Volkswagen CC Review (2012)

The Volkswagen CC is VW’s fashionista model, a stylish coupe for image conscious drivers. Designed to be an eye-puller, the CC is a svelte four-door car with a swept-back design and a somewhat confusing name. In other manufacturers’ car ranges, CC means coupe-cabriolet, a drop-top with a folding steel roof. Not this one, though. The Volkswagen CC’s roof does not open, and its manufacturer perversely insists that its name stand for ‘comfort coupe’.

The previous-generation car used to be called the Passat CC, but not this one. New on the market from summer 2012, it has shed the Passat tag from its name. So it now has its own separate identity in the Volkswagen range, rather than as an addendum to the Passat. The new-generation makeover has also improved its looks and made it shapelier, but it remains an understated design. You don’t get much of a ‘wow’ factor with the CC, but you do get a stylishly well-proportioned car with elegant detailing and that famed VW build quality that gives a bulletproof feel to the way it drives. This car has svelte good looks overlying excellent engineering efficiency.

There is a choice of engines: 1.8 or two-litre petrol and two-litre diesel units. Transmissions are either six-speed manual or six-speed twin-clutch DSG automatic. There are two trim levels, standard spec or GT.

The Volkswagen CC range starts from £24,395 for a petrol engined 1.8 TSI. Diesel models start from £25,535 for a two-litre TDI and rise to £30,280 for the range-topping GT automatic version we tested.

The CC is a strong performer, with a top speed potential of almost double the British legal limit, designed for those who wish to explore its flat out pace on a derestricted autobahn in its native Germany. More relevant here is its brisk acceleration, with a 0-62 mph time of 8.6 seconds. This two-litre diesel model has a lively feel behind the wheel, thanks to a strong power output of 168 bhp peaking at 4,200 bhp, and there is 258 lb ft of torque coming in at 1,750 rpm.

Even the most modestly powered version, the non-GT 2.0 TDI, has a power output of 138 bhp, so this car is no slouch. Its CO2 output ranges from 120 g/km to 179 g/km, depending on version.