The letters in Volkswagen's new-for-2009 CC mean Comfort Coupe, though it is a 4-door, 4-passenger sedan.
The sedan's styling is evocative, sleek, and yes, sexy, but that's not the end of the story. While CC has style in spades, it's not short on substance either. CC takes its platform and powertrains from VW's Passat midsize car, but adds premium interior finishes, a few new comfort and convenience features, and a more up-market image and price tag.
"CC represents a stylish new design statement for the brand. Design is the attraction point for the customer, but once they get into the car, they'll see there is more behind it," said Volkswagen Group of America's Director of Press and Public Relations, Steve Keyes.
But is now the right time to launch a near-luxury sedan? American consumers may be holding their wallets closer when it comes to vehicle spending, but that's not stopping VW. Through August of this year, VW of America sales rose by about one percent over sales during the same period in 2007, according to Automotive News. That's not great, but an automaker posting U.S. sales gains isn't all that common in this wobbly economy. In the global marketplace, VW's success story is even bigger--it recently overtook Ford in global sales as the third largest automaker. VW also plans to build several new plants around the globe, including locations in Russia, India, and Chattanooga, Tennessee.
Identity Crisis
Introduced at the 2008 Detroit Auto Show as the Passat CC, Volkswagen dropped the Passat name for the production version and clarified the acronym: Comfort Coupe. The identity crisis doesn't stop there. It's actually not a coupe, rather a 4-door sedan with a sloping rear roofline and frameless windows, giving the illusion of a coupe-like profile.
The 2009 CC shares its platform and powertrains with Volkswagen's Passat sedan, but is shorter, wider, and curvier.
CC rides on Passat's 106.7-inch wheelbase, but loses almost an inch in length and is 1.3 inches wider and 2.2 inches shorter in height than its sibling. Passat mechanicals also carry over; both get power from a turbocharged 200-horsepower 2.0-liter 4-cylinder or a 280-horsepower 3.6-liter V6. A 6-speed manual transmission is standard on 4-cylinder models; a 6-speed automatic is optional. V6 versions come equipped with a 6-speed automatic that can be controlled manually.
To many, a 4-cylinder engine may not be indicative of luxury, but Volkswagen's 2.0T 2.0-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder is a good match for just about everything it powers, including CC. Volkswagen is banking that the buying public will agree, and forecasts that 70 percent of CCs sold will be 4-cylinder models.
Polished Inside, Composed Outside
Four-cylinder versions are available in Sport and uplevel Luxury trim. V6 models come in VR6 or all-wheel-drive VR6 4Motion trim. Base Sport models are well equipped and come with standard features like traction control, curtain side airbags, ABS with brake assist, tilt and telescoping leather-wrapped steering wheel with radio controls, heated 12-way power front seats, an in-dash six-disc CD/MP3 changer with digital-media player connection, and 17-inch wheels.
Luxury models add a front- and rear-obstacle-detection system, dual-zone climate controls, leather upholstery, aluminum interior trim, power pop-up sunroof, satellite radio, and rain-sensing wipers.
The Luxury model's interior is trimmed in leather and aluminum. Rear-seat passengers sit in wide, bolstered seats and share a center console.
Though my first look at CC was in Atlanta, we didn't stay there long. My test car for the Atlanta, Georgia to Chattanooga, Tennessee leg of the road trip was a pre-production Luxury version with the 2.0T and 6-speed automatic transmission. The total price was $35,320, including a base price of $31,990, plus $690 for destination and the Technology Package's $2,640. While it was equipped with the package's hard drive and navigation system, this tester did not have a rearview backup camera.
The cabin's materials and finishes immediately impressed. Plush leather seats and real aluminum trim set a tone of understated comfort and luxury. The rear-seat layout mirrored the front, with similarly bolstered seats and a roll-top center console in the place of a middle seat. Another place to stash smaller items was CC's useful latched cubby to the left of the steering wheel. One disappointment was the sunroof, which should instead be called a sunvent because though it pops up a couple of inches, it does not slide back at all.
The Sport model, again with the 2.0T and 6-speed automatic, was up next for the Chattanooga to Nashville, Tennessee part of the road test. This "base" model stickered for $28,905 after a $690 destination charge and $325 for Sirius satellite radio. Though Sport's cabin was instead trimmed in lower-grade materials, everything fit nicely together, was decent looking, and still seemed appropriate for this price point. VW did a credible job disguising the cheaper finishes throughout the cabin. The vinyl surfaces and aluminum-washed plastic trim were pretty good fakes. Even the detail stitching on the door panels was phony, really molded plastic instead of the stitching that punctuated the Luxury model's cabin.
It seems that I have to get a little pushier at these press previews, because the event was stocked with 4-cylinder test cars, and the few V6s on hand were scooped up quickly. No big loss, as it would've been hard to outdo VW's fun and fuel-frugal 2.0T. CC moved with impressive pep from a stop and delivered good mid-range and highway-passing power. The only hiccup was the automatic transmission's periodic lurchiness, especially moving through lower gears.
CC exhibited fine road manners in nearly all situations. It was generally composed around town, and absorbed bumps well and took turns with minimal lean. It felt poised around the many sweeping mountain curves between Atlanta and Nashville. Only strong crosswinds on the highway made it feel flustered and busy, with the steering at times requiring some correction.
The Competition
While it may seem like an inhospitable time to launch a new, luxury-themed vehicle, VW thinks the timing is just right. This flat market means appealing to penny-pinching consumers is a tough job, but one class's loss is another segment's gain.
When you think 4-door coupe, Mercedes-Benz's CLS comes to mind, but VW isn't after capturing any of that uber-lux sedan's market share. Instead, Volkswagen is taking aim at two types of customers: style-conscious midsize sedan buyers interested in taking a baby step upmarket and consumers who are now deserting larger vehicles purchased before gas prices went north.
VW is planning to capitalize on the fact that consumers are leaving the SUV and truck classes for more fuel-efficient vehicles. "The entry luxury category can support another player," said Volkswagen product planner Brett Scott.
The '09 Volkswagen CC goes on sale later this fall and starts at around $27,000.
CC may meet midsize class benchmarks in terms of fuel economy but it falls short in the passenger capacity and cargo carrying areas. Most midsize sedans seat five, but CC is strictly a four-passenger sedan. Its two rear seats are large and bolstered, leaving a narrow spot in the center for the storage console. It also offers only 13.0 cu. ft. of cargo space, which trails Accord and Camry.
But VW expects that CC will be a niche market car, and is basing sales goals likewise. It expects to sell 20,000 of the sedans per year in the U.S. In comparison, sales of VW's Passat sedan are set to hit a higher mark. Through August of this year, Volkswagen has already sold 23,976 Passat sedans, down slightly from the previous year.
Though CC may strike consumers as an expensive-looking car, Volkswagen is being a bit more cautious in its move into luxury territory, having learned from the failure of the reviled, overpriced Phaeton sedan. According to VW, in fact, CC's price premium over comparably-equipped Passats is a little over $1,000 (Consumer Guide does not yet have 2009 Passat prices to verify this claim). Further, it has the potential to represent a decent value, if options are chosen with care. As added equipment piles up and the bottom line grows (V6 models can be optioned well over $40,000) however, CC starts to lose its allure compared to other entry-level luxury and even premium-class sedans.
According to Keyes, VW is "certain that the compelling CC design and exceptional value will bring new customers into our showrooms." Look for it there later this fall.
09.26.2008
