Volkswagen Passat CC GT 3.6 4Motion DSG | Road Test Review

“With 296bhp under the bonnet,
four-wheel drive, graceful styling and,
beneath its distinctive coupé-esque
body, a very practical and usable
four-seater cabin, Volkswagen’s new
Passat CC will definitely appeal to
the man, or woman, after something
a lot less ordinary...”

WHILE PART OF VOLKSWAGEN'S PASSAT LINE-UP, the new gracefully-styled, sporty-looking flagship CC is so different from the rest of the range it could almost be a stand-alone model. While the 'ordinary' Passat saloons and estates are certainly not ugly ducklings, alongside them the CC is a swan. With slinky coupé-esque looks, four doors and four individual seats, the comfortable — CC does stand for Comfort Coupé — is perfect for the man, or woman, who's bored with staid four-door saloon car looks.

Be prepared: in a CC you'll definitely be noticed. Longer, wider and lower than the saloon version, it's no exaggeration to say that the CC's svelte lines are head-turning. When we first drove the CC at its UK launch, it caused a number of moving traffic jams as other drivers — including those in Porsches, Mercedes, Jaguars and BMWs — slowed for a better view or wound down the window to ask about it.

The CC is a shapely machine defined by its long, low and racy roofline. Fronting the CC is a bold but generic 'VW' grille and badge flanked by trapezoidal headlamps above a deep front airdam. A sharply-defined shoulder line runs cleanly to the tail where dramatic and unusually-shaped twin lens rear light units are lit by LEDs. A neat styling trick makes the rear window appear even larger — and the boot even smaller when seen from outside. However, open it up and the boot measures a very accommodating 532 litres. And — a welcome surprise — stored beneath the boot floor is a real-world full-sized spare wheel. Long doors with frameless side windows further enhance the CC's uncluttered glasshouse.

Tested here is the range-topping CC GT. Generously equipped as befits its role of refined high-speed cruiser, it comes with VW's excellent 6-speed DSG transmission and foolproof 4Motion four-wheel drive system. Under the bonnet is a potent 296bhp 3.6-litre V6. As you'd expect, this CC is a pretty quick car, sprinting from zero to 62mph in a swift 5.6 seconds and covering long distances with ease. A combined economy of 28mpg is more than respectable for a car with this level of performance and that means that garage forecourt stops are kept to a minimum. For the record, official urban and extra urban figures are 18.7 and 38.7mpg. Our test average worked out to 26.5mpg.

Pull open a door — any door will do — and you'll find an interior that matches the CC's attractive lines. If you've opened a rear door you'll find a seating area that's strictly for two: a pair of individual seats separated by an armrest and a large roller-shutter storage box incorporating two adjustable drinks holders. The back seats, incidentally, split and fold and there's a load-through facility when the armrest is folded down.

You sit low, and the pleated bucket-shaped leather seats are very accommodating. Shoulder and legroom are both very good but headroom — for six-footers and taller — less plentiful. Front occupants enjoy plenty of room in all directions and benefit from anatomically excellent seats — comfortably bolstered, they're also heated (3-stage) and can, if you like, be specified with a built-in cooling system for the summertime.

Passat CC customers can expect a good level of standard equipment, whichever model they choose. Even the entry-level CC features a touchscreen radio/dash-mounted MP3-compatible six-disc CD autochanger with eight speakers and AUX-in socket for connection to external multimedia sources such as an iPod, 17-inch alloys wheels, 2Zone electronic air conditioning, front sports seats — the driver's is six-way electrically-adjustable; the passenger's manual — auto lights and wipers, heated and electrically-adjustable door mirrors, front and rear electric windows (all one-shot up/down), three-spoke, leather-trimmed multi-function steering wheel, tyre pressure indicator, auto-dimming rear-view mirror, push-button operated electronic parking brake with auto-hold function and a cooled glovebox.

The GT model substitutes 18-inch 'Interlagos' (smart 10-turbine blade design) alloys shod with 235/40 ContiSeal tyres and adds Adaptive Chassis Control, heat insulating glass (from the B-pillar back) and front fog lights. Range-topping GT V6 models also come with 4Motion four-wheel drive, beautifully soft Nappa leather upholstery, heated front seats and an electronic tyre pressure monitoring system.

CC drivers will enjoy an excellent driving position and a multi-function steering wheel with controls for the 'phone and entertainment systems. The instrument pack's cowled white-on-black faced dials are lit with crisp white light, as is the multi-function display set between the speedometer and rev-counter, and there's subtle ambient lighting to make the cabin more welcoming at night. Brushed aluminium inserts in the doors, fascia and centre console add to the upmarket ambience. Lots of well-finished storage areas are provided to ensure the CC's cabin remains clutter free.

Our test car was fitted with the optional (£1,915) DVD touchscreen SatNav/radio system with 'Dynaudio' sound pack. It's a superb and easy-to-operate system that really does take all the hassle out of finding your way around. Other thoughtful touches include the automatic central locking activation on drive off, and the parking brake that switches off automatically when you pull away.

Cabin comfort levels and refinement — bearing in mind that the CC also has large frameless windows — are very good and definitely up there alongside the class leaders. Even at high speed, wind noise is never an issue and the CC really is one of the most comfortable cars in which to cover long distances.

Adding to the notion that the CC is closer to a sports car than a saloon is the Adaptive Chassis Control system — standard on the top-spec GT model — that allows drivers, at the touch of a button positioned to the right of the DSG selector lever, to choose from Normal, Comfort and Sport modes and set the desired suspension and steering settings for any particular journey. All CCs, by the way, also have sports suspension — compared with the standard Passat, it's lowered by around 15mm.

In Normal mode, the damping serves up a pliant and nicely-judged ride, one that smoothes out the majority of the UK's poor roads. Other modes are Comfort — ideal for long motorway trips — and Sport, which firms up the adaptive suspension to turn the CC into a more focused driver's car. The system not only stiffens or softens the damping but also adjusts the weighting of the electro-mechanical steering to suit the selected — comfort- or sporting-biased — driving characteristics.

Select Sport damping and slot the DSG 'box into Sport mode then put the CC GT though the hoops on some winding roads and — courtesy of high grip levels and the 4Motion all-wheel drive — you'll find it stays thoroughly well planted. Even if you seriously overcook your entry speed and the nose begins to run wide, a brief lift-off quickly puts it back on course. Overall the CC feels safe and accomplished and is remarkably well-mannered. The speed-sensitive electro-mechanical power-assisted steering helps: it's accurate, firming up the faster you travel but at low speeds it remains comfortably light, which guarantees effortless parking.

Talking of low speed driving, the electronic parking brake's auto-hold function is a real boon in heavy stop-start traffic, especially when crawling along on long inclines. When activated by a button next to the selector lever, the parking brake then comes on automatically whenever the car is brought to rest on the footbrake, preventing the CC rolling forwards or backwards. The instant the accelerator is pressed, the brake is released. While placing the CC on the road is easy, the steeply raked A-pillar can occasionally get in the way on tight roundabouts depending, of course, upon the driver's size and seat setting.

As already mentioned, at heart — and quite intentionally — the CC is not an uncompromising, driver-focussed machine. To expect it to be would be to completely miss the point because the CC is, more than anything, a comfortable, brisk Grand Tourer. That doesn't mean it's not capable of being entertaining to drive. It most certainly is. But what the CC is designed to do, it does very well indeed — that is, ride with surprising compliancy and spoil its occupants.

The CC's high levels of refinement and the fluent-shifting DSG 'box tend to cloak the physical sensations that usually accompany a fast car's sprinting ability. So consequently, the CC GT V6 doesn't quite feel as urgent as it actually is. Until, that is, you see how quickly the following traffic is dwindling in your rear-view mirror.

On motorways, the CC has an easy, mile-shrinking gait. So don't be fooled into not keeping an eye on the speedometer — the 3.6-litre V6 FSI powerplant makes the CC GT a deceptively swift car. With the full 258lb ft of torque on tap from 2,400rpm, overtaking is done rapidly. Top speed is 155 mph and the 0-62mph dash is accomplished in a quick 5.5 seconds. Making progress — fast or slow — effortless is the smooth-changing, quick-thinking DSG double-clutch gearbox. Use it either as an automatic or as a sequential manual (nudge the selector lever forwards to shift up; backwards to shift down). The CC is equally polished in either role.

As you'd expect, standard safety equipment is comprehensive and includes the latest Electronic Stabilisation Programme developed for the Passat that manages a raft of active safety features such as ABS, Brake Assist Sysem, Electronic Brakeforce Distribution and ASR traction control. Airbags are plentiful, with dual-stage driver and front passenger bags (with passenger's airbag deactivation switch) and a curtain airbag with front seat side airbags. Whiplash-optimised head restraints are fitted in the front and there is also automatic hazard lights activation under severe braking. And, of course, the permanent 4Motion four-wheel drive.

Furthermore, all CC models are equipped with ContiSeal (self-sealing) tyres. These will absorb foreign objects up to 5mm in diameter while still allowing the vehicle to be driven safely, even if the inflation pressure is low or zero. Since this loss of pressure is hardly noticeable because of the stable emergency running characteristics of the tyre, a tyre monitoring system is also standard (electronic on GT V6) to indicate the loss of pressure via a warning light in the instrument panel.

High-tech — and highly meaningful — safety options include Automatic Distance Control. Using radars in the front bumper, the system monitors the distance to other vehicles in the traffic ahead of the CC. Should the CC get too close (less than the minimum stopping distance) to the vehicle in front, the ADS warns the driver in two stages. First is a visual signal on the dashboard, accompanied by an audible warning. Second, there is a brief braking pulse to increase the distance between the two vehicles. At the same time, the CC is prepared for possible hard braking by the driver — should, for example, the traffic ahead have slowed considerably. In extreme cases, ADC can slow the CC to a complete standstill.

Long motorway cruises are made less stressful by Lane Assist — a lane-keeping system that prevents drivers from drifting unintentionally out of their chosen lane. Road markings are monitored via a camera located in the rear-view mirror. If, at speeds above 40mph, the system detects that the vehicle is leaving the lane, it helps it to stay in place with a gentle counter-steer movement as well as alerting the driver with audible and visible warning signals. The system is switched off as soon as the indicators are switched on and the driver can override the system at any time using a decisive steering input.

Park Assist is another practical labour-saving device. Using a series of parking sensors at the front, rear and side of the CC, this plots the ideal manoeuvring path into a parallel space either to the right or left of the vehicle.

When driving at speeds of under 18mph, an ultrasonic sensor system detects all parallel parking spaces to the right or left with a total space of 1.5metres more than the CC's length. A control unit then notifies the driver that an appropriate space has been found and calculates the ideal parking path. Once in the recommended 'start' position, the driver engages reverse gear. Amazingly, during the parking process the driver has no steering input although remains in control of the throttle and brake.

Even if Park Assist is not being used, when reverse gear is engaged, the parking sensors warn of objects and vehicles behind the car with an audible warning tone. Additionally, a rear-view camera can be specified. This is located behind the rear badge (so the lens is always clean) and transmits a real-time, distortion-free image of what is behind the car to the central display screen. This allows the driver to see and recognise obstacles behind the car, and eases manoeuvring into even the tightest parking spaces. While moving, the screen marks out the car's steering movements with coloured orientation lines. This facility is also extremely useful when hooking up to a tow hitch.

There are no direct rivals to the CC but it is likely to compete against cars such as the BMW 3 Series, Mercedes C-Class and Alfa Romeo 159 in as much as it will undoubtedly attract customers from these marques. Not only are there lots of good reasons to buy a Passat CC GT V6, but one in particular will doubly appeal to the coupé buyer after something a lot less ordinary — of the 5,800 CCs that VW expect to sell annually in the UK, only a handful (approximately 100) will be flagship V6 models. And the fact that the CC's distinctive good looks clothe a very practical and useable four-seater can only be the icing on the cake. — MotorBar

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