As you’d expect from such a mild makeover, there are no surprises with how the CC gets down the road. The 2.0-litre diesel offers a sizeable slab of low and mid-range torque that makes reasonably brisk progress easy. Push towards the top end and the power predictably tails off, as you’d expect.
The problem with all that easily accessed twist is that sometimes the front wheels get overwhelmed. You might get VW’s XDS electronic ‘diff lock’, but it can’t aid traction like a good old-fashioned mechanical limited-slip diff. Nail the throttle from a standstill and you’ll experience noticeable torque steer, squealing front tyres and a flashing traction control light.
A set of 18in alloy wheels comes as standard, although our test car had optional 19s. They might look good and fill the arches convincingly, but they don’t do the ride any favours. Even with the adjustable dampers set to Comfort, it’ll crash and bang its way through potholes, while expansion joints thump through the cabin.
It’s not particularly pleasant in Comfort either; there’s a fair amount of float and wallow from the body, which isn’t appealing. Normal mode sorts this with no real loss of ride comfort, but Sport takes things too far.
In Sport, roll may be resisted well and it feels more agile, but you feel most imperfections in the road’s surface. Cornering may be improved, but it’s never fun or involving. Push beyond the high levels of grip and you find lots of safe and secure understeer. A lift will tuck the nose in, but that’s about it.
As for the steering, the weighting is well judged but it’ll never tell you what the front wheels are up to. Overall, then, it’s too over-wheeled to play the comfy cruiser and too sensible to ever truly thrill.
Inside, the cabin feels sturdy and upmarket in isolation but is starting to show its age when compared to similarly priced cars. It’s also dark - very dark. Lashings of black leather, a black headliner, dark tinted rear windows and lots of carbonfibre trim makes it gloomy for those up front and borderline oppressive for anyone in the rear.
Speaking of those in the back, the CC may get two additional doors when compared to traditional coupés, but practicality still takes a hit. The swooping roofline eats into rear head room and makes entry harder. At least the boot is sizable enough for a couple of bags of golf clubs.
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Isn't this car built on the
winniethewoo wrote: Isn't
It is indeed based on the previous generation (B6/B7) Passat launched in 2005. Although the CC came out in 2008, it still makes it very old but I'm sure VW will probably be launching an all new model based on the current Passat.