What is interesting is the 1987 Scirocco 16V 2.0 liter actually has more power than the modern car they are comparing it to with 175 horses. This is not the original motor. MotorTrend chose the 1.4 TSI twin-charged 2012 model sporting 160 horses. The 1987 model also weighs 614 pounds less at 2356 pounds. The new car is actually a lightweight in today's automotive climate at 2970 pounds.
One car is older but lighter and more powerful. The other is more modern with a motor supercharged and turbocharged for a fat torque curve. As anyone would hope they do drag race the cars and the winner is... well, it's basically even.
A nice comparison video showing cars from different decades and how a model evolved. MotorTrend does end up picking the new car over the older one which is nice to see considering the 1987 car is the personal vehicle of the reviewer. Check it out below.