Volkswagen CC: the Passat in a coupé suit

The Volkswagen CC, initially sold as the Volkswagen Passat CC, is a four-door coupé version of the Passat that trades headroom and cargo space for a sweeping roofline. It was built from 2008 to 2016 and remained on sale to the 2017 model year. The CC name stands for Comfort Coupé, and the car was replaced in most markets by the Arteon.

Volkswagen CC at a glance

History of the Volkswagen CC

The CC debuted in January 2008 at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, and at its launch Volkswagen forecast 300,000 sales over seven years, of which about 60 per cent, some 26,000 cars a year, were expected to come from the United States. Based on the Passat and sharing its wheelbase, the CC was 27 mm longer, 50 mm lower and 36 mm wider, with a four-door body that copied the profile of a coupé. In China it was released by FAW-Volkswagen on 15 July 2010 with 1.8 TSI and 2.0 TSI engines.

The engine range covered a 1.4-litre E85 TFSI for Finland and Sweden, 1.8 and 2.0-litre petrol units, a 2.0-litre TDI in several drivetrain layouts and a 3.6-litre VR6 of 220 kW (299 PS) with 4motion and a six-speed DSG. North America had the 2.0 T of 200 hp and the 3.6 VR6 of 276 hp and 359 N·m, the VR6 offered with front-wheel drive or 4MOTION, and the manual gearbox only with the 2.0 T. In Europe the 2.0 TDI came with 4MOTION, a 103 kW (140 PS) manual and a 125 kW (170 PS) DSG, plus a 105 kW (143 PS) BlueTDI with AdBlue; for 2011 the European 2.0 T was raised to 155 kW (211 PS) with the engine of the Golf VI GTI.

A facelift was presented at the Los Angeles Auto Show and production started in January 2012. The front and rear were revised to match the current Volkswagen look while the middle of the car was unchanged, and the interior gained a new centre console and air-conditioning panel. Equipment included adaptive chassis control, bi-xenon headlights with curve lights and glare-free high beams, fatigue detection, Front Assist with city emergency braking, Side Assist Plus, Lane Assist, Rear Assist, Park Assist, traffic sign recognition and Easy Open, and the XDS electronic differential brake from the Golf GTI was available. The 2.0 TDI of 170 PS became 177 PS in January 2013 with torque up from 350 to 380 N·m, and in 2015 a 184 PS Euro 6 version replaced it. With only 3,900 cars sold in 2015 the CC was one of Volkswagen’s slowest-selling models; in November 2016 Volkswagen announced that the Arteon would replace it in most markets, while China kept the CC name from August 2018 for the 2019 model year.

Design and features

• Coupé profile: a four-door body 50 mm lower than the Passat, with a sweeping roofline.
• VR6 flagship: a 3.6-litre engine of 299 PS with 4motion and DSG.
• 2012 facelift: new front and rear styling plus driver-assistance equipment.
• China: a long-running FAW-Volkswagen model with its own 1.8 and 2.0 TSI engines.
• Arteon successor: the CC was replaced by the Arteon announced in November 2016.

Volkswagen CC versions

• Passat CC (2008–2012): the original name and body.
• CC (2012–2016): the facelifted car with new front and rear styling.
• CC 3.6 VR6 4motion: the six-cylinder flagship with four-wheel drive.
• Chinese CC (2010 onwards): built by FAW-Volkswagen, continuing after 2016.

The CC was the coupé version of the Passat and sat below the Phaeton in the range; its successor was the Arteon. More cars are in the Volkswagen collection.

Video: Volkswagen CC – HD – Deutsch

Video by Car-News.TV on YouTube.

Sources

• Volkswagen CC, English Wikipedia: launch, dimensions, engines, facelift, successor