Volkswagen CC 2012 Review

OVERVIEW

And it's not just the styling of course, Passat CC has triumphed in bridging that ergonomic gap between leading edge technology (whether for driveability, safety or comfort) with real-world accessibility. Allied to that, the 'hero' sedan in Volkswagen's range has mustered all the brand's usual attributes at a fairly affordable price.

So how to improve on a car like that? Rightly or wrongly Volkswagen has globally dropped any reference to 'Passat' in the name, for its mid-life update, even though CC, as it is now known, is built on the same Emden (Germany) production line as the bread-and-butter Passat models. Whether owners of the new car will feel better about not driving a car badged as a Passat remains to be seen.

More importantly, in the big picture, CC has been facelifted and upgraded with new features. Mechanicals are largely unchanged, although the combined-cycle fuel consumption for both variants (diesel and petrol) has been reduced. But it's the new car's styling that will either win friends or drive away repeat business.

In the metal CC looks cleaner than the previous model... However, some may feel it has sacrificed character in the migration to the updated family look.

But while the prices remain where they were, the standard equipment list has been expanded. Fatigue Detection and the premium RNS510 audio system with integrated satellite navigation and a reversing camera are now standard for both models. An upgrade for the keyless entry system introduces automatic boot release by swinging a foot at the boot while the key is in the user's pocket or in close proximity to the boot, at least. Inside the boot, CC now features remote levers to fold forward the rear seats for longer payloads.

The three-position rear seat, which was previously an extra-cost option, is now standard and replaces the earlier standard two-seat unit. Safety has been upgraded through the medium of a rear-seat seatbelt reminder (for all three seating positions) and an Extended Electronic Differential Lock that operates along similar lines to the torque vectoring control systems in other cars. Should either front wheel deliver excessive torque — on the inside of a corner — the system brakes that particular wheel to redistribute the torque to the other front wheel, and thus reduce understeer. Such an idea was pioneered by Honda's ATTS in the Prelude from the early 1990s.

To shine the way at night, CC comes with bi-xenon headlights, LED daytime running lights, static cornering and dynamic cornering lights. Other features fitted as standard include LED tail lights/number plate illumination, optimised front-seat head restraints and stainless-steel door sills.

Carried over from the superseded Passat CC are features including: 18-inch alloy wheels, tyre pressure monitoring, dual-zone climate control, cruise control, reversing camera, eight-speaker audio, Bluetooth connectivity with audio streaming, analogue and digital clocks, electrochromatic mirror, electrically-heated/adjustable external mirrors, electric windows, 12-way electrically adjustable front seats with three-position memory for driver's seat, heated front and rear seats, trip computer and rain-sensing wipers.

Among the options available are a 600W premium sound system ($2000), panoramic glass roof ($2000), a driver assistance package ($3300) or 19-inch 'Lugano' alloy wheels ($1900).

Based on the system available in the previous model, Park Assist Generation II ($900) will automatically reverse CC into angled parking spots (at right angles to the gutter), but can also take care of parallel parking spots, as was the case with the earlier system. At speeds up to 40km/h the system is activated by a switch in the centre console and then guides the car into any sufficiently large parking spot once the driver has selected reverse gear. Brake and accelerator are left to the driver to regulate. The system's ultrasonic sensors detect any obstacle in the path and brake the car to prevent a collision. Another parking aid (but standard) is OPS (Optical Parking System). This system provides an all-round (elevated) view of the car to ease parking, with the image displayed in the car's infotainment screen.

Yet another option is the Driver Assistance Package, which pulls together Lane Assist, Side Assist, Adaptive Cruise Control, Front Assist and City Emergency Brake. Side Assist alerts the driver that the vehicle is about to collide with another vehicle in a blind spot, and, in conjunction with Lane Assist steers the car out of harm's way. Lane Assist actively steers the car back into its correct lane if the driver's attention wanders. It also alerts the driver to the car moving out of its lane by means of vibration through the wheel.

A six-speed DSG (dual-clutch automatic) transmission is standard for both models, with drive taken to the front wheels only in the case of the diesel, or all four wheels in the case of the V6. MacPherson struts underpin the front with a four-link IRS system located at the rear. Steering is an electro-mechanically-assisted rack and pinion setup with braking handled by a combination of ventilated and solid discs for the diesel, or ventilated discs all around for the V6 variant.

There were just two minor niggles with the design. Firstly, some adults will have to duck their heads entering the rear of the vehicle, although once inside there's good headroom for those of average height. And the other minor concern for this writer was the quasi-logarithmic scale for the speedo. The calibration for 60km/h is at around the 10 o'clock position and the 100km/h point is right about 12 o'clock. Half the dial is committed to speeds that are illegal throughout most of Australia, but the important vector is squeezed into a small arc of around 30 degrees. It's not a big deal, but it illustrates the different driving environments and cultures in Australia and Germany, CC's home market.

As mentioned already, the rear-seat headroom was good for a vehicle that is marketed on the basis of its swoopy, low-roofed styling, but even better was the legroom and kneeroom in the rear. There's no shortage of knee room, and adults will be able to stretch out in greater comfort than is the case for the longitudinally-challenged Honda Accord Euro currently on our long-term test fleet. There's considerably roomier accommodation for rear-seat occupants in CC.

The 532-litre boot has not changed from the original Passat CC's design, which is long, but narrow and a little shallow, as we noted in our seven-day test of the earlier car. Similarly, the seats in the CC are as comfortable and supportive as they were previously, although they're not as aggressively contoured as those in the Honda. These are seats ultimately designed for touring comfort more so than short point-to-point blasts along twisty roads.

Volkswagen has equipped CC with eight airbags, comprising dual front airbags, and one thorax-protecting airbag for each of the outboard seats, plus side curtains to shield the occupants' heads in the event of a side impact. The airbags are located throughout the car's rigid safety cell.

Active safety comes from the car's passive dynamics — among them the Extended Electronic Differential Lock and Adaptive Chassis Control — and a host of standard features designed to prevent an impact in the first instance. These include Fatigue Detection and the upgraded lighting systems (bi-xenon headlights, adaptive and static cornering lights and LED tail lights). As standard CC in both grades comes equipped with anti-lock brakes, Brake Assist, Electronic Brake Force Distribution and Electronic Stability Control. Optionally, Volkswagen offers the Driver Assistance Package (See PRICE & EQUIPMENT, above) for $3300.

In reality, with competitors to CC few and far between, shoppers are likely to look at traditional sedans, rather than vehicles of the 'four-door coupe' ilk, to use Volkswagen's term of reference. The Alfa 159 is one such sedan that manages to be stylish and resides in the same general territory for pricing and specification. But since ATECO's handover of the Fiat and Alfa Romeo brands to Chrysler, the future of Alfa looks doubtful, with no official pricing for the car from Chrysler.

Other models to cross-shop against CC include the Audi A5, which is significantly more expensive and a hatch rather than a sedan. In point of fact, however, it's our view that the Audi comes closest to matching CC in a head-to-head comparison — although one should not leave the Peugeot 508 out of the picture. Like Alfa, the French car is a traditional sedan, but with the style, in our opinion, to battle CC directly — and on a range of fronts. A similar option, also from France, is the Citroen C5. It's undeniably attractive and is more affordable than Volkswagen’s CC.

Probably the most immediate impression of the car arose from its steering, which was very light in the V6 4MOTION model, but provided surprisingly good feel for an electro-mechanical system. As the assistance eased off at higher speeds (very progressively and without any obvious threshold) the feedback naturally improved further. Turn in was prompt and the car maintained a very consistent line through the bends with a stance close to neutral. Even with power applied on the exits CC's line didn't alter.

Both cars driven came with Volkswagen's Adaptive Chassis Control, which provides three damper settings: Comfort, Normal, Sport. In Comfort mode and on a trailing throttle the car floated ever so slightly at the rear when pushed harder into a corner, but Sports mode exhibited no such problem. The difference in ride quality and handling between the three modes of the Active Chassis Control system was incremental. Even in Comfort mode CC was well controlled in its ride properties — to the point of being too firm for some. In Normal and Sport Modes the ride was not much firmer overall, but both modes provided significantly better cornering than Comfort did. Comfort probably doesn't go far enough in terms of cushy ride quality for patchy or lumpy bitumen. And those who appreciate cornering dynamics may not be appeased by it either, against even Normal mode, let alone Sport — although the differences are incremental, as mentioned.

Curiously, the ride quality and steering both felt better in the front-drive diesel than in the V6 FSI, although both models acquitted themselves quite well. For whatever reason, the diesel model turned in more promptly and the feel was slightly better through the wheel. Grip was dependable for both cars.

Tyres were the major source of noise in the cabin, although even on coarse-chip surfaces CC was a quiet car. The diesel engine was inaudible cruising and even sounded sporty under load. Overall however, it was noticeably noisier than the V6 in some circumstances. The V6 emitted a raspy exhaust note when working harder. The diesel would pull fairly hard right up to the 5000rpm redline; the V6 delivered linear torque across the rev range, up to the 6500rpm redline, where the DSG transmission changed up, even if the driver was using the shift paddles. Launching the petrol CC — with its combination of all-wheel drive system and the dual-clutch transmission — resulted in a noticeable delay and a distinct rumble, even on a light throttle setting. The diesel model, which is exclusively front-wheel drive, but still equipped with a DSG transmission, didn't exhibit the same symptoms.

On the mostly open-road drive from Hobart to Launceston the V6 model used 9.9L/100km, according to the trip computer. If not for the occasional changes in elevation and tighter bends, both of which encouraged harder driving, the petrol CC would have returned a significantly better figure than that, but since the combined-cycle figure for this car is 9.7L/100km, 9.9 didn't seem unacceptable for a 3.6-litre engine. For its part, the diesel posted a figure of 6.9L/100km — and once again that was open-road driving, but without sparing the horses.

The diesel's fuel consumption figure was almost certainly helped by that variant's Coasting Function, which effectively de-couples the engine from the drive wheels. This system was operating at speeds as low as 60km/h in our experience. It means that car will waft along, using only as much fuel as required to keep the engine ticking over, but the literal downside is this: there's no engine braking on hills — and the car isn't intelligent enough to know when it should be braking or coasting. But then there are also many drivers who can't make that distinction...

CC comes with Auto Hold, to ensure the vehicle doesn't slip back on hills. It's a useful feature in a car with a dual-clutch transmission, but it makes reversing needlessly difficult in tight spots, until you disable it. Rather than allowing the vehicle to 'creep' it will bring the car to a halt altogether, so backing is a progression of very gentle prods of the accelerator pedal until the car is within close-ish proximity to a wall or gutter.

Feel through the brake pedal was quite sensitive. The first application nearly threw the co-driver through the windscreen, but drivers will quickly adjust to it and find it progressive and communicative.

The V6 model came with the optional Driver Assistance Package, which bundles together Lane Assist and Side Assist, among other features. There was no opportunity to try the latter system, but Lane Assist, which is initially disconcerting, quickly made its presence felt on Tassie's country roads. Honda offers a similar system, available on the Accord Euro sold in other markets. When motoring.com.au tried the Honda system in Europe, it was on a smoothly paved autobahn with nice, clear lane markings — not the hillbilly roads that are endemic throughout Australia. So while the Accord would steer around a bend, hands-off, the CC in Tasmania wouldn't. But we wonder how the Accord might have coped on the same roads in Tassie. The CC will coerce the driver to apply some lock by turning the wheel in the desired direction, but it's an aid, not a replacement for the driver — as Volkswagen itself states. In a legal disclaimer lifted from the press kit, the importer declares: "Lane Assist cannot replace the driver's assertiveness". And there were certainly occasions during the drive CC steered across the centre line on left-hand bends — when the driver needed to be more 'assertive'.

But if CC's Lane Assist isn't a panacea for the vagaries of Aussie road design, the car itself is a very competent vehicle in most other respects. As we've found in the past, CC makes a great tourer, but it's not out of its depth around town. That it achieves much by offering a comprehensive list of specifications and features is simply the icing on the cake from a car that is about presence and visual impact as much as anything else.