explaining, in the awards issue of Top Gear magazine: “The standard ACC system allows you to swap between soft and scythe at the touch of the button, giving you a spread of abilities far beyond what we’ve come to expect from the average car.”
In summing up the Scirocco’s success, Top Gear magazine explained: “Among the mega-machinery that makes up a lot of the Top Gear awards, we’re celebrating something truly unique, a common man’s exotic. The Scirocco is a car we can understand, appreciate, and afford.”
The Scirocco 1.4-litre TSI with 160bhp and for the first time in the coupé, a diesel engine in the form of the advanced 2.0-litre TDI 140 bhp common rail unit is also now available in 2009.
