Behold The World's Fanciest RabbitWhat They Did Right: Haute couture styling outside with a bucks-up custom-tailored interior to match.
Room For Improvement: Insert-and-press ignition key is fiddly; needs Bluetooth.
Yes, beneath this long, low four-door coupe bodywork inspired by the Mercedes CLS (many prefer the VW) lurks the humble transverse-engine DNA of the workhorse Rabbit/Golf/Jetta/Passat. That key architectural difference explains why this fully loaded CC with a V-6 and 4Motion all-wheel drive costs $4000 less than a similarly loaded four-banger Audi A4 2.0T quattro.
Relative to that corporate cousin, the CC is 3.7 inches longer, almost an inch wider, 0.4 inch lower, and only 62 pounds heavier. Acceleration performance is within a tenth of a second of the Audi's to 60 mph and through the quarter mile. More surprisingly, the handling numbers are as good as or better than the Audi's, with identical braking, higher grip, and a quicker figure-eight lap. "I was surprised to find that I prefer it to the A4; a more involving drive," says Ed Loh. "Rather crisp handling," concurs Reynolds, countering that highway Botts dots can agitate the chassis. The GTI-inspired hardware might not be as adroit as the pricier A4's when hustling over imperfect pavement, but the steering has an organic feel and better weighting than the A4's.
Our CC's interior trim draws unanimous raves for its rich materials and four Italianate leather buckets with roll-stitched inserts, though some have been put off by the lack of a center rear seat or Bluetooth connectivity. The rear seat is positioned slightly higher than the front, and yet that plunging roofline affords reasonable space and visibility for the 5-foot-10-and-under crowd.
Okay, any VW we like better than a competing Audi wins some superiority points, and a Mercedes CLS that middle-management can afford certainly scores on value. But while these attributes make the CC a unanimous COTY finalist, in the end the judges have found that a high-style riff on an existing Passat platform lacks the market significance to grab the calipers.
- Frank Markus
| 2009 Volkswagen Passat CC |
| Base price range | $27,480-$39,990 |
| Price as tested | $42,630 (VR6 4Motion) |
| Vehicle layout | Front engine, AWD, 4-pass, 4-door sedan |
| Engine | 3.6L/280-hp/265-lb-ft DOHC 24-valve V-6 |
| Transmission | 6-speed automatic |
| Curb weight (dist f/r) | 3840 lb (57/43%) |
| Wheelbase | 106.7 in |
| Length x width x height | 188.9 x 73.0 x 55.8 in |
| 0-60 mph | 6.6 sec |
| Quarter mile | 14.9 sec @ 95.9 mph |
| Braking, 60-0 mph | 123 ft |
| Lateral acceleration | 0.87 g (avg) |
| MT figure eight | 27.1 sec @ 0.64 g (avg) |
| EPA city/hwy econ | 17/25 mpg |
| MT observed fuel econ | 20.1 mpg |
| CO2 emmisions | 0.98 lb/mile |
| RATINGS |
| Engineering | *** |
| Design | ***** |
| Interior | **** |
| Performance | **** |
| Ease of Use | *** |
| Safety | **** |
| Value | **** |
| BOTTOM LINE |
| Looks like a cut-rate Mercedes CLS, drives like a bargain Audi A4. |