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Road Test: 2009 Volkswagen CC VR6 4Motion car review, or yes, it's a Volkswagen
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“That’s a Volkswagen?”
We heard that a lot during our week with the 2009 Volkswagen CC VR6 4Motion. That, usually followed by, “It doesn’t look like a Volkswagen.”
It’s really not supposed to, at least not too much. It is Volkswagen’s entry into the coupe-styled four-door sedan genre. All-new for 2009, it’s a model all its own, not a version of the Passat, though of course it shares much with VW’s conventional sedan.
Its roofline, however, is low with a “fast” windshield and backlight, frameless doors and a body with lines that flow back from the grille—which really could be nothing but a Volkswagen’s—along an angled-back headlamp cluster and along the side. At the rear, the decklid has a subtle but definite spoiler lip.
There are two badges on the car’s exterior, Volkswagen’s circular logo on the grille and another centered at the rear. There’s nothing that says “CC” and nothing to say that our tester is the top-of-the-line VR6 4Motion. The CC line includes Sport and Luxury models powered by VW’s 200-hp 2.0T inline four-cylinder engine and a choice of a six-speed manual transmission (Sport only) or a six-speed automatic with Tiptronic shifting.
The CC VR6 Sport and our CC VR6 4Motion have, as the name suggests, Volkswagen’s narrow-angle V-6 engine. The cylinder banks are only 10.6 degrees apart instead of the usual 60 degrees, allowing a more compact size. The 24-valve engine—it also has variable valve timing, variable intake lengths and direct fuel injection—is rated at 280 horsepower at 6200 rpm and 265 lb-ft of torque at 2750 rpm.The broad spread revs and the relatively low torque peak promise a flexible engine, pulling regardless of where in the rev range the engine happens to be. It’s a promised delivered. The engine is always ready to push the CC, even at a modest push on the throttle, but stomp on it and the Volkswagen takes a moment to select a gear from the six available in its automatic transmission, finds it and then takes off. The transmission’s intelligence also downshifts the transmission, actually rather significantly (we noticed at least two gears) with the electronic sensors detect downhill driving (e.g., foot off the gas, braking and still accelerating, ergo probably going down a hill).
Acceleration is vigorous and the whole pause-for-shift routine can be avoided by using the Tiptronic feature of the gearbox. The shift lever can be moved to the right and then moved fore and aft to shift up and down, or left to the right with shifting via paddles on the steering wheel, left for downshifts and right for up. The response is quick but slower than some we’ve used, requiring more anticipation.
Volkswagen says zero-to-sixty-mph takes just 6.6 seconds, quick for what’s an elegant and smooth but not aggressively styled sedan. Along with the VR6’s distinctive two-pitch exhaust/intake sounds
Our test CC had Volkswagen’s 4Motion all-wheel drive, and combined with MacPherson strut with A-arm front and four-link rear suspension, CC might as well stand for “close contact.” The CC’s grip was remarkably tenacious, the worse the pavement the better it liked it, particularly putting down power over winter-damaged asphalt with snowpack runoff and marble-like grit left over from the last snowstorm. The VW CC, at least the VR6 4Motion we tested, behaves like the sports coupe it resembles.
The coupe-contoured configuration is not without its compromises, however. The fast backlight and roof contour results in a rear view that’s not very tall, and the steep slope of the A-pillars and C-pillars plus a low roofline requires a mind-your-head entry. The rear doors also curve well rearwards and require care to keep from pulling the door into oneself. It all comes with the territory of the coupe-roofed sedan.
On the inside, the Volkswagen CC is hardly the average sedan. Seats are deeply bolstered, including in back where the two seats are divided by the center console that continues back from between the front seats. Our CC had a striking charcoal and beige interior, with the lighter color in the seating surfaces of the seats. Some people didn’t like the color scheme, calling it gaudy among other things. We liked it, but perhaps that says as much about us as the car.
For some reason, Volkswagen decided that CC drivers need to be told they’ve just put the transmission into reverse so it beeps when they do so. The navigation system—one of the better we’ve used (although we found it impossible to change the volume of the voice instruction without using the manual, something we’ve had trouble with on other cars)—includes a reversing camera. Resolution and color quality are quite good and the system also overlays a moving graphic showing where the car will go with a given steering wheel angle.
The EPA estimates the fuel mileage for the Volkswagen CC VR6 4Motion at 17/25 mpg city/highway. We calculated 18.2 mpg over almost 300 miles of mixed driving.
We’re not going to say the 2009 Volkswagen CC isn’t a Volkswagen. In fact, we in all modesty consider our appreciation for automotive design to be so sophisticated as to recognize the DNA of current VW styling.At $39,300 base price and $42,630 as tested (includes $2,640 nav/back-up camera and $690 destination charge), however, the 2009 Volkswagen CC VR4 4Motion is solidly into BMW 3-Series territory. For example, the BMW 328i xDrive lists for $35,600, although similarly equipped, the same BMW lists for $45,670.
It’s certainly probable that on a race track the BMW would cut faster laps that our test 2009 Volkswagen CC VR6 4Motion. But the world isn’t a race track and if our sampling of onlookers is any measure, the “That’s a Volkswagen?” remarks are usually followed by “Cool.” Looking like a Volkswagen—at least the CC FR6 4Motion—is apparently something to be coveted.
Illustrations: 2009 Volkswagen CC VR6 4Motion. Miccle, Volkswagen narrow-angle V06. All photos by John Matras.
| Engine type | 3.6-liter DOHC 24-valve narrow-angle V-6 |
| Displacement, cc | 3597 |
| Compression ratio | 12.0:1 |
| Horsepower @ rpm | 280 @ 6200 |
| Torque, lb-ft @ rpm | 285 @ 2750 |
| Fuel recommended | Premium unleaded |
| Fuel economy, EPA city/hwy, mpg | 17/25 |
| Fuel economy, observed, mpg | 18.2 |
| Transmission | 6A |
| Layout | Front engine, transverse/all-wheel drive |
| Coeffient of drag | .284 |
| Brake disc / dia., in. / front/rear | 13,5 / 12.0 |
| Wheels, alloy, size | 8 x 18 inch, alloy |
| Tires, size/type | 235/40R18 all-season |
| Dimensions | |
| Wheelbase, inch | 106.7 |
| Length, in. | 188.9 |
| Width, in. | 73.0 |
| Height, in. | 55,8 |
| Curb weight, lbs. | 3854 |
| Cargo volume, cu. ft. | 13.0 |
| Performance | |
| 0-60 mph, sec. | 6.2 |
| Top speed, mph, elec. limited | 130 |
| Base Price | $39,300 |
| Mechanical features | |
| Electromechanical steering, stability control, traction control, anti-lock braking, electronic differential lock, | std |
| Safety | |
| Front side-impact airbags, front & rear side-curtain airbags | std |
| Comfort/Convenience | |
| 12-way power driver seat with memory, power passenger seat, leather, automatic climate control, automatic headlamps, power windows, park distance control, cruise control, trip computer, heated mirrors, self-dimming inside mirror, satellite radio, Dynaudio premium sound, pwer rear sunshade, bi-xenon headlamps | std |
| Options | |
| Technology package: navigation system include rear-view camera | 2,640 |
| Destination | 690 |
| Total price | $42,630 |
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