1995 Volkswagen Corrado VR6 petrol 2.9 from UK and Ireland

Summary:

Unique and classy

Faults:

Coil pack & leads replaced.

Throttle cable snapped last week!

Oil leak around head. Only needs new seal.

ABS light on (common fault).

22mpg around town!

General Comments:

Wanted one of these since they were released, & finally got around to buying one!

In my opinion, you can't get a rarer, better looking or sounding car than one of these for your money! Only problem is they are becoming hard to find unmolested. I looked long & hard for mine, & finally got a one lady owner, FSH, low mileage example. Needs a bit of tidying here & there, but what 15 year old wouldn't.

Amazing handling for a FWD car. Great noise, & gets lots of attention & compliments where ever I go. I doubt I'll ever sell this car, even though the parts can be difficult to source & expensive at times.

Great to throw around corners, & just plod along the motorway at cruising speeds.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 1st April, 2010

20th Jun 2021, 13:01

They are good cars. The throttle cable snapped on my early 1990s Passat as well! The cable is under strain from the accelerator just before the stopper point on the floor board, so heavy acceleration will put stress on it. Shockingly silly design on an otherwise good period for VW.

1995 Volkswagen Corrado VR6 2.9 VR6 petrol from UK and Ireland

Summary:

I'm loving it!

Faults:

Previous owner had very kindly disconnected the ABS warning light for M.O.T.

Reconnected it and replaced the front wheel sensors at £25 each.

Standard wipers moved around at speeds over 60mph. They don't wipe the windows either.

Replaced with Lupo GTI wipers. 10 times better (they actually clear the screen)

Headlamps like candles due to voltage lost in standard loom.

Fitted uprated loom and Osram bulbs. I see the light!

Battery lasted 2 days when parked up.

Fitted a Bosch Silver battery; now lasts at least 3 weeks between runs.

Door handles broke.

Fitted de-locked rear handles and mechanisms from a '93 Passat. Look better and more secure. Got the lot for half the price of one Corrado handle!

Water in passenger foot well.

Cleared scuttle panel drain and resealed windscreen. Nice and dry now.

General Comments:

I previously owned a '91 1.8 16v Corrado (see other review).

Loved that car to bits, but it always lacked the power of a VR6.

Finally found a good example and traded up.

The difference between the cars is phenomenal!

The VR6 pulls like a train in all gears up to 150+mph.

With the aid of a Bilstein PSS suspension setup and 16" rims, it really does go round corners like it's on rails. Standard handling was excellent anyway.

Fuel consumption is averaging 30 MPG; higher on a long run.

Running costs have been kept low thanks to advice from the Corrado Forum, and parts from Euro and GSF.

This car's performance is staggering. My nine year old motor is more than capable of seeing off Subaru WRX's and Porsche Boxsters.

Turns heads and receives positive comments everywhere I go.

Fed up picking notes off the windscreen offering to buy it.

Reliability has been excellent. Few niggles I've listed, but these are more design flaws than anything else.

Always check the ABS light comes on with the ignition; this can be hundreds to diagnose and repair.

Try and steer clear of VW dealerships, as their labour and parts prices are extortionate. If only their expertise matched their prices!

Local VW specialist has been excellent for all my servicing needs, and is a third of VW rates.

I will probably never sell this car (unless a cheap "Storm" comes up). Once it gets long in the tooth, it will go into dry storage and only see the light of the sunniest summer days.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 29th September, 2004