Road Test: Volkswagen Passat CC

Review by Feann Torr - 11/February/2009

Volkswagen's glamorous new flagship has landed in Australia - meet the Passat CC.

It's a curious vehicle; a luxury car that blurs the lines between style, performance, and prestige, leaving deep thinkers such as the author to wonder who, exactly, its rivals are?

This stylish take on the German automaker's second most-popular model, the Passat, features four fully contoured leather seats, radar cruise control, new puncture-resistant tyre technology and a collision avoidance system. It can even parallel park itself - hands free.

It looks a bit like Mercedes-Benz' sleek CLS-class and has a similarly refined feel but is priced within reach of Falcon and Commodore buyers at under $55,000, yet when fully optioned won't leave you much change from 100 grand.

This suave new motor car has the potential to elevate the VW brand to new heights in Australia and despite the unfavourable economic times, Volkswagen is confident of selling more cars in 2009 than it did the year before.

Indeed, the Passat CC shows a lot of promise and the lavish new masthead will undoubtedly be a contributor to Volkswagen's sales push.

It is quite clear that the Passat CC is a prestige car - but not in a conventional way. And let's face it, being different in the new car market does not guarantee success. 

But enough of the conjecture - it's time to drive:

As the presentation of the sleek new car at Federation Square in Melbourne began in earnest, a video of the Passat CC cruising through a forest of mirrors was shown, backed by a soothing string score.

Designed to win hearts and evoke a sense of extravagance, I must say I was a little skeptical. The VW Passat CC looks rather special but what can this curious car offer luxury buyers?

As it turns out, quite a bit.

With the functionality of a sedan and the style of a coupe, this German-made vehicle exudes confidence and has a roomy, well-appointed cabin upholstered in Napa leather, with dark tints on the side and rear windows.

Supportive but firm front seats are electrically adjustable in about a dozen directions, plus four-way lumbar adjust and three memory presets for different drivers, and the Napa leather can be ordered in three different colours (black, beige, and truffle).

We spent some time in the back seats which are also fairly comfy and have nice contouring with which to cosset passengers; this is strictly a 2+2 seater so there's no centre seat. 

In its place is a fold-down centre armrest underneath which sits a neat little storage box that has a sliding lid. A pair of adjustable cup holders and storage recess live in this cubby, the latter of which is perfectly sized for a couple of sweet pastries or a good book.

Along with the driver and front passenger, both rear seat passengers have their own air vents and can likewise hit a small button to activate the individually heated elements in the cushions, which is a nice touch.

Impressively for a 2+2 car with deeply contoured seats, the rear seats can be folded down to increase boot space and while the ambiance in the car - front and back - lives up to the marketing hyperbole, it's also obvious that the vehicle's designers put form before function.

To execute the unorthodox exterior "4-door coupe" design, some compromises had to be made: to achieve the high window line, the dashboard is quite high and the rear window is quite narrow (but very wide, offering decent rearward vision). 

Because the Passat CC has a low roof line and the rear windscreen tapers down at a shallow angle, head room for 6’1” tall rear passengers isn't ideal. If I slouched a bit it was quite comfy, but with a straight back my head was rubbing on the plush headlining.

Besides this and a couple of other minor quibbles, Volkswagen's new flagship luxury car is very impressive.

The dashboard has a new design, one that is far more appealing than it's various Passat siblings.

Take the heating/cooling controls that often dominate the centre console. In this instance the HVAC controls are compact and less busy and closer in appearance to BMW's designs.

As a result they're also easier to comprehend and use. The steering wheel controls are new, as is the upmarket instrument display with white back-lighting at night.

The boot is massive: a carpeted cave that extends deep into the car with 532 litres of space. Volkswagen also includes a full-sized spare wheel into the package and the boot can be remotely opened via a one-touch system on the key chain, as can all four windows.

Overall, the interior is smart and well-presented but most of all it's functional and - for the most part - well laid out.

There is only one grade in the Passat CC range, but it includes a lot of standard features, such as:

adaptive chassis control 
self-sealing 18-inch tyres with 18-inch alloy rims
auto xenon headlights with dynamic cornering system
auto windscreen wipers
auto dimming rear view mirror
heated side mirrors with memory
 auto dual zone climate control system with dust and pollen filters

As you can see, the car is intelligent enough to do a lot of things by itself. 

But that's not all. The standard features list also includes plenty of chrome inside and out, a sporty leather steering wheel with trip computer and audio controls, centre arm rests front and rear, a tyre pressure monitoring system and a multi functional on-board computer display, an electro-mechanical park brake with auto-hold function - which comes in handy in traffic snarls - and electro-mechanical power steering with speed-dependent control.

With eight airbags covering front and rear occupants, the safety suite fits the description of a luxury car and includes driving aids such as stability control (ESP), electronic brakeforce distribution (EBD), brake assist (BA) and anti-slip regulation (ASR).

We tested both the potent V6 petrol and economical 4-cylinder diesel versions and both models drive very nicely, with an impressive level of refinement that ensures their membership into the 'prestige' market segment.

Even the diesel engine is ultra-quiet from inside the cabin, due in part to the extra sound deadening materials which includes an acoustic layer of polyvinyl butyl or PVB on the windscreen. Volkswagen claims this lowers outside sounds by between two and four decibels.

We did notice a bit of wind noise from the left-hand-side wing mirror, but overall the Passat CC is a very quiet car.

Navigating everything from roundabouts to winding country roads, both petrol and diesel models steer very crisply.

The Passat CC has impressively low levels of body roll, changes direction fairly well, and both diesel and petrol models are fitted as standard with a clever suspension system that constantly adapts to the conditions.

Also, drivers can choose from three predetermined suspension modes by hitting a button near the gear lever: comfort, normal, and sport which change the way the car rides from soft and comfortable to stiff and responsive respectively.

There's real a sense of stability about the way the Passat CC sits on the road - it feels very planted and things like the 8 airbags and broad range of driving aids like stability control and the optional collision detection system reinforce this feeling of integrity.

The brakes felt a little touchy at first, but on both models they're very strong, particularly the V6 petrol model which gets larger rotors. Performing an emergency stop with the V6 model - full brakes from 100km/h - the Passat CC displayed immense stopping power with only a touch of ABS intervention during extreme deceleration.

Kudos to the high performance Continental tyres too, which herald a new era for luxury cars. Run-flat tyres are not new, but they have ultra-stiff side-walls which tend to affect a car's ride quality in an adverse way. As BMW has discovered.

The VW Passat CC is the first car in Australia to use Continental's mobility tyre, which is exactly the same as any other 235/40 R18 tyre but has a coating of gooey black stuff on the inside, called ContiSeal. As was demonstrated with a cordless drill, this tacky layer of goo on the inside of the tyre instantly seals a puncture up to 5mm in diametre in the tyre tread, typically a nail.

It's an incredibly effective but utterly simple solution that will result in far fewer tyre changes. These self-sealing tyres come as standard with the Passat CC and cost about $50 more than equivalent performance tyres.

Of the diesel and petrol models, I'm not sure which I preferred - both are excellent performers in various respects.

With a hefty 350Nm of torque, the 2.0-litre turbo diesel pulls strongly and gives the spacious 4.8 metre long 2+2 "Comfort Coupe" a ridiculously frugal nature. 

Sipping just 6.3 litres of diesel per 100km, it boasts the kind of fuel economy that the Holden Calais could only dream of. 

The diesel model weighs 1526kg which is fairly light for a vehicle of this size and specification, and both petrol and diesel models also feature steering wheel gear shift paddles for rapid gear changes.

The V6-powered Passat CC is a heavier (1656kg) and thirstier vehicle (10.5L/100km), but golly gee it's fast.

Unlike the turbo diesel version, which is a front-wheel drive vehicle, the 220kW V6 features an all-wheel drive setup which gives it an even more tenacious feel on the open road and with almost 100 kilowatts more power than its stablemate it fair flies, jetting from 0-100km/h in 5.6 seconds!

The top tier all-wheel drive Passat CC costs $11,000 more than the diesel and is powered by the same high performance 3.6-litre direct injection V6 that drives the Volkswagen R36 sports cars.

When coupled with a 6-speed dual clutch direct shift gearbox and all-wheel drive as standard, the V6 Passat CC is an athletic sprinter. It's mid-range punch is also remarkable, able to pour on speed effortlessly.

The V6 model sets a cracking pace and will outrun costlier and more powerful luxury vehicles with ease. It's very much a concealed weapon: the design, while sleek, doesn't really scream 'high performance' but the engine is just sensational.

From standstill, the launch control control system (which didn't appear to work on the diesel version) is ludicrously effective. The car's gearbox allows you to rev the V6 engine to around 3100rpm without engaging 1st gear until you let off the brakes.

You just dial in full throttle and as you let off the brakes, the car blasts forward with a level of ferocity that left me wide-eyed in shock.

It was a bit disappointing to discover that the V6 engine wouldn't hold gears at its 6800rpm rev limit but similarly to the Passat R36, this engine and gearbox combination surpassed all expectations.

Volkswagen's new flagship model is an ambitious creation. It has set it sights on the luxury market and if first impressions are to be trusted, this German-made quasi-coupe will reach its target before lunchtime.

The Passat CC's dynamics are almost on par with much more expensive Audi and Mercedes-Benz models and the adaptive suspension is an excellent addition. If you're looking for something elegant, distinctive and luxurious to attend cultural events on the weekend but drive to work in the week, the Passat CC will not disappoint.

The chassis is well sorted, the premium interior is tricked out with more gadgets and luxury items than any other Volkswagen in Australia and the diesel and petrol powertrains are frugal and powerful.

The only thing left to consider is the design.

One of the most talked-about aspects of the new Passat CC is its appearance, which in Volkswagen's words is "beyond the mainstream".

Borrowing heavily from the Mercedes-Benz CLS-Class, the Passat CC looks great in the metal - except for one area. But we'll get to that in a moment.

Peter Dierks, Volkswagen Australia's general manager of marketing says he is "...confident the Passat CC will lift the brand here in Australia."

Showing off a large chrome grille flanked by sophisticated, technical-look headlight clusters that surround powerful xenon projector globes, the vehicle's face is distinctive and bold. The front apron extends quite low and features a sporty, more angular lower lip that most Volkswagens, while the bonnet has a strong power line running its length that adds a bit of character.

The sports-luxury design seen at the front of the car flows through into the body which, from the side, displays it's coupe-like profile. 

There's a character line just above the door handles, running the length of the vehicle which, when viewed from a rear 3/4 perspective, looks quite similar to Merc's CLS-Class.

From some angles the Passat CC has a passing resemblance to the Peugeot 407, and overall it's a very classy design that manages to catch the eye yet remain somewhat conservative.

The only area of the car that I personally thought was unattractive was the rear end. I'll be more specific - the brake lights.

Styled to be different, the rear end is fairly pleasing, particularly the integrated boot lid spoiler and sloping rear window. But those brake lights will take a lot of getting used to. 

Granted, they did become less offensive to the eye the more time we spent with the vehicle but the brake lights look as though they were an afterthought and don't have the seamless integration of the head light design.

The tail lights appear to be overly wide and the curvy designs would have benefitted from a few more angles here and there but thankfully the odd-looking brake lights don't detract from the car's overall aesthetic.

Sitting on nicely designed 18-inch alloy wheels, the VW Passat CC has an excellent stance and even sportier 19-inch alloys are optional.

Overall: 4/5

The idea of a 4-door coupe is an oxymoron - coupes by their nature are 2-door vehicles. Despite the Passat CC's misnomer it's a breathtaking vehicle.

Highly refined and well-appointed, the Passat CC takes advantage of a number of high-end technologies but doesn't confuse the driver with an abundance of controls like some Lexus models.

The adaptive suspension system improves an already solid chassis while additions such as the self-sealing mobility tyres, twin clutch automatic gearboxes and Napa leather interiors put the icing on the cake.

It's taken Volkswagen quite some time to get it's act together with a flagship model in Australia, but it's finally delivered a truly impressive prestige model.

Sure, it's an unusual concept, but it's surprisingly self-assured.

Priced from $54,990, the 125kW diesel Passat CC represents excellent value and is probably a better all-round vehicle but the high performance V6 petrol model is the undisputed power broker of the pair.

As Volkswagen's Australia's managing director, Jutta Dierks stated, "It gives us a chance to talk to people we've never talked to before."

The VW Passat CC combines the high desirability of a coupe, not to mention a pair of brilliant powertrains, with the practicality of a luxury sedan. 

Volkswagen's new flagship has landed and it doesn't disappoint.