As a sales manager at Commonwealth Motors, Kimberly Daher can choose for her personal vehicle any model made by Chevrolet, Honda, Kia or Volkswagen — the four brands sold by the Lawrence dealership. She switched to a Volkswagen CC right after the new model arrived only about a month ago.
The new model is derived from VW's Passat sedan. But the CC is lower, longer and wider than a standard Passat, exhibiting a more assertive and aggressive posture. The new model's back-swept cabin, short rear deck and flowing lines give it a dynamic profile. Beneath CC's fluidly sculpted panels, Volkswagen packs an engine and running gear capable of backing up the car's bold appearance. The Passat CC starts with a list price of $27,480,
Out of the four dozen or so different cars and trucks available to her, Daher picked the new VW for its expressive, standout styling and its tight, athletic performance. Assertive and dramatically streamlined, the new CC projects a complex image of refinement, confidence and independence.
"It says that I'm a serious professional who also likes to have fun," Daher said. "It shows that I like something new and a little different. That I don't like to look like everybody else."
The car also stands out for its European attitude in a vehicle class dominated by the very popular Honda Accord and Toyota Camry. Esteemed for their practicality and dependability, Accord and Camry set the standard for medium-size, four-door cars. But the CC dares to be different in two noteworthy ways.
First comes its characteristically German construction. That means the CC retains the attributes that traditionally have made Teutonic cars more engaging and exhilarating to drive. Without going so far that a vehicle rides uncomfortably, German engineers typically design firmer suspensions and stiffer, more responsive steering systems, so that vehicles remains firmly attached to the road. German cars respond well to drivers' commands.
"I can certainly tell the difference after driving a Honda for a long time," Daher said. "The drive lines are really tight. It's a very sporty car."
That sporty, exuberant performance points to the second standout attributes distinguishing CC. Although it is a full-bodied, largish car with four doors, the new VW fancies itself a coupe. Thus it straddles vehicle categories, combining the passenger-friendly practicality of a four-door sedan with the more dramatic, personally expressive flair of a two-door coupe.
"You can seat four people in a two-door coupe, but it's not practical to move the front seat up and back," to gain access to the rear, Daher said. In her new CC, she noted, "it's much easier to put my gym bag in, or groceries or what not."
But at the same time, the model won't suit many moms carting children's seats in the back, the sales manager said. CC is low-slung and svelte. It is set up for four passengers rather than the standard five. Instead of a rear bench, its back doors open to two scooped and contoured seats separated by a storage tray and cup holders. CC's trunk, though adequate, is smaller than the cavity in a standard Passat. Families might find it unsuitable for, say, vacation cargo.
Mercedes-Benz made a stir three years when it introduced its emotionally appealing CLS-Class, styled as the world's first four-door coupe. But the Mercedes wears a sticker price of $71,575. Although the CC enters the same functional territory as CLS, the Volkswagen sheds the high-altitude luxury and starts about $44,000 less than the Mercedes. Even a top-end CC, with a 280-horsepower, 3.6-liter V6 engine, a six-speed automatic transmission and VW's 4Motion all-wheel drive, sells for more than $30,000 less than the CLS. Its pre-option sticker price is $39,999.
"The vehicle breaks that boundary from common to not so common, but it's still affordable," said Daher of the CC. She expects it to appeal to professionals with a respectable income who want an expressive, high-line car, but one that remains below the stratospheric levels occupied by German luxury models.
A standard CC comes with a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine turbocharged to 200 horsepower. The standard six-speed manual transmission can be replaced by a six-speed automatic for an additional $1,100.
Standard equipment includes 17-inch alloy wheels, four-wheel disc brakes with advanced antilock, electro-mechanical power steering and electronic stability control. The feature list grows substantially as you step up to the three higher trim levels. For example, CC versions equipped with V6 engines come with adaptive headlights that swivel horizontally as the car corners. The three upper trim levels have an automatically dimming rear-view mirror, electronic climate control and heated windshield-washer nozzles, and a big, panoramic sunroof that tilts up for ventilation.
"When the car first got here, we said, 'wow, it's a beautiful car,'" Daher said. Although VW's marketing program hasn't kicked in yet, Commonwealth has already sold a handful of Passat CCs in the car's first month, said Daher.
"People aren't even really aware of the vehicle yet, but when they come in the store and we put them inside it, they love it," she said.
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Jeffrey Zygmont has written about automobiles since 1982. Based in Salem, N.H., he writes books and articles about innovation, technology and culture. He can be contacted through the Web site www.jeffreyzygmont.com
