In March 1981, the Scirocco II appeared – with a completely changed appearance: “The new Scirocco. Excitingly sensible” is the slogan for the market launch. The Scirocco II is again developed and produced by Karmann in Osnabrück. Like its predecessor, the new Scirocco is based on the platform of the Golf I. The specifications call for an enlarged interior and trunk as well as a lowering of the cw value to reduce fuel consumption. Giorgetto Giugiaro was also involved in the design process, but his proposal was not accepted by the Wolfsburg design department under Herbert Schäfer.

Compared with its predecessor, the shape has an almost gentle character, the side view is characterized by a horizontal beltline, many corners are rounded, and it is also 20 centimeters longer. The Scirocco II has a larger interior than its predecessor. The shape of the side panels creates more space in the usable interior width – a principle later adopted for the Golf II. The headroom is greater at the front and rear due to the shape of the roof.

The smaller frontal area and a vehicle weight that is almost 100 kilograms heavier have a different effect on driving performance compared with the Scirocco I: Due to the ten percent lower cd value with the GTI engine, the Scirocco II can reach a top speed of 191 km/h, while its predecessor with its more angular design has to drop out at 185 km/h. However, acceleration is not as fast as the Scirocco I due to the smaller frontal area and the almost kilogram higher weight. In terms of acceleration, however, the last tenths of a second are missing from the predecessor due to the weight.