Sleek and stylish, the CC offers premium looks and a premium driving experience at real-world prices. Although the CC is one of Volkswagen’s older vehicles, its quality design, sleek coupe styling and minor changes over the years have kept it feeling surprisingly fresh. Two-tone upholstery, a well-finished cabin, and plenty of standard equipment help it feel like a more expensive vehicle than its asking price suggests.
That said, it appears as if Volkswagen is preparing to wind the CC down. VW has discontinued the Execline trim and its 280-hp 3.6-litre V6 engine and 4Motion all-wheel drive powertrain. Also discontinued is the manual transmission for the standard engine. As such, all use a 200-hp and 207 lb-ft of torque 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo that comes paired to a six-speed dual-clutch automated manual. Despite having less power than most of its rivals, the CC is quick off the line, quiet on the move, and consumes fairly little fuel – 10.7 L/100 km city, and 7.7 L/100 km highway.
While the powertrain options may have been streamlined, VW has added a few new features to the CC. The brand’s App Connect 6.3-inch infotainment system is now standard on all trims, offering compatibility with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. In addition, the Highline trim gets ventilated front seats with driver’s side massage, blind-spot monitoring, a full-colour TFT instrument cluster display, and redesigned 18-inch wheels. The base Sportline now features the panoramic tilt sunroof as standard. While VW has discontinued a number of different colours, 2016 sees the addition of Harvard Blue, a light metallic blue.
Despite being VW’s premium sedan, the CC is not available with new active safety features available on the Passat and Golf including forward collision warning, autonomous braking, lane-keeping assist.
Pricing for the CC Sportline starts at $39,750 with the Highline selling for $43,825.
