Car Detail

What Car? motoring magazine describes the Passat CC as being like a Mercedes-Benz CLS but £25,000 cheaper. Combining the best of both worlds in the large family class, it is just as roomy as the saloon but has an eye-catching slinky coupe shape whilst retaining the practicality of four doors. For those who wish to make a grand entrance, the Passat CC is a show-stopper with the added bonus of everyday practicality in abundance.

The lower-slung Passat CC is a real looker, which means classically-elegant but eye-catching paint colours, distinctive wheels and body bulges in all the right places to emphasise those sleek lines.

All the Passat CC models have alloy wheels, full climate control, remote central locking, electric windows, multi-disc CD player and electric adjustment of the driver’s seat. The 3.6 V6 version has DSG transmission as standard, which is a £1,272 option on the diesel models. All have fixed rear seats and a boot capacity of 532 litres.

Safety is synonymous with the VW badge and the Passat CC carries on that heritage, having ESP electronic stability programme, traction control, front, side and curtain air bags plus three-point seat belts all-round and ISOFIX child seat mountings. The Passat CC uses the same platform as the Passat saloon and estate, which gets the highest five-star EuroNCAP crash test safety rating for adult protection plus four stars for child protection.

The 1.8 TSI petrol models have a CO2 figure of 180g/km, whilst the 2.0 TDI diesel is lower at 153g/km. The 3.6 V6 FSI GT 4Motion offers 155mph performance and the extra grip of four wheel drive with a CO2 figure of 242g/km.

The Passat CC 1.8 TSI produces 158bhp of power and 184lb/ft of torque, or pulling power. This combination results in a 0-60mph acceleration time of 8.1 seconds, a top speed of 138mph with economy of 37.2mpg.

Diesel power starts with the 138bhp 2.0 TDI CR which has a torque figure of 236lb/ft, a 0-60mph time of 9.8 seconds and economy of 48.7mpg.

The 3.6-litre V6 4Motion generates 295bhp of power, 258lb/ft of torque, zooms to 60mph in just 5.6 seconds and has a top speed of 155mph with average economy of 28.6mpg. This model also has the benefit of four wheel drive whilst the standard and GT turbodiesel models come with a choice of manual and automatic DSG transmissions. The latter is an automatic that can be overridden manually by the driver.

Volkswagen Passat CC prices start at £22,520 for the 1.8 TSI and rise to £32,995 for the 3.6 V6 FSI GT V6 4Motion, which as the name suggests has four wheel drive. There are sprightly economical turbodiesel models, the 2.0 TDI 140 at £23,320 for the six-speed manual and £24,505 for the same model with six-speed DSG transmission. There are also GT versions of these turbodiesel models, with prices of £24,645 for the manual and £25,920 for the DSG version with automatic transmission and manual override.