If the oddly-shaped Mercedes-Benz CLS doesn’t quite fulfill your dreams - or possibly the R737 000 minimum asking price puts you off – then the new Volkswagen CC could just be your thing. Launched in South Africa last week on a cold and rainy southern Cape day, the CC is quite unique for its price.
Based on the Volkswagen Passat platform VW SA has chosen to drop ‘Passat’ from its name and simply call it CC which stands for Comfort Coupe. There were no reasons given for the drop but I suspect it’s because the Passat is not selling too well here and therefore an association with that car would jeopardise local sales. Of course the Passat is an excellent car, but it just doesn’t have an image at all in South Africa. Interestingly the two cars don’t share one single exterior panel, meaning that they look different from the outside, notwithstanding the coupé-like rear of the CC.
In any case the CC is four-door strong but only has sitting space for four people. The rear centre area where normally a fifth person may sit is taken up by some storage space. Folding the rear seats creates more storage space from the boot to load long objects like bicycles. This is no small car by any means; it is 4.80m long, 1.9m wide (a tall rugby player can sleep across in it), but it only stands 1.4m high. Typical coupé dimensions. Another coupé characteristic is that the car has no window frames.
The CC has some very strong styling elements which include a big front grille that is obviously old VW design, sharp lines along the sides and large rear lights accentuated by the rear spoiler. A powerful dome sits atop the bonnet and gives the car an even bolder front look. Standard featured wheels are 17-inch alloys for the TDI and 18-inches fro the TSI and V6. A full-sized self-sealing spare tyre is included. It has technology to automatically seal a hole up to 0.5mm deep and allows the car to drive long distances with a “punctured” tyre.
Speaking of engines, I wasn’t able to get my hands on the V6 as it is still on its way to Mzansi. Nevertheless the TSI and TDI provided some joy on the open roads of Port Elizabeth and surrounds.
I drove both models in automatic form. Powering the TSI is essentially the same engine as was found in the Golf 5 GTI which is the 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol unit. It makes 147kW at 5100rpm and maximum torque of 280Nm from 1700rpm. The gearbox choices are a 6-speed manual and a 6-speed Tiptronic. It was only the autos that fell into my hands and they were quite smooth, both on take-off and cruising.
More impressive is the new 125kW turbo diesel motor which has a torque rating of 350Nm from 1750rpm. The previous generation 2.0-litre TDI was schitzo: in the Golf and Jetta it worked wonders but in the Passat its turbo lag bordered on dangerous. That the CC has a stated 224km/h top speed is something I cannot say is totally untrue because of how easily it tackled uphills and steep roads.
Accompanying this motor is the proven 6-speed DSG gearbox. VW claims the CC TDI will run from 0 -100km/h in 8.6 seconds and average 6.1 litres of fuel per 100km.
Later on in the year, probably in September, a 3.6-litre V6 will appear at dealerships. It produces 220kW and features VW’s 4MOTION all-wheel-drive system.
Only one trim level is being offered with the CC. It lists such things as a CD/MP3 player, rear park assist, a multi-function steering wheel and dual zone air conditioning as standard. There are also static cornering lights that come on when turning into a corner. These don’t swivel, but there is an optional swiveling package when buying the bi-xenon ones.
Safety features in the range are quite extensive and include ESP, ABS with brake assist, a tyre pressure monitor, ISOFIX child seat preparation and a host of air bags.
The VW CC will be the range-topper in the VW sedan lineup and is set to be a highly exclusive one. Only 100 examples are to be made available during the rest of 2009, so if you see one on the road know that it is only one of 100. Nothing has been said of this but I reckon the CC is quite ripe for a two-door Cabriolet too.
Volkswagen CC pricing
2.0 TDI DSG - R348 745
2.0 TSI Manual - R353 900
2.0 TSI Tiptronic - R365 400
3.6 V6 FSI 4Motion DSG - R451 260
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