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Volkswagen Iroc
By
Ben Whitworth
13 October 2006 11:16
The lowdown
Yes, it’s arriving in early 2008, yes it will look just like this and yes, prices will kick off at £17,500. It’s billed as a concept car but Volkswagen’s Iroc is the real thing – a replacement for the iconic Scirocco that made its debut in 1974. Running on the Eos platform, and borrowing power and drive trains from the Golf GT and GTI, the Scirocco delivers a brilliant combination of jaw-slackening looks and honed driver focused dynamics. The news gets even better - there’s a stripped out hardcore R20 version with 230bhp on tap waiting in the wings… Want to know what this Iroc is like to drive? We’re the only magazine to get behind the Iroc’s dished wheel and take it out for a spin, so check out our exclusive drive story in the November 2006 issue of CAR.
How it looks
Fabulous, in a word. It’s been a long time since a VW looked so lean and aggressive. Designed by Robert Lesnik, the man behind the Eos, the Scirocco is a successful cross between hatch and shooting break and the subtle mix of concave and convex sheetmetal over the wheelarches, bonnet and flanks imbue the Scirocco with a sculpted three-dimensionality. See it in the metal and you’ll see what we mean. And that like-it-or-loathe-it lozenge shaped front grille – first seen on the odd but entertaining Ecoracer - will make it through to production, as will those bulging haunches, squinty Xenon-filled headlamps and hefty body kit. But the touch-sensors that unlock the doors, polished 20inch alloys and full-length glass sunroof will probably be deleted on costs grounds.
