How Volkswagen Choked the Sexy Scirocco Until It Died

Fans pleaded with VW USA to bring the Scirocco over for many years. But it remains forbidden fruit, and we believe production will be stopped later in 2017.

The sales numbers are very low, apparently. We can pretend that the rising popularity of SUVs is to blame, but it's not. Volkswagen is choking the Scirocco.

For starters, prices have gone through the roof. I remember current Top Gear wheelman Chris Harris telling everybody how it was a bargain at £20,000. It still costs that much, but only if you're willing to put up with a 125 HP 1.4-liter engine.

In Germany, which is probably the Scirocco's biggest market, A 230 HP Golf GTI is about €2,000 cheaper than the less powerful 220 HP Scirocco GTS. So can you imagine that a few thousands of people are intentionally paying more than they should for the Scirocco every year? That tells you it's a cool car.

Performance isn't the problem here, nor is the shape of the body. With much wider tracks than the Golf, a Scirocco R set the FWD record around Motor Trend's figure-8 course a few years ago, matching the time of a Mitsubishi Evo. That's the very definition of a cool VW.

You can also watch Jason Cammisa's review from back in 2013, where he is clearly stoked about everything the Scirocco offers.

For the most part, Volkswagen wasn't intentionally killing its coupe. But it always treated the Golf GTI segment as if it's made of glass, and negligence can also be a criminal offense.

The Scirocco's engine updates were always late. It still has a crummy-looking steering wheel, and the dash needs work too. But we'd forgive it because of those bucket seats, and did you know that the rear ones are shaped like buckets as well? Apparently, a couple of six-footers can easily sit back there.