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Volkswagen's reborn Scirocco sports car is at last on sale in Australia, hitting showrooms in the top-shelf R specification this week. Of course, with pricing and specifications already revealed months ago, you can consider this a public service announcement. (And if you were super keen, you might have picked yours up already.)
Driven by the same 188kW and 330Nm turbocharged 2.0 litre four-cylinder engine that motivates the Golf R, the Scirocco slips in between the top Golf and the GTI, effectively replacing the three-door version of the Golf R.

While the newest R car goes without an all-wheel-drive system, Volkswagen's Adaptive Chassis Control (ACC) is fitted as standard equipment (unlike the Golf R), offering continuous sensor-driven damping adjustment.
An electronic brake-based pseudo-LSD keeps wheelspin in check and helps reduce understeer, while the Scirocco R's MacPherson struts and multi-link rear suspension is augmented by the ACC system.
The Scirocco R's 145kg lighter kerb weight might help its 'chuckability', but the absence of AWD has an effect: VW says the Scirocco R will hit 100km/h in 6.2 seconds in manual form, and 6.0 seconds with the six-speed DSG automatic transmission.

By comparison, the all-paw traction of the Golf R gives the five-door hatch a 0-100km/h time of 5.9 seconds in manual form, and 5.7 seconds with the auto.
Without the weight and drag of the AWD system however, the Scirocco R does boast marginally better fuel consumption figures than the Golf R. Both versions of the Scirocco R list figures of 8.1 l/100km on the combined cycle, compared to 8.7 for the Golf.
Braking is managed by vented 345x30mm discs at the front, and 310x22mm at the rear. The standard 19-inch wheels - (the same "Talladega" wheels as featured on the Golf R) are wrapped in 235/35 tyres all round.
While we don't get the regular Scirocco models in Australia, the R features the usual upgrades: larger air intakes in the front bumper, and an enlarged rear wing above the rear window.

A blacked-out diffuser panel is fitted in the rear bumper, flanked by a pair of chrome exhaust tips.
Inside, microfibre-trimmed sport seats feature, along with the same flat-bottomed leather-rimmed steering wheel featured across the brand's performance range.
Piano-black accents and aluminium trim appears throughout the Scirocco R’s cabin, and DSG-equipped models also benefit from the familiar wheel-mounted paddle shifters.
Other standard features include LED daytime running lights, Volkswagen's touch-screen audio system and tyre pressure monitoring.
TMR's Tim O'Brien attended the media launch today of the new Scirocco R. Watch for his review this week.