The Volkswagen Scirocco is making a return to our roads 33 years after it made its motor show debut.

The German carmaker revealed the new version, now called the Iroc in lurid Viper Green metallic paint, in Berlin last night.

In size, the Iroc is slightly longer (36 mm) than the Golf, measuring 4,240 mm and 41 mm wider at 1,800 mm. Its wheelbase is over 10 cm longer than that of the Golf at 2,680 mm; however with its squat coupé-like stance, it is 79 mm shorter at 1,400 mm. The Iroc has 19-inch alloy wheels.

The design of the Iroc uses a Volkswagen ‘face’ which is not yet common to other vehicles in the range, though the honeycomb-shaped structure of the radiator grille is a link to the Golf GTI. Another notable feature is the lack of obvious A pillars, due to the wide windscreen which overlaps them at the front.

Inside, the Iroc has four seats, as well as a spacious boot of 300 litres, which can be increased if the rear seats are folded down. Sport car features include front bucket seats and integrated five-point seat belts with central buckle.

Two large and newly-designed round instruments form the visual centre of the cockpit. The driver looks into two cylinders with twelve illuminated bars which create a three dimensional segmentation within the instruments. Under the bonnet, the Iroc features Volkswagen’s TSI petrol technology, which uses a turbocharger and a supercharger to produce diesel-like consumption with impressive performance. The concept has a 210bhp TSI engine, but a range of TSIs, starting from under 150 bhp, are also feasible.

The Scirocco was a huge success for Volkswagen, with over half a million examples of the Giugiaro-designed first generation produced. It was launched in the UK in 1974, with the second generation following in 1981. When sales stopped in 1993, 77,460 Sciroccos had been sold in the UK.

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