Volkswagen Passat CC (2008-) Review

Overview

• Next: Reliability and Quality

Despite the familiar CC moniker, alas, the new Passat CC is not an innovative four-door coupe convertible - it's something far more interesting.

For the first time in the history of the Passat we can include the word 'stylish' in the same sentence as the criminally dull 31-year-old Volkswagen saloon.

But the Passat Comfort Coupe (CC) is no swish replacement for the large family car that surfaced in '05. It is a niche model that will sit above the VW repmobile - think of it as a Mercedes CLS for the common man.

Based on the current car's underpinnings the designers, refreshingly, were given free reign and have stretched the standard Passat 31mm, widened it by 36mm and, most importantly, slashed the overall height by a substantial 50mm.

The effect is dramatic and enough to draw second glances in the traffic with its svelte lines that border on the exotic. Volkswagen doesn't make a better looking car.

A total of five engines are available. On the diesel side two new common-rail diesels make their debut in the Passat range, one of which, the 138bhp, will account for two-thirds of the 5,800 that the brand will sell a year. A more powerful 168bhp 2.0-litre arrives in September.

Petrols, meanwhile, are only expected to claim 18 per cent of the mix. Three are available, a 158bhp 1.8-litre, a 197bhp 2.0-litre and a muscular 296bhp 3.6-litre. Expect a low-polluting Bluemotion-badged CC to follow.

Prices have yet to be announced, but expect a premium of between £1,500-£2,000 on top of the standard Passat. It really does signal VW's intent to pitch the model further upmarket.

VW execs talked of the Alfa Romeo 159 as a natural rival, but are really hoping the CC would pinch sales from the BMW 3-Series.

Is it a push too far? The Passat CC might have the style, but does it have the quality, dynamics and, more importantly, the badge to take on Stuttgart's finest?

Price range: £21,000 - £31,120