REVIEW: VW Passat CC VR6 4Motion

Four doors. Coupe. What do the two have in common? Apparently, a lot. What was once thought to be separate identities has now become one, thus the birth of the four door coupe. But I still do not understand how it is possible for a four door sedan to be called a “coupe.” So, I did what any rational first grader would do; consult the dictionary.

According to Merriam-Webster, a “coupe” is either “a four-wheeled closed horse-drawn carriage for two persons inside with an outside seat for the driver in front.” Or, “a 2-door automobile often seating only two persons; also: one with a tight-spaced rear seat.”

Source: rp

I see the keyword being two doors but Mercedes-Benz saw it differently with their marketing blitz of the CLS, which touted its likeness to classic, Mercedes coupes. It appeared to be a stretched E-class with a sloping roofline and a graceful rear-end. In my eyes, it was merely a mash-up of an E-class and CL, but, it had some funky headlights.

Coupe or sedan, it did not matter because it was damn good looking.

Previous four door coupes like Mazda’s RX-8 and the Saturn Ion featured shady rear doors that were reminiscent of those long, unsophisticated Ford E350’s. Not cool. The CLS was different and brought sexy back.

This translated into sales rocketing forward and a new niche becoming born. Instinctively, other auto builders joined up by sketching out ideas and concepts, which soon made their appearance at auto shows.

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Bringing us neatly to the Volkswagen Passat CC.

Volkswagen’s CC is a triumph of styling pleasure. From the graceful, sloping roofline to the two-tone interior, it is a car that I can liken to a svelte supermodel. And, its more conservative details make this a better looking car than a Mercedes CLS.

Not that it matters because to the untrained eye people mistake this for the CLS, although it proudly wears its VW badges.

Source: rp

Every line is executed perfectly as though it is flowing from the front fascia to the rear quarters. Easily the most interesting line on the car happens to be on the top of the rear windscreen, which arches in an elegant manner – reminiscent of a Mercedes CL windscreen that has been translated in a more conservative fashion.

There are only two aspects of the car’s exterior that are bothersome.

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First, are the unnecessarily large, wraparound taillights. I think the rear could have been capped off with a more conservative integration with flush LEDs a la the current Passat.

Secondly, the unfinished rear tailpipes. Not chrome or brushed aluminum? Shouldn’t a car of this caliper have this standard rather than shell out another $150 on top of $42,630 as observed on our test car?

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Ironically, the interior of the CC boasts an extreme attention to detail. Look around the interior and it feels as though you are in a hip and trendy espresso bar. Brushed aluminum surrounds the cabin with fine, aluminum details in-between the door grabs. At the top of the bolstered sport seats is a gap that is bridged with a tiny piece of Alcantara. Since this is a “coupe,” there is seating for two in the rear but this suave Passat has bolsters in the rear seats providing more a bucket seat feel. In addition to all of this, there is a contrasting stitch that provides a subtle pop to the interior that makes Marc Jacobs envious.

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Rest assured, although there is aluminum and a trendy café feel, it is warm and inviting. Light splashes in from the panoramic sunroof and a high beltline makes a driver feel as though they are in a cockpit.

Fit and finish is exceptional with tight panel gaps and no rattles over rough terrain. This is a substantial change from my 2004 Touareg, which had panel gaps as wide as the Atlantic Ocean and had several rattles throughout the cabin.

Source: About.com

On the technology front, Volkswagen has finally stepped up to the plate with a proper navigation system. After years of poorly developed systems, the firm has chosen to utilize a 32 gigabyte hard-drive based, touch screen unit with what VW calls a Media Device Interface. So, if you change the climate control to flow differently it pops up on the navigation screen and makes sure you are aware of it. Also integrated into this unit is the vehicle’s rear view camera.

Using the new unit is remarkably easy albeit accompanied with slight lag when you overload it with inputs. Besides confusing the Garden State Parkway’s direction on the final night I was testing, it performed well with timely route calculations and recalculations.

Source: Motorreport.com.au

So, now that we know it is a well built car accompanied by jaw dropping looks, let’s drive it.

CC’s can be equipped with either a four-banger 2.0T or the Van Wilder of engines, the infamous VR6 that now has been upped to 3.6 liters. The turbo is good for 200-horsepower and 207 lb-ft of torque while the inline six is rated at 280-horsepower and 265 lb-ft of torque. But the VR6 is lacking in one element; sound. It does not have that prominent burble as heard in the early Touaregs and R32’s. Rather it sounds anemic and at low speeds a whiny transmission overtakes all of the motor’s pleasantries.

And this power does not mean you get a paltry MPG. With a solid mix of highway and city driving, I ended up with nearly 19 MPG at the end of one week with the CC.

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Shifting gears in the über sex machine is a six-speed tiptronic automatic. Although the six cylinders have some grunt, it is unfortunate the VR6 is not available with a dual-clutch or traditional manual gearbox. Most likely these other transmission options would have improved the quick, but not fast, 0-60 MPH time of 6.2 – as claimed by VW. Shift times have improved over previous tiptronic generations and are acceptable, but remain no match for a DSG transmission at the end of the day.

Regardless, the CC is deceptively quick due its suppressed road noise and luxuriously tuned suspension that isolates you from the road’s craters. I had the pleasure of figuring this out while doubling a neighboring village’s speed limit and getting pinched.

The car’s ride is smooth as glass and when you get caught in one of New York City’s clusters of potholes you will soon find yourself drifting over the potholes and not taking lumps on the top of your head. Surprisingly, although the suspension has been tuned to take bumps, it does not float or wobble on the highway at speed. It remains relatively taut and confidence inspiring.

The more time on the highway I spent with the CC the clearer it became it is a very good grand touring car. But, how would it do in the curves? After taking it through some twisties, it was also obvious it is not a sports car. Weighing in at 3,854 pounds, the car is not a lightweight and you feel it through the corners. Heavy body roll is apparent through cornering. Coupled with the 4Motion system, grip is there but at the limit traction dissipates and understeer rears its ugly head.

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Steering is boosted heavily at low speeds so low speed maneuvers can be achieved with the touch of a pinky, but at high speeds the steering becomes much heavier to ensure poise in the fast lane. This makes the CC a flexible and easy-to-drive car. While steering feel is numbed out as though the steering wheel has been injected with a shot of Novocain, it remains relatively direct to the touch. Granted, it is not as sharp as say a Nissan 370Z or Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X.

When coming to a stop, brake pedal feel could use some sharpening up. After getting through some unresponsive feedback, the brakes come alive. Once again, a notion this car is not quite as sporty as a “coupe,” should be.

Which is the bottom line, really. The CC is a great car and fulfills its goal of being a sportier, upscale “regular” Passat. But you cannot expect it to perform extraordinarily well outside of the bounds of a GT car. To draw a comparison, it drives similarly to the 2010 Mercedes E-class.

Whether or not people will consider this a “poor man’s CLS,” is beyond me. However, I did feel a bit like a poser with the CC. But, I would rather feel that than blend into the crowd in the all too commonplace BMW 3-series or Mercedes-Benz C-class in this price point – this is VW’s niche, being different.

Personally, I would take the half-priced supermodel over the girl next door any day.

rp

Day 5: The Mile-High City

Here it is, the final day. Sad but true, the Audi Mileage marathon is coming to a close.

Amarillo is an interesting town. Relatively quiet and people keep to themselves. I wonder how it is growing up in a place like this. Growing up in suburbia was not all that bad, how is it in the great American plains?

Anyhow, back to the cars.

The Audi Q5 TDI made for an interesting leg from Dallas to Amarillo. Although it seems like a reasonably sized auto, it does not have that much interior room. As a matter in fact, I think the new A4 has better interior volume.

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Riding in the Q5 became downright painful at some points. Although the sport seats provide great lateral, thigh and lumbar support there is not a tremendous amount of room to “stretch out,” your legs in the floor boards. Thus, for a tall individual, it can get very uncomfortable very fast. Little over an hour of driving I mercifully scrambled for the seat controls to change my driving position – I was dying.

On top of this, the driving position is awkward. In the BMW X3, you feel more in the car, where as in the Q5 you feel like you are driving a horse and buggy. On top of the vehicle.

Furthering upon this, the seating position is quite inboard; meaning, designers placed the seats closer to the center console. Not much room to the right but plenty of room on the left.

Driving wise, the car is fantastic. Pick-up is there when necessary and the seven speed transmission is a great way to manage your miles-per-gallon effectively. One thing I love about diesels, the torque. Passing is done with ease in sixth gear; plant your foot and watch the revs-per-minute rise and whoosh, you are gone.

I cannot say enough about this drive train. I love it. The transmission and engine are perfect for each other. Say what you will about “flappy paddles,” or tiptronic transmissions; they work for these cars.

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As I said in an earlier post, the interior is typical Audi, the best. Top-notch materials and design make it an appealing atmosphere. Far from the juxtaposition of a Chevrolet Malibu.

Yeah, I said it.

Overall, the Q5 feels solid, as if it was created from one solid chunk of metal. There is a confidence-inspiring heft to the vehicle.

One thing that was interesting was the steering. Surprisingly heavy. Enough to make one’s arms tired after spending a sizable amount of time in some twisties. It reminded me of an E46 330Ci with 18s and a sport suspension I used to pilot. I wish the Q5’s steering was not as numb but it is an Audi, so, I should not be surprised

Rolling through New Mexico was a trip; it is the equivalent of driving on Mars. No one is around, no buildings and no stops. Just you and your two lane road ahead of you.

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It was awesome.

The more we pressed on the more I realized how much open land there is in the Great Plains. My German co-pilot muttered several times “My, what a big country.”

Just outside of Denver, the crew and I stopped off at Pikes Peak International Raceway. What a great time! Peculiar driving in an oval but it was certainly memorable.

Arriving in Denver, we were so late that we did not get the opportunity to fill up with the IMSA officials. So, we do not know our last day’s traveling worth of miles-per-gallon. Does that bother me?

No, the trip computer insisted we yielded over 30 MPG.

rp