The 1989 Corrado was introduced in European, British, and Canadian markets only. The 1990 Corrado was introduced in the US with VWOA's "Fahrvergnugen" advertising campaign, which would run through the end of the 1992 model year. The car was immediately identified as a true Volkswagen- it was different. The styling was chunky as opposed to the aero look. The engine had a supercharger as opposed to a more typical turbocharger. Active aerodynamics were used. VW had hoped that being different in the '90s marketplace would have the same success it did in the '60s and '70s with the Beetle. Owners loved the exclusivity of the styling, however the performance was declared mediocre. VW published a 0-60mph time of 7.5 seconds, but no magazine testers could duplicate that time. AutoWeek and Car and Driver both came up with a best time of 8.2 seconds. AutoWeek noted an impressive lack of torque steer, however the manual shifter was noted for its sloppy action. The Car's well executed and yet conventional engineering caused many reviewers to question the need for other cars' complex technological additions, such as variable-ratio steering, electronically-adjustable shocks, variable valve-timing and four-wheel steering. The engine consisted of a supercharged, intercooled 1.8 liter SOHC inline-4 cylinder engine, with the iron block and aluminum head typical of water-cooled Volkswagens. It developed 158 HP at 5800 rpm and 166 lb-ft of torque at 4000 rpm. While the supercharger was belt driven, VW unfortunately tuned it for response at the middle-rpm range, which produced a turbocharger-like lag in power in the lower RPMs. Power delivery began around 2000rpm, but the meat of the power was between 3000 and 6000 rpm. The Corrado was equipped with power-assisted vented front disc brakes and solid discs in the rear. ABS was offered as an option. 15-inch BBS alloy wheels were standard, as were 195/50HR15 tires (Pirelli P600 and another brand were OE). The fancy, speed-sensitive rear spoiler came in for criticism because it blocked the rear view when raised at 45 mph, yet its real effectiveness of reducing lift only became clear far beyond any legal limit in the US. The Corrado's rear seats were praised by everyone for their practical ability to seat two adults comfortably - something no other car in its class could do as well. AutoWeek concluded that while the Corrado took the road less traveled, by doing things differently and arriving at much the same result, the Corrado offered buyers a large service by offering them a choice. The 1990 MRSP base price was $17,900. Standard features included air conditioning, leather steering wheel, power windows, power mirrors, anti-theft Heidelberg am/fm/cass stereo, trip computer, cruise control, rear window wiper/washer, central locking, fog lights (though not available in Canada), and the speed-activated rear spoiler. Available options included ABS, sunroof, leather interior, and a cold climate package which consisted of heated front seats and heated windshield washer nozzles. The press reviews were positive. Bill Young, then-Vice President of VWOA stated: "The new Corrado will change the way you think about Volkswagen ... very quickly. We abandoned traditional sports car thinking when we created the Corrado. Never before has so much performance, comfort and luxury been combined in such a compact, agile, 2+2 sports car." In VWOA's advertisements, the Corrado G60 was self-promoted as a model of innovation: "producing more power at lower engine revs without the lag of turbo charging; low drag coefficient of 0.32; rear spoiler automatically raises at 45 mph to reduce rear end lift by as much as 45% - a feature once available only on Ferrari or formula race cars." The 1991 Corrado carried-over the features of the '90 model. The lackluster sales prompted the availability of a new 4-speed automatic transmission, which surprisingly produced better acceleration than the manual, in some tests. Still, the G60 engine continued to be the a disappointing performer. Back in Germany, VW produced a one-off study of a Corrado G60-Cabriolet; Close inspection of the AutoWeek photo indicates the rear seats were removed to facilitate storage of the soft top - probably enough reason why this study vehicle was never approved for production. In 1992, though, the greatest change was made: VW began this year to offer the Corrado SLC/VR6, while phasing out the four-cylinder model, the G60. By the summer months, the automotive press printed reviews of the SLC and the results were unanimous: the VR6 had transformed the sleeper into a rocket. Even VWOA's own sales kit video harped on the "rocket" theme with the VR6 transplant. The '92 SLC included the 178-HP 15-degree-V6-cylinder engine, available with 5-speed manual or optional 4-speed electronic automatic transmission. Torque was increased to 177 lb-ft at 4200rpm. Traction control, standard on all SLCs, operated at speeds up to 25 mph. The SLC had softer Koni shocks to smooth out the ride, an improvement over the harsher-riding G60 which had the Bilstein shocks. All SLCs came with new Plus-Axle front suspension that further reduced torque steer and improved road-feel. New styling elements included convex-style BBS 15x6.5 wheels, wider 205/50VR15 tires, clear front turn signal lenses, a new engine cover (to accommodate the taller VR6 engine), and new badging (`SLC' in the USA, and `VR6' in Europe and Canada). The new Corrado VR6/SLC competed with the Porsche 968, BMW 325is, Nissan 300ZX, Mitsubishi Eclipse GSX, Honda Prelude VTEC, Ford Probe GT, and Toyota Celica GT, and by all accounts, bested the 0-to-60 times of them all. Car and Driver returned a 6.4 second 0-to-60 time and a 141 mph top speed. The MRSP base price for the 1992 SLC was $21,840. Four options were available for SLC models: automatic transmission, leather interior, power sunroof and the cold climate package. In its own print ads, VWOA published a 0-to-60 mph time of 6.8 seconds and promoted the unique 15-degree VR6, touted by many magazines as one of the year's great automotive-technological breakthroughs. The new 140 mph top speed was subtly mentioned in U.S. ads: "... whether driving at 55 mph at home ... or 140 mph on the Autobahn." A second series of print ads ran quotes from Automobile Magazine, Car and Driver and Motor Trend, which had all printed rave reviews about the Corrado. Included in the copy were performance statistics and "... all for just over half the price of a Porsche 968." The 968 became VWOA's main advertising target for demonstrating the Corrado SLC's superior price:performance ratio. The third and last series of print ads for the year showed the back of a Corrado driving down a German country road, the caption: "Drive a Porsche. Crazy."-another 968 comparison. The 1993 Corrado, was strangely enough, the year most known for the introduction of the SLC VR6. Either because the G60 was no longer available at all, or because the Passat GLX VR6 was introduced in 1993 and the two cars held the flagship spotlight for VWOA while the A3 Golfs and Jettas did not become available until mid-'93 without SRS airbags. Changes to the '93 Corrado included new 5-spoke Speedline wheels and a redesigned interior: new gauge faces and controls, two additional gauges in the center console (oil pressure and battery voltmeter), relocated window controls, a sunroof- and window-closing feature built into the central locking system, and an upgraded stereo system with optional CD Changer. Press reviews continued to be strongly positive, with Automobile Magazine adding the Corrado SLC to its annual All-Star picks for the year. Due to sluggish U.S. sales, the 1994 became the last year of availability for the Corrado, there. The US model was fitted with H-rated Goodyear tires, and a speed governor set to 130 mph. The '94 MSRP with leather and sunroof had risen to around $28,000. And some '94 Corrados remained on dealer lots until early '95. Some '93 models were still available throughout most of 1994. Automobile Magazine once again selected the Corrado SLC as one of its top-ten All-Stars for 1994. The 1995 Corrado became the last year of production and was available only in European, British and Canadian markets. A special commemorative edition, the Corrado Storm, was produced for European and British markets only. The Storm model featured special badging and six-spoke wheels.