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" One of my first mechanic jobs was replacing the valve-stem oil seals on the original VW Sciroccos. It was quite a common job as it happens. Apart from the distinction of working on the acme of small sport coupes at the time, the glamour quotient was sent skyward one day by the presence of two ticket stubs for the previous week&amp;#039;s Duran Duran Girls On Film concert in London. Vicarious hedonism like that didn&amp;#039;t come much better in the hillbilly hell of Norfolk where I happened to live.   I&amp;#039;ve got a much more exciting life these days. Really I do.   So for me the VW Scirocco has always had an alluring piquancy. The sheetmetal was penned by design legend Guigiaro. And it had modest performance mixed with practicality and efficiency. Those factors appealed to quite a few wallet-wise enthusiasts around the world. In fact, in its production years of 1974 to 1992, the previous-model Scirocco achieved genuine cult status in the U.K. It&amp;#039;s following in the U.S. is nearly as strong. But alas, as is the case with so many good European cars, this new one won&amp;#039;t be crossing the pond. It seems VW is afraid the sleek Scirocco might steal away a few GTI bunny buyers. Well, after a thorough drive evaluation recently, it must be said\u2014Americans will be missing out.  The Specs  Production of VW&amp;#039;s new small coupe was virtually assured after the rapturous reception given to VW&amp;#039;s toe-in-the-water concept, the Iroc, which debuted at the Paris Motor Salon two years ago. In fact, the production Scirocco looks remarkably like the Iroc, (as in ScIROCco, not IROC, although designer Marc Lichte has cleaned up the details and given the car VW&amp;#039;s new corporate face.   It is very good-looking car, haunchy and mean, with a touch of the VW EcoRacer concept when viewed from the rear three-quarters. It&amp;#039;s also pretty low, or at least appears so, though VW assures us that its only 4 in. lower than the Golf (Rabbit in the U.S.), which rides on the same chassis.   The cabin will come as a slight disappointment to those hoping the Scirocco&amp;#039;s dramatic low-slung sport styling cues would be reflected in there, too. But true to VW&amp;#039;s recent history, the Scirocco is immaculately constructed inside and the comfortable and supportive seats are a pleasant change from VW&amp;#039;s usual pedestrian perches. It is, however, a little dull. The weird and wonderful door handles and flat-bottomed steering wheel are no substitute for real sporty design flair. Some VW designers have too much time on their hands\u2014steering wheels are circular for a very good reason. Rear-seat passengers will breathe a sigh of thanks to this VW&amp;#039;s inherent practicality. Despite the low roofline and tiny rear windows, it&amp;#039;s not outrageously claustrophobic. But anyone taller than Lilliputians like Tom Cruise will touch the roof with his coif.   Under the skin is a VW Golf, though a wider front and rear track are courtesy of the Passat sedan, whch also uses a version of this chassis. Under the hood is a turbochaged, 197 hp 2.0-liter four-cylinder that delivers 207 lb-ft of torque. Driving the front wheels is a choice of six-speed manual or six-speed DSG automatic gearbox. The two are virtually interchangeable in terms of performance, with a top speed of 145 mph, a 0-to-60 time of 7.1 seconds and an NEDC Urban fuel economy rating of 22.2 mpg (U.S.). In real-world motoring we managed 29.3 mpg (U.S.) on a wide variety of roads, including a long crawl through South London&amp;#039;s shopping traffic\u2014think Los Angeles at rush hour.  The Drive  From behind the wheel, you can&amp;#039;t see any of the corners of the car. So apart from making the parking sensors a must-have option, driving the Scirocco gives you the impression you are in a flying cabin. The Scirocco feels a lot faster than its performance figures might indicate. Although the so-called sports exhaust just sounds like a broken rear muffler to our ear.   Acceleration is pleasingly stepped thanks to VW&amp;#039;s brilliant DSG, so that you feel the engine coming on boost, but without an explosion of wayward torque steer. It&amp;#039;s nippy rather than superfast, but always fun to drive. The ride is supple, and the handling is sure footed without necessitating teeth-rattling suspension firmesss. There&amp;#039;s a well-engineered linearity to the major controls and a fine chassis balance.   Our test car was fitted with electronically adjustable dampers that you can switch between Sport (too hard), Normal (good balance) and Comfort (same as Normal). The optional 19-in. wheels and tires generate a lot of mechanical grip, which is relinquished gently at the front as initial understeer. But easing the throttle midbend will point the nose tighter into the corner, although abusing this maneuver will activate the electronic stability program to prevent a spin. The only criticism comes from a lack of feedback through the steering wheel, which seldom reveals just how close to the edge of grip you are. And it must be said, the almost absurdly abrupt brake pedal really stands the car on its nose at low speeds.  The Bottom Line  Let&amp;#039;s be frank, the Scirocco is really just a better-looking Golf GTI with less room and a $40,000 (U.K.) sticker price. But VW has managed to dust it with just enough design glitz and dazzle to make the Scirocco just a bit more desirable and glamorous. Now where are those Duran Duran tickets? "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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