Introduced in 1990, the Volkswagen Corrado was designed to be a replacement for the Scirocco, and by all accounts it was a quick, well-engineered car with plenty of fans. Power was provided by Volkswagen's G60 powerplant which consisted of a 1.8-liter inline four-cylinder engine with a 60mm spiral supercharger. A five-speed manual transmission was standard. No automatic was available.
Standard features included power windows, power door locks, air conditioning, cruise control, a tilt steering wheel, and an AM/FM/cassette stereo system. Options included a sunroof, leather seats, and anti-lock brakes.
Drivers were overwhelmingly positive about their Corrados, citing the car's handling, reliability, styling, and performance as among its assets. Repairs could be frequent and expensive, though.
While we highlight specific author bylines where possible, sometimes our content results from the combined efforts of several members of the CarGurus editorial team. As with all our editorial content, you can expect high levels of automotive insight and expertise delivered in a style that is approachable and free from jargon.
helios the rado is a 21 year old car it has had £££££s spent on it and it can be
a money pit if you get carried away as most parts are golf or jetta and vary
tuneable car was rebuilt by me for last 2 years due to previous owner
incorrectly fitting sound system which caught fire.
appearance - helios blue in need of some tlc as n/s front wing has pealing
lacquer and a few rust bubbles,jom gril,full led lighting inside/rear and yellow
tint h/light bulbs
performance - good tunned car has piper-cross induction,full tuned stainless
steel exhaust
build quality - great as its built by KARRMAN factory.
Mar 21, 2011
by Craig H
Sep 23, 2010
Pretty good running nice car for being so old. Supercharger needs to be
retuned from stock to perform good. Fuel mileage could be better but is
decent. Rides really smooth for sitting so low. Fun little car to drive and
have.Sep 23, 2010
by Samantha P
Sep 04, 2010
I love the car, hate that it is always broken down, not running, or not running because I'm waiting on parts that I had to order. Not for the amateur VW owner...you must know electrical systems and automotive electronics...and you must have the bible (a Bentley manual). Super fun to drive, the supercharger really makes it worthwhile to have a 4 cylinder, but if you really have to get a Corrado, get a VR6.Sep 04, 2010
User rating:
by Chris M
Mar 21, 2011
helios the rado is a 21 year old car it has had £££££s spent on it and it can be
a money pit if you get carried away as most parts are golf or jetta and vary
tuneable car was rebuilt by me for last 2 years due to previous owner
incorrectly fitting sound system which caught fire.
appearance - helios blue in need of some tlc as n/s front wing has pealing
lacquer and a few rust bubbles,jom gril,full led lighting inside/rear and yellow
tint h/light bulbs
performance - good tunned car has piper-cross induction,full tuned stainless
steel exhaust
build quality - great as its built by KARRMAN factory.
Mar 21, 2011
by Craig H
Sep 23, 2010
Pretty good running nice car for being so old. Supercharger needs to be
retuned from stock to perform good. Fuel mileage could be better but is
decent. Rides really smooth for sitting so low. Fun little car to drive and
have.Sep 23, 2010
by Samantha P
Sep 04, 2010
I love the car, hate that it is always broken down, not running, or not running because I'm waiting on parts that I had to order. Not for the amateur VW owner...you must know electrical systems and automotive electronics...and you must have the bible (a Bentley manual). Super fun to drive, the supercharger really makes it worthwhile to have a 4 cylinder, but if you really have to get a Corrado, get a VR6.Sep 04, 2010
by Brian M
May 08, 2010
fast fast fast fast fast fast fast fast fast fast fast fast fast fast fast fast fast fast fast fast fast fast fast fast fast fast fast fast fast fast fast fast fast fast fast fast fast fast fast fast fast fast fast fast fast fast fast fast fast fast fast fast fast fast fast fast fast fast fast fast fast fast fast fast fast fast fast fast fast fast fast fast fast fast fast fast fast fast fast fast fast fast fast fast fast fast fast fast fast fast fast fast fast fast fast fast fast fast fast fast fast fast fast fast fast fast fast fast fast fast fast fast fast fast fast fast fast fast fast fast fast fast fast fast fast fast fast fast fast fast fast fast fast fast fast fast fast fast fast fast fast fast fast fast fast fast fast fast fast fast fast fast fast fast fast fast fast fast fast fast fast fast fast fast fast fast fast fast fast fast fast fast fast fast fast fast fast fast fast fast fast fast fast fast fast fast fast fast fast fast fast fast fast fast fast fast fast May 08, 2010
by Roi E
Feb 21, 2010
As a VW Fan i've always loved these cars. i had a few golfs,
and still own an Audi. after my Golf GTI mk2 16V Got stolen
away from me i knew the only way to go is to find another
one. i got lucky and found a Corrado instead !Feb 21, 2010
by Shea C
Feb 18, 2010
well the only thing that i dont like about the car is that the g60 just doesn't have the power that it should the car needs atleast 250 hp. but besides that its a blast to drive what more could you ask forFeb 18, 2010
by Keegan M
Dec 01, 2009
It's pretty quick, built well (except crazy electrical problems) but it's getting higher mileage, so things break, need replaced. Bought it for 1250, put way too much into it since then. But it's rare, and if it was clean people would probably check it out (or if i drove it at all lately!)Dec 01, 2009
by Dan L
Sep 09, 2009
This car is fantastic. It's sporty, fast, comfy and gets good gas mileage. The acceleration is okay from 0-30 then when the supercharger kicks in it flies. The interior and exterior styling is fundamental and sleek. Awesome car, I love it.Sep 09, 2009
by Tim O
Jul 11, 2009
Well this car had it all...automatic rising and lowering rear spoiler(speed activated)...only thing that wasnt done to the motor was pretty much porting out the supercharger. This car was VERY fun to drive and the looks you get driving this around were priceless!Jul 11, 2009
by Ove N
May 31, 2009
Ugly because of all the dents and scratches, but it is a great little thing to drive.
Quality of the car is good, german steel. Be careful of the G60 compressor though,
get one serviced as soon as possible unless they have papers on the service.May 31, 2009
by John S
Jan 05, 2009
Stage 5 Turbocharged Corrado
17" Mille Miglia Evo5 Wheels
Tokico Illumina Adjustable Struts
Neuspeed Springs
Techtonics Exhaust with Borla Muffler
Brembro Crossdrilled Rotors with factory ABS
Stage 5 SNS Chip
Red Top Cobra R Race Injectors
3.5 PSI FPR
Taylor 8.5 MM Ignition Wires
ATP Turbo Manifold and Downpipe
Garret Super 60 T3 Turbo
Adjustable Boost Controller
ETC,ETC,ETC
Jan 05, 2009
by Jaap V
Dec 27, 2008
Supercharged with G-charger which is good, power from early revs. Although rebuild is required every 40 or 50.000 miles depending on your drivingstyle. Fun to drive, handles well. Can be expensive to maintain but if you're a mechanic it's a decent car to work onDec 27, 2008
by Richard K
Dec 25, 2008
Fun, fast, awesome, good lookin, and all that good stuff
Repairs are horrible tho, cost you you'r soul but when it's runnin fine which is 95% of the time it's amazing! Recommend to anyone! Drive it and you'll love it, and the cost of the repairs, will not matter at all to you, because it'll be worth it in the end. Get's average bout 27 mpg and the acceleration feels awesome and the handeling is atomicDec 25, 2008
by Kevin B
Dec 15, 2008
really like the handling of this little road beast, but it needs little more power something like 300whp to be honest. build quality is better than a 2009 KIA man ! it is fun to drive yeah. what do you expects.Dec 15, 2008
by Adrien R
Oct 24, 2008
La meilleure voiture que VW a faite. Un couple et une puissance incroyable pour un 1.8l... une vrai bête de course, facilement modifiable pour aller au delà des 200 chevaux. Juste les pièces qui sont super chères et deviennent introuvables; ainsi que ça consomation de min 12l au 100km... On ne peut pas tout avoir!!!Oct 24, 2008
by Josh D
Sep 05, 2008
It's a piece, but I love it. In process of rebuilding,
maybe even engine swap.
I think the G-Ladder is about to explode, so I decided
to put it into project status.
Traded a beat up '88 Mustang GT for it over a year
ago. Beat the hell out of it, and now it sits half apart
in my garage.Sep 05, 2008
by Ian O
Aug 25, 2008
the engine i swapped into it is breathtaking, despite the fact it draws plenty of attention from its sleek design to the fire blasting out of the exhaust on hard down shifts. the handling is unsurpassed and its actually the 2nd best handling front wheel drive ever produced. from its automatic spoiler to the feel of the cockpit, theres nothing quite like the feeling of driving one.Aug 25, 2008
by Mike H
Jul 31, 2008
Love this car, its amazing fun to drive. I would like to have the VR6 storm model as my next car, though thats not to say the performance isn't great - still pulls like a train after 18 years. The build quality of these cars are great, still tight as a drum. The only thing its not great as is fuel costs, though I think its worth it. Jul 31, 2008
by Sheryl J
Jun 16, 2008
wish it was still being made today i would buy new today Jun 16, 2008
by Kevin R
May 13, 2008
Looked good on the outside(has aged well over the years). Not the most comfortable on a long journey but you put up with it. If I had the money Id be buying another.May 13, 2008
by Robert G
May 09, 2008
Great engine, Great style and an original.May 09, 2008
by Robert G
May 07, 2008
Head turner, with good speed and a reliable engine.May 07, 2008
by Adrian Z
Apr 18, 2008
1990 vw corrado g60, 1.8 superchagered, fully rebuilt charger, 260/268 camshaft, techtonics tuning cat back exhaust, lowered on koni red struts and springs, 5 spd of course, black in colour and thats about it for now, might upgrade to a screw type compressor, prolly no one nos wat that means lolApr 18, 2008
by Anonymous
Apr 16, 2008
I have owned this car only for a short while but in the time I have it has been so reliable it is not even funny. I drive it over 400 km equivalent of 240 miles every weekend on the autobahn as well as the little towns here in europe. Parts are not to cheap but I have seen worse for cars of its age. Decent power, No seating room in the backApr 16, 2008
by Jannik P
Apr 14, 2008
Kommer nok senereApr 14, 2008
by Alden C
Apr 13, 2008
Owned since I turned 16, put 122k miles and over $20k into a car that cost $8800. Still, I
stand by it as one of the best coupes of the early '90s. Supercharged, lightweight, European
styling inside and out, handles like a go-kart.Apr 13, 2008
by Art N
Mar 22, 2008
daily driven race carMar 22, 2008
by Andrew C
Mar 16, 2008
awesome car. much more nimble then its counterpart with the vr6 engine. with some mild* mods i have over 200 whp and eat up most cars on the road.Mar 16, 2008
by Anonymous
Mar 14, 2008
its an overall good carMar 14, 2008
by Brendan P
Mar 02, 2008
The car will drive you insane with all the small things that break down, but you
will love it so much that you will still keep pouring money into it for years. It
will still generate a smile on your face every time you drive it, as long as 90%
of its features are actually working and it doesn't leave you stranded. Mar 02, 2008
by Anonymous
Feb 19, 2008
it is a very nice car for what they are,they look nice with a supercharger and they are very fast with one as well.the suspesion is very nice and the interior and the stlye of the dash is one of a kind.my friend has one and I fell in love with it. Feb 19, 2008
by Ryan F
Jan 20, 2008
its a corrado, its one of those cars you take the long way home. and go out of your way to find roads that arnt straight. sexy as hell. would like another, but itll get smoked by a majority of cars that are out there for the price. however the handling is one of if not the best front wheel drive car of all time. The integra Type R minicooper S are the kind of caliber were talking about.Jan 20, 2008
by Cameron R
Jan 15, 2008
This was a California car with 19,000 miles on it, so I was lucky to find one in good shape. Supercharger worked great and it had the electric spoiler that raised up at around 45mph and automatically lowered when you came to a stop.Jan 15, 2008
by Andy T
Jan 14, 2008
Gorgeous. Best year for the Karmann. Miss this car.Jan 14, 2008
by Jack H
Jan 11, 2008
1st year replacement of the ever popular VW Scirocco. Supercharged G60,0-100kms in 8.1 secs. Some modifications such as Bilsteins Sports/H&R combo. Smaller Pulley on Supercharger, Brembo crossed-drilled, shaved bumpers, Full stereo(Orions,Alesis,Alpine,Horns,4x10's,etc..) in custom diamond encloser finished with matching vinyl.Jan 11, 2008
by Rob N
Jan 05, 2008
This car was amazing, when I bought it it had covered 100,000 miles and was just about run in! I have only just sold this car although I haven't used it for years (couldn't bring myself to part with it!!)
Will have another one day! (A VR6 maybe)Jan 05, 2008
by Paul N
Jan 02, 2008
Best car I ever had. Essentially a go-cart masquerading as a car ...with some Pantera styling tossed in. (That sweet angle on the sill above the rear wheels)Jan 02, 2008
by Anton V
Dec 30, 2007
owned it for 4 years and need to get rid of it now.Dec 30, 2007
by Chris M
Dec 27, 2007
fun car with great moves!Dec 27, 2007
by Anonymous
Nov 11, 2007
I've always wanted a Corrado. Back when they were new, and the prices started at $20,000, I wanted one badly but wasn't in a position to afford a new sports car just yet. I decided I WILL HAVE ONE and laid out a plan to pay some things off in a few years and buy a new Corrado. As time went on and the Corrado got better, I got more excited knowing that soon I would be able to buy my own new Corrado and also afford the insurance [I was kinda young back then]. Then, it all came crashing down. Sales of the very expensive Corrado were way off, and VW was dropping the guillotine's blade on it. My dream was squashed, and so was I.
But I digress...many years later, in 2007, I happened upon what would become my Corrado. It was the first-year model [not my first choice] and it was a G60 [also not my first choice] and lastly it was tweety-bird yellow [definitely not my first choice]. Knowing I would stand a greater chance of hitting the lottery or getting struck by lighting, or possibly both, before finding another Corrado in as-good of shape as this one and at this give-away price, I quickly got over my apprehensions and bought the thing. So far, I'm not sorry about it.
The Corrado isn't a car for everyone; it's not easy to get into or out of, and working on it can be a royal PITA. It's also not inexpensive when parts are needed.
What the Corrado does do is offer you handling that is sublime and an incredibly comfortable cockpit once you're belted in place. I've only had the car for a few months now, and I'm forever being approached by folks that either want to ooh & aah over it or gawk at it and ask what it is. One of those folks was a gentleman that buys & sells Porsches. He told me he had a Corrado once, and that he felt it was more capable than any Porsche he'd had when it came to all-out handling. I'm not sure if I believe that tale exactly, but I can attest that the handling is likely the best of any car I've ever driven in my 40 years. It's razor-sharp and responds to your input immediately. The ride is firm without being punishing, and the controls are very much driver-oriented. This is not your father's Oldsmobile.
The manual 5-speed shifter works well but is far from the best I've used. If I understand correctly, it was the first year that VW used a cable shifter instead of a linkage shifter. It is notchy and the throws seem long to me and the clutch pedal is very stiff, but when you're "driving" the car, all of that seems to melt away.
The aforementioned steering is very responsive and returns a great amount of road feel, typical VW actually. You never have to wonder what the tires are encountering down there as there's an open line of communication to your fingers.
The view out isn't so great, but it never is in a sports car. There are large blind spots and you have to be certain when you're backing up.
The seats are VW-great and also adjust for height which is a good thing in this low-slung car. Getting in and out is tricky, again typical for this type of auto. The rear buckets are a bit snug and tall people won't be happy back there for very long.
On the technology side, I'm impressed that this car has auto-down front windows [from the driver's buttons] and you can also close the windows and the sunroof from outside the car by turning & holding the key in the lock position, handy if you're already outside the car and want to lock it up. Mine also has seat warmers which are great on cold mornings. One peculiarity is the perplexing glove box light; it's manually operated by a switch inside the glove box. If you leave it in the "on" position, it will turn off when you shut the car off. I have a VW that is 7 years older and much less technologically advanced, and it has a glove box with an automatic light and a proper switch. The Corrado new in 1990 was $20k +, the equivalent of about $35,000 seventeen years later in a car today. I would expect a small detail like that to not be overlooked in that price range. Go figure.
The car also features another techno device - a speed-sensitive rear spoiler that deploys at 45 mph in the US and retracts at 20 mph. This reduces lift at highway speeds and helps to keep the rear end of the car in-check and the tires properly planted back there.
The engine is coarse but instantly responsive. The supercharger doesn't have "lag" like a turbo might, so when you get on the throttle the car reacts immediately. Even though it is a four cylinder, it is a heavy sports car and it still manages 27 mph on the highway. Aside from the noise from the engine compartment, the car is surprisingly quiet. Road and wind noise are kept to a minimum and the stock exhaust is also quiet.
There is also a multi-function trip computer that displays useful information such as trip time, average mpg, average mph, oil temp, outside temp, and the current time of day. It's a bit of a pain to have to cycle through all of those items to display the time, but I'd still rather have that information than be without it.
The 4-wheel disc brakes with ABS help stop you with authority. Cars weren't yet required to have airbags when this one was made, so those pesky "motor-mouse" shoulder belts had to be fitted when an airbag wasn't installed. They're incredibly annoying and after the 7th time you've hit your head on them, you will rue their existence.
At the end of the day, if you are in the market for an unusual sports car that is great fun to drive and you don't mind a few quirks, find a decent example of the Corrado and take it for a spin. I'll just bet you'll smile. A lot. :DNov 11, 2007
by Anonymous
Jan 27, 2007
every time i see a corrado drive by i can't help but think how the design seems fresh and certainly doesn't indicate that it's a 15-year-old design.
the exileration and sheer enjoyment of driving a corrado is hard to rival even by cars with twice the power.Jan 27, 2007
my car started and ran fine the night i parked it the next morning i went out to start and it acted like the battery was totaly dead so i check the charge and it was fine i can pop start it fine but the key will not start the car