km : Passing Lane

We just recently wrote about Audi’s most attractive car offered with a 2.0-liter turbocharged engine, the 2010 A5 2.0T, and right around the same time, we also tested Volkswagen’s sexiest 2.0T wrapper, the CC. A few years in on the car’s life cycle, it’s still looking mighty fine.

Imitation is the best form of flattery, and while the CC may have swiped its “four-door coupe” design from the Mercedes-Benz CLS, the replication train has chugged on with Hyundai now offering a similar silhouette with its new Sonata. Whether we like to admit or not, that car goes head-to-head with the CC, and while it may be considerably less expensive than the VW, we think the CC executes this particular design exercise quite a bit better, appearing svelte and compact compared to the chunkier Hyundai. We also suspect the Korean competition’s design will quickly grow old as a result of its overwrought surface details, while the CC’s cleaner veneer still looks as fresh as it did in 2008.


Little has changed since the CC debuted, but for 2010 Volkswagen swapped out a traditional six-speed automatic for a more responsive dual-clutch box. A manual is still standard, with DSG costing $1100 extra. Most will likely leave dealerships this way, and once a destination charge is added on, the CC’s price of entry jumps to $29,660. A manual is only offered with the base CC Sport model, and cars powered by the optional 3.6-liter V6 still use a torque converter automatic.
What buyers get for the price (our test car included DSG but no other options) is quite a lot.

Standard leatherette upholstery is comfortable and attractive, with ribs of stitching adding character to the center sections of each seat and deep bolstering for all four passengers. The dashboard is simple if also a bit boring and somewhat dated, having been lifted directly from the Passat that’s been on the market a few years longer. A touch-screen infotainment screen is standard and silver-painted plastic trim does a decent impersonation of brushed aluminum. A nicely sculpted steering wheel borrowed from the GTI is an excellent way to control where the front wheels are pointing.


Unlike the Audi A5 mentioned above, the CC doesn’t get the newly upgraded version of the corporate powerplant, so figures for this car are 200 hp and 207 lb-ft of torque. If feels quick and eager — VW quotes a time of just over seven seconds to 60 mph for the two-pedal car, and just under seven for the manual. The addition of the dual-clutch is a welcomed improvement that helps keep the car in the right gear at the right time, and it likely doesn’t sap as much power as the old Tiptronic. Calling the CC a GTI for grown-ups wouldn’t be too far off. Fuel economy is awfully close to the company’s sporty hatchback, too, with its 22/31 mpg figures being just two and one miles per gallon off, respectively.

We quite enjoy any time we get in the CC, and especially love the message it sends. It’s fun yet responsible, energetic yet efficient, and just flashy enough while not wearing an extravagant price tag. That’s exactly the type of car Volkswagen should be building.

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