The Morning Call and Mcall.com's view

The Scirocco has always been the handsome duckling of the Volkswagen family. Svelte, smooth, subtle, and oh so un-German looking, this sporty hatchback has always appealed to those who like sports cars but not the hassle usually associated with them.

After all, beneath its attractive Italian styling – it is yet another design by the well-known Italian designer Giorgio Giugiaro – is all that reliable and not-so-fussy mechanics of the VW Golf (and before that the Rabbit). Sort of like having your German chocolate cake and eating it too, but without gaining any weight.

But before anyone gets the idea that the Scirocco is long on looks but short on performance (or, at least, enough performance to go along with fast appearance), it should be noted that there is now a new, somewhat supercar version known as the Scirocco 16-Valve. So, not only can this car turn heads, it can turn a mean tachometer and speedometer. In fact, the 16-valve engine changes the Scirocco from a sporty car to a sports car.

The test car (supplied by Lehigh Valley Volkswagen, 1346 Lehigh St., Allentown) proved to be an interesting car to drive. But, then, sports cars usually are. It performed well, handled well and even provided enough room for my long frame. Though I must admit I hit my head twice on the top of the door opening because of the low roofline. Italian styling may be attractive but it does cut into headroom. Since we are on the subject, it should be noted that the test car did not have the optional tilt and slide sunroof. If it did, I probably wouldn’t be able to fit into it.

Since the car is called the Scirocco 16-Valve, we probably should discuss this right away. The 16-valve designation means that the car’s four-cylinder engine has four valves per cylinder instead of the usual two. It also has two camshafts instead of one. The purpose of this, of course, is to increase horsepower, which makes perfectly good senseconsidering that performance is back.

With the return of performance over the past couple of years, many manufacturers have achieved more power by using turbocharging. However, several manufacturers (and more are on the way) have turned to four-valve-per- cylinder engines, which essentially holds the valve train together (the weakest component in the engine) and increases power by allowing the engine to run at higher rpm.

Like many other ”new” ideas in automobile engineering, this one has been pulled off before. In fact, racing cars and even some passenger cars of 60 and 70 years ago had dual overhead camshafts and four-valve-per-cylinder engines. But because of its high cost and other successful methods of increasing horsepower, it never was a widespread practice. That is until now. More manufacturers are now designing such engines and not just for performance. Such engines also happen to be ”clean” and can easily meet emission standards.

Anyway , after all is said and done, the Scirocco 16-Valve’s 1.8 liter/109 cubic inch engine produces 123 horsepower at 5,800 rpm and 120 foot pounds torque at 4,250 rpm. And this is all instant power; no lag, no sag. Notice that peak horsepower comes in at a very high rpm. Now on a conventional two- valve-per-cylinder engine this high rpm would be at peak, or even beyond. But the 16-Valve doesn’t redline until 7,000 rpm. This high rpm becomes very apparent when driving. Even on a normal fast acceleration (such as when entering a highway) the tach swings right over and just seems to keep climbing as you pour on the coal. As mentioned before, the higher the rpm, the more power that can be developed.

Performance is helped out by the car’s close-ratio, five-speed manual transmission. Volkswagen has always made excellent use of gearing to achieve better performance. Low end is excellent with 0-60 mph in under 8 seconds. The Scirocco 16-Valve has a speedometer that regis ers 160 mph, a bit of an overstatement. But according to VW the car hit a top track speed of 122 mph. I just wasn’t sufficiently motivated to prove or disprove this claim. Anyway, with all of its potential for performance, the car can still get decent fuel mileage. The test car averaged 20 miles per gallon for city driving and just a shade under 30 mpg on the highway. Unleaded premium was used.

To handle the extra power, the 16-Valve’s four-wheel independent suspension (MacPherson struts up front, stabilizer axle with coil springs in the rear and sway bars fore and aft) is performance tuned. In addition there is quick-ratio rack-and-pinion steering, low profile 185/60HR14 steel-belted radials and four-wheel disc brakes. The 16-Valve handles curves, cloverleafs and corners like, well, a sports car. The ride isn’t that bad either. Somewhat firm but not harsh.

The Scirocco is a subcompact with a volume index of 98 cubic feet, 73 interior and 19 storage. It has a wheelbase of 94.5 inches, length of 165.7 inches, width of 64.8 inches, height of 51.4 inches and a somewhat low ground clearance of 4.3 inches. Front seat room is quite good. The seats, in typical German fashion, are firm and hold driver and passenger in place. Back seat leg room is very limited and only small, cheerful children should be placed there. Trunk room is quite good for a subcompact. There is 19 cubic feet with the rear seat in place and 33.7 cubic feet when it is folded.

Driving the Scirocco presents no particular problems. Instruments and controls for the most part are thoughtfully positioned. However, the oil pressure gauge and the radio are somewhat out of the way. Also, you do have to read the owner’s manual to operate the windshield wipers and controls. The problem is not with turning the system on but rather turning it off.

Base price for the Scirocco 16-Valve is $12,315. Standard equipment includes power brakes and steering, stereoprep package (four speakers and roof mounted antenna), sport alloy wheels, rear window wiper, digital clock, rear window defroster, tinted glass, electric outside mirrors and leather- wrapped steering wheel. Total price on the test car came to $14,585. Other expenses were: transportation, $320; dealer prep, $240; metallic paint, $150; AM-FM stereo cassette, $390; power package (windows and locks), $445, and air conditioning, $725. Like other VWs, the 16-Valve has a two-year, unlimited mileage, limited warranty on the entire car (except tires), and a six-year limited warranty against corrosion perforation.