IT doesnt take long to spot a brilliant car! Auto Express drove the all-new VW Scirocco last week (Issue 1,017), and we were so impressed we gave it a full five-star rating.

That model was the 197bhp 2.0-litre TSI turbo, but now we have tried the entry-level 1.4 TSI variant. This version is set to go on sale in January for around £18,500 thats £2,500 less than the 2.0-litre.

So with this price difference in mind, does engine size matter? The performance figures suggest not. Fitted with both a supercharger and turbo, the 1.4-litre powerplant is a technical wonder. It also produces a healthy 158bhp.

Thats enough to propel the Scirocco from 0-62mph in eight seconds flat only eight-tenths-of-a-second slower than the 2.0-litre TSI. Economy is better, too, at 43.5mpg compared to... // Volkswagen Scirocco 1.4 TSI

Times Online (Enlarge photo)

Thirty-four years after Volkswagen launched the Mk 1, with its gorgeously proportioned, knife-sharp lines from the desk of the designer Giorgetto Giugiaro, comes the new Scirocco. It may be a Golf GTI underneath the metal sculpture but the Scirocco is 40mm longer, 51mm wider and a full 97mm lower at the roofline than the GTI. These are big numbers and it shows. Park a Golf beside a Scirocco and the former looks like a sad frump.

A third of a century may have elapsed but the new car does the same job the cultish Scirocco did back then – takes ordinary, reliable, proven VW mechanicals and wraps them in a form that will make people point and smile.

There are some delicious design details. The dramatic taper of the rear upper body towards the tailgate results in hugely muscular flanks, a... // Times Online

CARkeys (Enlarge photo)

The new Volkswagen Scirocco is available to order now and officially goes on sale on September 1 at prices starting from £20,940.

For that sum you get the Scirocco GT with a 198bhp two-litre turbocharged petrol engine and a six-speed manual gearbox. Six-speed DSG transmission is costs an extra £1330.

Early in 2009, the range will expand substantially, as Volkswagen introduces its 158bhp 1.4-litre turbo petrol engine and a 138bhp 2.0 TDI turbo diesel. These cars will also be available in... // CARkeys