Price as tested: €37,565
+ Looks, poise, comfort, cabin, refinement
– Quite pricey, new grille not nice
= Facelift doesn’t dim the appeal
We were always pretty big fans of the original Passat CC, what with its swoopy looks and the fact that it was, in character and styling terms, a Mercedes CLS for roughly half the price. Who cared that it was based on the straightforward mechanical package of a VW Passat saloon? What mattered was that it looked, and felt, like a prestige saloon costing twice as much.
It’s always difficult to approach the facelift of a car you like. Inevitably, in amongst the myriad improvements and upgrades, there will be something gone that once you loved. Some little wrinkle that has been ironed out. And so it proves with the CC (the Passat name has been, somewhat oddly, dropped); it’s the styling. Actually, it’s better now at the back, where the droopy, ovoid brake lights (which always looked as if they were off the back of a different car) have been replaced by a much tidier set of squared-off lights, while the boot and rear wings look a bit more fore-square, as if in sympathy.
At the front though, the old Passat CC’s simple, handsome, square-jawed face has been slightly ruined by the fitting of an ungainly chrome grille. Well, perhaps ruined is a bit harsh. It’s like George Clooney wearing a moustache; still gorgeous George but you wish he’d go have a shave. It’s not enough to spoil the looks of what is a very handsome car, but it’s the wrinkle we wish had remained un-ironed.
Still, pop the door handle on the attractively frameless door and the cabin still serves up the same delights we remember. Yes, it’s a touch plain and unadorned compared to the button-fests that some car makers still think looks premium, but that is its secret strength. Just as a well-tailored suit works best with a simple white shirt and plain tie, so the CC’s cabin doesn’t need any fripperies or add-ons to make it look good. The sheer heft of the quality seeping from every pore (do car cabins seep? Do they have pores? Never mind...) is enough on its own to create a premium ambience, but the fact that the ergonomics are rigourously perfect, that the dials are handsome and clear, that the seats (Alcantara and leather on this Sport model) are superbly comfortable; all these things add up to make a near perfect interior.
And it’s practical. Yes, the rear bench is shaped specifically to be a four-seater, but two adults fit entirely comfortably back there, once they learn to duck their heads beneath the sweeping roofline when getting in (thud!). The boot might lie beneath some low-slung styling but it’s a perfectly respectable 532-litres, so even a family with growing kids shouldn’t feel short-changed.
But can a Passat chassis cash the stylistic cheques the bodywork is writing? Well, kinda yes and kinda no. There’s nothing wrong with it, for a start. The ride quality, which feels a touch too firm around town, supples out beautifully on the open road and, like pretty much all Volkswagens (yes, even the Up) it’s a superb motorway crusier. Get it on the twisties, and the responses are fine, but you can tell that it’s been set up for comfort and cruising, not for blasting the back roads. The well-weighted steering is just a touch slow to spin across its locks, and while the suspension keeps up fine most of the time, when you start to ask it some serious questions there is a slight corkscrew effect, as if the front and rear roll centres are off slightly.
Nothing wrong with the engine though. It’s VW’s familiar 140bhp 2.0 TDI diesel and it’s a belter, with muscular performance (320Nm of torque will do that), impressive refinement and, with a believable fuel consumption claim of 4.7-litres per 100km (we managed mid-fives) and Co2 emissions of 125g/km, impressive frugality too. Our only quibble? While the standard six-speed manual gearbox shifts accurately and cleanly, the optional seven-speed DSG semi-automatic would suit the character of the car much better. Worth the extra €2,400 for the upgrade.
One final quibble, while we’re at it. The start system uses the long, flat key which you must push into the hole in the dash and then keep pushing while the engine starts. It’s a slightly odd system that doesn’t do the car any favours because it emits a cheap-sounding (and feeling) clunk as you shove the key in, and does it again as the key comes out. A simple start-stop button would work better and feel classier.
The CC’s final stumbling block is its price. On the face of it, €37k for this Sport model, or €34k for the basic model, doesn’t feel too steep for such a classy, capable machine. But that does push it into direct competition with the mighty BMW 3 Series and, indeed, its own VW Group stablemate, the Audi A4. And while VW has chosen to drop the Passat name, there’s no getting away from the fact that a mechanically identical Passat saloon is at least a couple of grand cheaper.
Mind you, a stylistically similar Mercedes CLS is still twice the price...
Facts & Figures
Volkswagen CC Sport 2.0 TDI 140
Price as tested: €37,565
Range price: €34,910 to €42,385
Capacity: 1,968cc
Power: 140bhp
Torque: 320Nm
Top speed: 214kmh
0-100kmh: 9.8secs
Economy: 4.7l/100km (60.1mpg)
CO2 emissions: 125g/km
Tax Band: B. €225 road tax
Euro NCAP rating: Not yet tested
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