Volkswagen reminds us the Scirocco R is coming

Even though we fear the horse has bolted, Volkswagen Australia is keen to remind us the Scirocco R is finally headed for Australia. We brought you this news back in April, but now VW is drip feeding some basic specs prior to the car making its local debut at the Australian International Motor Show in Melbourne.

As expected peak power for Australian spec falls in line with the detuned Audi S3 and Golf R engines. Which means the 2.0 litre TSI will boast 188kW (down from the 195kW offered in cooler climates). Maximum torque is 330Nm (down from 350Nm).

Unlike the aforementioned cars the Scirocco R is front-wheel drive only. To help counter any traction issues it will come standard with an Extended Electronic Differential Lock (XDL) as seen in the Golf GTI. It’s not foolproof, but it’s a worthy addition.

Also welcome is news Adaptive Chassis Control will be a standard feature down under. This enables drivers to choose from three suspension settings; Normal, Comfort and Sport. Given the car will be fitted with 19″ Talladega alloys this should help save unplanned visits to the chiropractor.

Apart from the expected motor show appearance the Scirocco is not planned to launch until 2012. More detail form VW Aus after the break.

Powerful, Fast, Fuel Efficient And Clean: The New Scirocco R – A Sports Car Without Compromises

20 June 2011. The Scirocco R is finally on its way to Australia. It did not happen overnight but we did make it happen. The four-seat sports car is a dynamic performer as well as economical companion on the roads of everyday life.

The Scirocco R – conceptualized by Volkswagen R GmbH – is an impressive performance package with a brilliant engine and chassis, unique looks and exclusive features. Advantages of boosted TSI engine available in the Scirocco R are very high power and torque values with significantly reduced fuel consumption.

The 2.0-litre TSI in the Scirocco R attains a maximum power of 188 kW at 6,000 rpm. Its maximum torque – a hefty 330 Newton metres – is available over an immense range of engine speed: 2,500 to 5,000 rpm. This makes for an agile responsive engine, which is able to summon torque in the blink of an eye at almost any speed.

The Scirocco R can be optioned with Direct Shift Gearbox (DSG) and is available with a specially tuned sport chassis and XDL (Extended Electronic Differential Lock) as standard equipment. The latter refers to a functional extension of the Electronic Differential Lock (EDL) that is integrated in the ESP system and reduces traction loss.

The Scirocco R is also available with Adaptive Chassis Control which comes as standard. This system continually adjusts damping of individual wheels to roadway conditions based on signals from three body sensors and displacement sensors at each wheel. During acceleration, braking and steering processes, chassis damping is stiffened in fractions of a second to optimally meet vehicle dynamic requirements. By making these automatic adjustments, Adaptive Chassis Control significantly increases comfort in driving situations whose dynamics are less challenging, resolving the conflict in goals between a stiff sporty tuning and a comfortable one. Besides the “Normal” mode, the driver can also choose the “Sport” or “Comfort” mode.

The design features of the Scirocoo R reflects the motto “form follows function”; the front end has three large air inlets integrated with large louvres in the bumper customized for the Scirocco R, which engineers designed for optimal cooling of the brakes and engine. The rear image of this car is dominated by a large roof edge spoiler and a prominent glossy black diffuser in the lower bumper area that shows typical R-styling. One tailpipe on the left and the other on the right define the border between the black diffuser and the bumper painted in body colour. The side view is characterized by powerfully styled side skirts painted in body colour. The milled, polished wheels are as visually unique and offer a very attractive look at the large 17-inch braking system with its glossy black calipers and R-logo. Like the brake calipers, the outside mirrors of the Scirocco R are always painted a glossy black, independent of the body colour. Sporty designed 19-inch alloy wheels (“Talladega” type) with size 235/35 tyres further enhances the look of the Scirocco R.

The interior of the Scirocco R presents an altogether refined appearance. As is typical of all R-models, special interior accents, sport seats and numerous other dynamic features are applied

Full specifications and pricing of the Scirocco R will be released at launch in early 2012.

(European model images shown below)