VOLKSWAGEN Australia has finally got its hands on the Golf-based Scirocco coupe – something it has attempted do since the end of 2009.

, Now available here only in flagship R guise, the slinky two-door four-seater shares its 188kW/330Nm turbocharged 2.0-litre engine with the R version of the Golf, but unlike the now five-door-only hatch it makes do with a lighter front-drive configuration.

, As with the previous two iterations of the Scirocco (the first generation debuted in Europe in 1974 and the second was discontinued in 1992), the car is pitched as a sporty and more aesthetically pleasing alternative to the Golf.

So the big question is, almost three and a half years after it first appeared overseas, has it been worth the wait? Let’s find out.