Passat CC

Volkswagen’s audacious four-door Passat coupe came at a premium over the Passat sedan but had more equipment and a fresh design. All models came standard with Nappa leather trim and heated seats for the both the front and rear passengers.

Brushed aluminium inserts featured on the dashboard, centre console and doors, while there were also stainless-steel scuff plates on the door sills and various chrome bits around the interior, which included a premium six-disc CD sound system with eight speakers and a 6.5-inch screen that doubled as a display for the optical parking sensor.

Available with a four-cylinder diesel or six-cylinder petrol engine, both models sat on 18-inch alloy rims (of different designs) and featured full chrome window surround and grille highlights, dynamic self-cleaning bi-xenon headlights and rain-sensing wipers.

The CC was also well loaded with safety features, including eight airbags, ESC and traction control plus an adaptive damping system offering drivers a choice of Normal, Sport and Comfort settings which also altered the assistance levels of the power steering.

The diesel engine was a 2.0-litre common-rail four-cylinder that produced 125kW at 4200rpm and 350Nm from 1750-2500rpm. Linked to a six-speed DSG dual-clutch automatic, this engine drove the front wheels and was able to propel the CC from 0-100km/h in 8.6 seconds. A more impressive figure was the combined fuel consumption which came in at just 6.3L/100km.

The petrol CC ran the 3.6-litre direct-injection V6 from the R36, mated to also uses the six-speed DSG automatic and belting out 220kW at 6600rpm and 350Nm from 2400-5300rpm. The VW 4Motion all-wheel-drive system was employed to put all that power down to the ground.

This combination of power and traction enabled the V6 CC to charge from 0-100km/h in just 5.6 seconds, but its fuel consumption figure was 10.5L/100km, in stark contrast to the miserly diesel model.

Volkswagen introduced a range of new features as options for the CC including adaptive cruise control, which could regulate the distance between the VW and the car in front, and a parking system that enabled the car to park itself with minor input from the driver.

A new panoramic sunroof measuring 750mm by 1120mm was also introduced as an option for the CC, along with chilled front seats and a media interface that allowed MP3s and DVDs to be played.