Congratulations 2010 Volkswagen Golf GTI: Canada loves you. VW’s lovable little pocket rocket has been named the car of the year by the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada. AJAC chose the GTI over nine other vehicles in the “best new” category, giving VW’s compact corner-cutter another feather in its cap. The AJAC car of the year award is determined by 70 journalists who judge 20 parameters and a reported total of “46,000 pieces of data in all.”

AJAC Car of the Year Chair Richard Russell seems fairly smitten with how the association chooses the winners of its awards. The AJAC press release quotes Russell as saying “by constantly adjusting the program and testing procedures to reflect what is important to Canadian consumers, we feel we have a more thorough, unbiased and meaningful award than any other.” Big words, those.

John White, President and CEO, Volkswagen Group Canada calls the GTI the “heart and soul of Volkswagen,” and added that the honor “represents the culmination of the hard work on the part of everyone in the Volkswagen Brand around the world.” The GTI won Automobile Car of the Year back in November; the same award the magazine awarded the car back in 2007 with the same powertrain and hard points. Hit the jump to look over the AJAC press release and head over to the association’s website for more winners.

PRESS RELEASE

TORONTO (Ontario) Thursday, February 11, 2010 – In an early morning press conference at the opening of the Canadian International Auto Show in Toronto, the Volkswagen Golf GTI was declared the 2010 Canadian Car of the Year (CCOTY) by the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC).

The Volkswagen Golf GTI beat nine other “best new” category winners, announced October 30, 2009 to win top honours. John White, President and CEO, Volkswagen Group Canada Inc. commented, “We are very proud to win this very prestigious award and wish to thank the AJAC members for bestowing this recognition upon our car. The Golf GTI is the heart and soul of Volkswagen. To have the Golf GTI named Canadian Car of the Year today by Canada’s automotive media is a very proud moment for us, indeed, and represents the culmination of the hard work on the part of everyone in the Volkswagen Brand around the world.”

AJAC’s Canadian Car of the Year Awards chair, Richard Russell, said: “AJAC has been conducting and perfecting the
Canadian Car and Utility Vehicle of the year program for more than two decades. By constantly adjusting the program and
testing procedures to reflect what is important to Canadian consumers, we feel we have a more thorough, unbiased and
meaningful award than any other. It is heartening to learn from independent research that Canadians recognize the
significance of the award. We will continue to strive to live up to that trust.”

AJAC’s annual Canadian Car of the Year awards program was created in 1985 with the purpose of providing consumers with sound, comparative information on vehicles that are new to the market. Unlike other awards, this is not a popularity contest based on the opinions of a few people. Our winners are determined on a combination of measured facts and subjective evaluations of more than 20 parameters by approximately 70 journalists – more than 46,000 pieces of data in all. And most importantly, they are based on actual testing of the vehicles– back-to-back; on the same roads and in the same conditions on the same day.

The vote results that determined today’s winners are available to consumers as a resource buying guide on the AJAC web site. Also available are the comparative test data derived from the journalists’ extensive four day evaluation of more than 150 new vehicles in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario in October. This annual event is known in the industry as “TestFest”. Shell Canada is the official fuel supplier of the event.

The rigorous TestFest evaluation program includes real world driving on public roads – exactly where consumers drive so that the test and vote results posted to the AJAC web site are directly relevant to potential car and truck buyers. Still looking to buy a 2009, 2008, or even a 2007 vehicle? AJAC archives the comparative test data from previous years on its web site.

Photos from today’s award announcements, the October 30th category winners, and the TestFest evaluation event, are available for print and broadcast media under <Canadian Car of the Year< Photo Gallery< on the AJAC web site. In addition, our AJAC journalists who evaluated the brand new models at TestFest are available across Canada for interviews to talk about the vote results and comparative data. Media are invited to visit the AJAC web site and log-in under “Ask An Expert”, then choose the “Media” link to access interview information once validation has occurred.

[Source:Autoblog]

The head of the Volkswagen Group, Martin Winterkorn, spoke with Autocar about the possibility of a new entry level Porsche model. Perhaps fancifully dubbed the 356, the new model would slot into Porsche’s lineup below the Boxster and Cayman. In England, the new baby Porsche would cost about £33,000, which means nothing to us here in the U.S. and is about what a base Boxster costs. That said, the article mentions the possibility that the next generation Boxster and Cayman might go way up scale.

Big question: what would this new 356 be? Autocar speculates that the 356 will be based heavily on the mid-engine architecture of the upcoming Audi R4 and the conceptual Volkswagen Bluesport. We don’t know if the 356 will be strictly a coupe or also be available as a roadster. In fact, we don’t even know if the R4 will be coupe-only. We’d image the two cars will have similar, if not identical, body configurations. Though not the engine. In order to keep some brand DNA in the Porsche, the 356 will ship with a new forced-induction flat-four.

Those that remember the 944 Turbo S and the 968 know this is in no way a bad thing – except the 924 Turbo’s engine was the EA831 inline-four originally intended for the Volkswagen Bus and Audi 100. It was never really any good, even in turbo form. The reborn 356’s mill (most likely a turbo as opposed to supercharged) should be good for around 250 horsepower – very close to where the base Boxster/Cayman currently sits. Expect the 356 to get much better fuel economy, however.

The new 356 will share a transmission with the R4. Again, the 924, 944 and 968 shipped with a modified Audi 100 transmission acting as a transaxle, so there is precedence. As to what that transmission will be, we don’t know but we’d guess a DSG of some sort. Audi’s R4 should arrive sometime in 2011, with the Porsche 356 bowing in 2012. Is any of this going to actually, you know, happen? Magic 8-Ball says, “Ask again later.”

[Source:Autoblog]

Volkswagen just opened the order book on the Passat CC with the R-Line package in Europe. We saw this car at the Frankfurt Motor Show and were completely smitten with it. Taking the regular CC’s swoopy coupedan shape and adding the R-Line package makes it just about perfect. What stops it from being perfect is the fact that the R-Line package doesn’t add any oomph. Just like Audi’s S-Line, its alterations are mainly cosmetic.

The R-Line package adds an aero kit, surprisingly modest “Mallory” pattern 17-inch wheels, R-Line emblems, smoked taillights, R-Line aluminum sill plates, a unique three-spoke multifunction leather-wrapped steering wheel, front foglamps, and the Park Pilot system.

It becomes the eighth R-Line model in Volkswagen’s lineup and will add 2,200 euro to the price of your CC – about $3,200 in Yankee bucks. Full press release after the jump and plenty of live and press pics below.

PRESS RELEASE

The New Passat CC R-Line The four-door coupé with exclusive sporty features can be ordered now

Wolfsburg, 16 December 2009 - R-Line equipment is already offered on seven Volkswagen models. Now the Passat CC is getting a sportier touch. Orders are now being taken for the four-door coupé with R-Line package.

On its exterior, 17-inch (optional 18-inch) R-Line “Mallory” alloy wheels with 235/45 tyres lend a sporty touch to the Passat CC R-Line. The front spoiler and side skirts, each painted in body colour, were also re-styled. In addition, R-Line logos embellish the front side sections; the rear lights are smoked.

Inside the Passat CC R-Line, standard features include details like four customised tread plates in aluminium (with R-Line Logo in front) and a three-spoke leather-trimmed steering wheel with multifunction keys. The R-Line package has front fog lights and the Park Pilot system. The Passat R-Line leaves few wishes unfulfilled; even the base version of the Passat CC includes comfort and convenience features like sport seats and a climate control system.

The R-Line package is available with all Passat CC engines. Prices start at 2,200 Euros for the Passat CC 2.0 TDI (140 PS / 103 kW) with a 6-speed gearbox. Counting versions already introduced on the Golf, Scirocco, Touran, Tiguan, Passat, Passat Variant and Touareg, a total of eight models with R-Line equipment are now on the market.Volkswagen just opened the order book on the Passat CC with the R-Line package in Europe. We saw this car at the Frankfurt Motor Show and were completely smitten with it. Taking the regular CC’s swoopy coupedan shape and adding the R-Line package makes it just about perfect. What stops it from being perfect is the fact that the R-Line package doesn’t add any oomph. Just like Audi’s S-Line, its alterations are mainly cosmetic.

The R-Line package adds an aero kit, surprisingly modest “Mallory” pattern 17-inch wheels, R-Line emblems, smoked taillights, R-Line aluminum sill plates, a unique three-spoke multifunction leather-wrapped steering wheel, front foglamps, and the Park Pilot system.

It becomes the eighth R-Line model in Volkswagen’s lineup and will add 2,200 euro to the price of your CC – about $3,200 in Yankee bucks. Full press release after the jump and plenty of live and press pics below.

[Source:Autoblog]

Want a new Volkswagen Amarok pickup truck? Well then, now would be the time to let VW know about your interest. Speaking to our man Mike Levine at PickupTrucks.com, Stefan Jacoby, President and CEO of Volkswagen of America, says that the automaker would need 100,000 takers per year in order to make any money on the Amarok here in the States.

That would be a daunting task for the automaker as the only non full-sized truck that sold that many units last year was the Toyota Tacoma (102,327 units), and the next highest seller was the the Great Grandaddy of the Compact Truck Segment, the Ford Ranger (just 51,097 units).

What’s more, the compact truck market is declining, VW doesn’t have many dealerships in truck-happy areas of the nation and the so-called “chicken tax” would add a 25% tariff to the Argentina-built Amarok. Add in the fact that Jacoby says there are more pressing vehicular needs that the German automaker needs to concentrate on. In other words… don’t get your hopes up.

[Source:Autoblog]

Wimmer RS played around with a VW GTI, and this is the result: nothing too much on the outside and terror under the hood. The exterior, especially for a German tuner, is admirably untouched: just a set of 20-inch Motec Antares wheels, and a lower stance with height-adjustable coilovers.

Up front, though, the revisions take the 211-hp, 2.0-liter TFSI up to 386 hp and 336 ft-lb of torque. The upgraded grunt is courtesy of a new turbo and a thorough rework of the intake and manifold, injection valves, piston rods, fuel pump, and other sundries, along with a new software flash. Top speed is 166 mph, which just might be fast enough to outrun those graphics. Follow the jump for the press release, or have a look at it in the gallery of photos below.

PRESS RELEASE

Understatement Golf GTI with 386 hp – by Wimmer RS

November 2009 — Wimmer RS from Solingen has for a long time established its reputation by spectacular car conversions. Nevertheless, strict appropriateness for daily use is also programmed by Wimmer RS. VW Golf VI GTI 2.0 TFSI with its powerful 211 hp engine is a thoroughbred sports car already ex works. After a kind of fitness cure at Wimmer RS tuning forgery, the little sports car will definitely become a weapon.

Now, GTI turbo engine generates full 386 hp with the torque of 455 Nm. This is due to an optimized turbo loader with manifold, the use of a sports CAT, the adaptation of the intake system, the modified fuel pump, innovative injection valves, piston rod and intercooler as well as high grade steel sports exhaust system. Don’t forget the proprietary engine electronics and the modification of the TSI-unit. All this provides for the maximum speed of 267 km/h or 166 mph respectively. For safety reasons Solingen has furthermore installed a sports clutch that guarantees better power transmission and very high driving stability.

Concerning the wheels, Wimmer RS gives the choice of 18-, 19- and 20″ rims. As top of the pops the Solinger car tuner offers a complete wheel set of Motec „Antares” in 8×20 inches with Dunlop Sport Maxx GT 235/30 ZR 20 high performance tyres.

The GTI handling has been moreover optimized by the height-adjustable HR sports coilover suspension system.

More information about the large Wimmer RS Improvement - program is available at www.wimmer-rst.de or info@wimmer-rst.de.

[Source:Autoblog]

Volkswagen has just taken the cover off an all-new concept called the Up! Lite, a sinister looking diesel hybrid that gets (according to VW) 70 mpg combined. As in both City and Highway. Impressive, even if that only ends up being 90 percent accurate. In fact, should Volkswagen decide to green light the unfortunately named Up! Lite, it would be the most fuel efficient and environmentally friendly four seat vehicle on the planet. Again, if the Up! Lite comes to fruition, we’ll all be impressed. Interestingly, this concept isn’t the most fuel efficient and environmentally friendly car on earth is because another Volkswagen — the L1 from Frankfurt – is. But it only seats two.

Ready for the good parts? The aptly titled Up! Lite barely tips the scales at 1,530 pounds. There are Honda Goldwings flirting with that weight class. This svelteness is achieved via a mix of aluminum, lightweight steel and carbon fiber. For instance, the roof is made entirely from the expensive weave. And those amazing wheels consist of ten carbon-fiber spokes and an aluminum fairing. Nifty, no? The tiny, stylized winglettes replace conventional rearview mirrors and contain cameras instead of reflective glass. The same holds true for the interior mounted mirror, as has been replaced by a camera.

Up front, there’s an active air dam that opens up as needed. The extra cooling will help out the TDI hybrid drive lifted from the two-seater L1. This 800cc powerplant transmits power to the wheels using a seven-speed DSG dual-clutch gearbox. Even though the diesel engine is teeny, when coupled to the electric motor, the Up! Lite can reach 100 mph and hit 60 mph in 12 seconds. Not fast by any means, but good enough – especially for an ultra-high mileage vehicle. And it can haul stuff, too – including humans. Unlike the Up! Concept we saw in Frankfurt, the Up! Lite seats four people, and with the rear seats folded, it can haul 30 cubic feet of stuff. Not bad at all.

Overall, we’re pretty impressed by the looks and promise of the Up! Lite. In our estimation, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with blending a Honda CRX with a Volvo C30. Will the Up! Lite ever make it to production? Who knows. VW claims the first Up!s(?) will go on sale in 2011. We get the sense that any future decision will be based on how the two-door Up! does. But we get the feeling the Up! Lite might give the people more of what they want. Official press release after the jump.

PRESS RELEASE:

Volkswagen Announces World Premiere of the Up! Lite Concept at the Los Angeles Auto Show
The World’s Most Fuel-Efficient Four Seater

* Volkswagen’s Up! Lite concept consumes just 2.44 l/100 km (70 mpg/highway)
* Concept based on the future New Small Family from Volkswagen

Wolfsburg, Germany / Los Angeles, CA — December 2, 2009 — Volkswagen – Europe’s strongest automotive brand – is setting standards worldwide when it comes to efficiency with its clean high-tech TDI and TSI engines. Now this is being followed up by latest coup at the Los Angeles Auto Show (December 4 to 13): the world premiere of the Up! Lite A progressive, fuel efficient and in all details cleverly designed four-seater with a hybrid drive. Combined fuel consumption: 2.44 l/100 km or 70 mpg/highway! No other car is more sustainable. With a drive concept consisting of a TDI (turbo-diesel), electric motor and 7-speed Direct Shift Gearbox (DSG) as well as top aerodynamics (Cd value: 0.237), Volkswagen is driving CO2 emissions down to a sensational 65 g/km. This makes the three-door concept the world’s most fuel efficient car – and from the perspective of its overall CO2 footprint the world’s most environmentally friendly four-seat car as well. Both technically and visually, the Up! Lite is a preview of the future. The image of the car body with its clean lines, as though sculpted from a block of aluminium, underscores just how fascinating a car tuned to aerodynamic perfection can look.

The ideal car for the daily commute to work

The technically challenging 2-Liter fuel consumption car might be launched globally. Many of the components of the 695 kilogram light Volkswagen are based on those of the future New Small Family, an entirely new model series that is already scheduled for market launch in initial countries at the end of 2011. The Up! Lite concept continues the Volkswagen strategy of offering high-tech and high-end quality in all of its vehicle classes, making progress affordable for every car driver. The Up! Lite was designed to be a versatile vehicle that makes trips into the city, commutes to work and naturally long trips as well significantly less expensive and more eco-friendly.

Hybrid drive enables electric driving

The centerpiece of the Up! Lite powertrain is the newly designed 0.8 TDI two-cylinder turbo-diesel engine with a power of 38 kW / 51 PS. Furthermore, the electric motor (10 kW) – designed as a pulse start module (starter, alternator and E-drive) – also reduces the load of the TDI, provides added propulsion (boosting) and works to recover kinetic energy (regenerative braking). During boost phases – e.g. in a quick passing maneuver – the TDI and E-motor combine for a total power of 48 kW / 65 PS. Incidentally, a version of the TDI used in the Up! Lite was also used aboard the L1 concept car that Volkswagen presented in September at the IAA Motor Show in Frankfurt.

In two of its operating phases, the hybrid drive of the Up! Lite was designed to operate without any TDI propulsion at all. First phase: In so-called coast-down, activated by the driver taking his or her foot off the gas pedal (car coasts, TDI engine is shut off). Second phase: Over shorter distances, e.g. in residential areas, the E-motor can power the Up! Lite all by itself. In this case, a lithium-ion battery supplies the energy. Since it is capable of pure electric driving, the configuration is classified as a full hybrid. Shifting work is handled by a 7-speed Direct Shift Gearbox (DSG) like the one used in the new Polo. Moreover, the Volkswagen is equipped with a Stop-Start system.

Comfort and safety without compromises

Naturally, on the Up! Lite there is nothing lacking in comfort or safety. ESP is on board, airbags are on board, ample space is on board, highly advanced information and control features are on board, and it is good to know that occupants are enclosed and protected by a highly innovative safety frame of aluminium, steel and carbon fiber. The Volkswagen concept has a top speed of 160 km/h (100 mph) and accelerates to 100 km/h in a respectable 12.5 seconds (0-60 mph in 12 seconds).

“Made in Germany”

Overall, the Up! Lite is a prime example of the art of innovative engineering with the “Made in Germany” seal. And indeed not only because of its efficient powertrain and lightweight body construction. Other examples include: The radiator grille that closes and opens automatically depending on the cooling needs of the engine (”active thermal management”); and instead of a classic rearview mirror, three cameras perform this job better and more aerodynamically; when the car is parked in the summer, hot air is vented to outside the vehicle (”passive park ventilation”); an “optimized Easy-Entry feature” enables extremely comfortable entry and exit from the rear seating area; longitudinal adjustments to the driver and front passenger seats automatically adjusts seat height as well; when folding the rear bench seat, the seatback is easily unlatched by folding the rear head restraints forward (”Easy Switch”); many vehicle features (including ventilation, Internet, telephone, MP3, video, telephone, trip computer, radio) are controlled centrally via an intuitive touchscreen with hand movement sensors.

Design of the world of tomorrow

Even the most innovative car must look good to really be fun. And the Up! Lite with its “Liquid Blue Metallic” exterior is fun. That is because the 3.84 meter long, 1.40 meter tall and 1.60 meter wide Up! Lite makes a futuristic, bold and – in its form – very independent appearance. It is a car that looks as though it were cast from a single mould. Compared to the E-Up! concept car presented at the 2009 International Motor Show (IAA) in Frankfurt, it is lower in profile and – to satisfy even more demanding aerodynamic requirements – it is longer, nearly reaching the length of the Polo (3.98 meters).

The styling itself portrays a compact vehicle that genuinely reflects its sustainable drive system and overall progressive concept. At the rear, the Up! Lite has the appearance of a distinctive hatchback sports car. As a result, the broad shoulder section is definitely reminiscent of the Scirocco. Furthermore, the look of the lower area is dominated by the large glass surface of the hatch, the LED rear lights and the rear fog lights (c-shaped) integrated in the bumper in typical Up! style. The counterparts of these lights are found in the front bumper as front fog lights. The car’s side profile has clean styling with markedly smooth surfaces. There are no edges except for the upper tornado line, the wheel wells and a connection line integrated there. The side cameras that replace the outside mirrors look like winglets on the wings of a cargo plane. A novel stylistic and technical feature: the 18-inch wheels are produced from a combination of aluminium and carbon fiber. That is because sports appeal and fuel economy do not need to be mutually exclusive.

Already thinking about tomorrow today

By the way: In Europe, Volkswagen is currently demonstrating that minimal fuel consumption can be realized in all segments today, in the latest versions of the Polo (3.3 l/100 km; 58 mpg/highway), Golf (3.8 l/100 km; 51 mpg/highway) and Passat (4.4 l/100 km; 48 mpg/highway).

[Source:Autoblog]

It can be a bit overwhelming when every magazine and their various editions pick their own Car of the Year each annum. Fortunately, the Europeans have it together. Literally.

Every year, seven of the continent’s biggest car mags – each from a different country and in a different language – get together and jointly choose the European Car of the Year. The process is exhaustive, first identifying the candidates in the summer, then whittling it down to a shortlist of nominees in the fall before selecting their one winner for the year in the winter. And with temperatures dropping everywhere on this side of the equator and the new year fast approaching, the time has come once again.

For 2010, the jurists have selected the new Volkswagen Polo as their Car of the Year. The fifth-gen VW hatch beat out some stiff competition from the Citroen C3 Picaso, Mercedes-Benz E-Class, Opel/Vauxhall Astra, Peugeot 3008, Skoda Yeti and Toyota iQ. It was a close race, the Toyota coming in a narrow second with 337 points to the Polo’s 347. The Astra took third place by a wide margin at 221 points.

It’s the first time a Volkswagen has won the award in some 17 years and only the second time Wolfsburg’s taken the prize home in the forty-five years since the jury first sat. Sister company Audi has also won the award twice (for the 1973 Audi 80 and 1983 Audi 100), and Porsche once (for the 1978 Porsche 928).

[Source:Autoblog]

Volkswagen unveiled the new high-zoot R version of the MK VI Golf at the Frankfurt Motor Show last month, but it declined to say whether Americans would ever get a chance to buy one. Fans of the R32 will likely be clamoring for the new R20 if does make it to our shores, in part because of the 400 pounds it has shed.

While we are here in Wolfsburg today to drive VW’s more pedestrian Golf varietals, we had a chance to follow up on the R20 possibility for America. First, we asked VW of America CEO Stefan Jacoby, who told us it was being studied and that no decision had yet been reached about the R20 for America. A little later, we talked with Andres Valbuena who happens to be the U.S. product planner for the Golf, GTI and New Beetle. That means he guides the direction of the Golf in this country. To give you some perspective on where Andres stands on this subject, his personal ride back home in Virginia is a 2004 edition R32 with an added blower, so word that Valbuena is pushing hard to get the R20 should come as no surprise. Further, if it does cross the Pond, he wants it available in both two- and four-door bodystyles with a choice of manual or DSG transmissions.

If the R20 does make it here, odds are VW won’t be able to justify two powertrains given the expected low volumes. In that event, Valbuena tells us he prefers the manual, but regardless, all R20s would be equipped with all-wheel drive. Working in the R20’s favor is the fact that this is essentially the powertrain from the Audi TT-S which has both gearbox options. Hopefully, we’ll have a decision from Wolfsburg within a year. If you want the R20 in your local VW showroom, make your voice heard in the comments because the automaker is listening.

[Source:Autoblog]

While we were chatting with VW of America CEO Stefan Jacoby in Wolfsburg, Germany, the subject of its new ‘Merican-built car came up. The so-called NMS or New Midsize Sedan will replace the Passat in the US VW lineup. This model will be unique to the North American market, which brought up a question about the last “Americanized” VW.

For those not old enough to remember, Volkswagen opened a factory in Westmoreland county Pennsylvania in 1978 and closed it a decade later. When the plant started building the Rabbit (aka MK 1 Golf) VW’s home office modified the Rabbit to make it “more appealing” to American buyers. That meant giving it rectangular headlights and making it softer and losing much of the German character that made it fun to drive.

Jacoby promises that won’t happen this time around. Instead, the process of adaption will involve growing the sedan to bring it on par with the Toyota Camry and Honda Accord. The current Passat is considered to be just a bit too small inside by comparison. What won’t change is the tight suspension setup and styling consistent with other contemporary VWs.

The current Passat is also pricey compared to its primary segment competitors. This is one of the main reasons the new car will be built Stateside. VW is currently sourcing parts and systems from US located suppliers which should bring down the cost basis of the new model by taking exchange rates out of the equation.

[Source:Autoblog]

We still cringe upon hearing marketing types utter the phrase “four-door coupe.” It’s inherently a lie, a scam. Who are they trying to fool? It’s not a four-door coupe, it’s a sedan with a sloping roof – generally one that’s missing a middle rear-seat. And there’s nothing wrong with that. But, just like automakers the world ’round bend over backwards corrupting the language to avoid calling a station wagon anything but a station wagon (Sportback, Avant, Sportcombi, etc.), the oxymoronic four-door coupe appears to be here to stay. Where’s George Carlin when you need him? With that rant out of the way, the 2009 Volkswagen CC is the best four-door coupe we’ve ever driven – at least this side of a Mercedes-Benz CLS63 AMG, which is three times the price.

Good looking isn’t even the right word for VW’s rebodied Passat. Handsome, exquisite, sharp, revolutionary and awesome all spring to mind. But, let’s just settle on two: segment busting. Not only that, but the CC renders the current Passat about as desirable as a late-model Ford Five Hundred. Which is to say, not at all. In fact, with the exception of third rear-seat, we can’t think of a single reason to choose a Passat over the CC. Not one.
Price? You want to argue price? Okay – the Passat starts at $28,300. The CC? $27,100. And the CC gets better gas mileage, too. So your total costs ought to be less. How’s that possible? Probably because of improved aerodynamics, as the Passat is only 44 pounds heavier than the CC we tested. Of course, both cars have identical wheelbases and widths, though the CC is half an inch longer. Our tester had but one $375 option (Sirius) and a $750 destination charge, bringing the total to $28,225 – $75 less than a Passat. To summarize, buy the CC.

The interior’s better, too. In fact, this is one of our favorite cabins currently on the market. It has the ‘no compromise’ character found in Piech-mandated VWs like the Phaeton and O.G. Touareg, though the absolute quality of the materials has been taken down a shelf or two. Still, imagine the haptic quality of an Audi without all the fussy, cluttered and oddly placed buttons. That’s how VeeDub laid out the CC’s controls. Props are given for the two-tone dash layout (in this case black and tan), which is a wonderful change of pace from the usual Germanic black-as-my-soul theme. Special praise is reserved for the two-tone, pleated leather seats – all four of them. The quad thrones conspire with the overall roominess to make the cabin an excellent place to spend some time. Yes, if you’re tall you’ll want to sit up front as the sloping roof cuts into your headroom, though we placed a six-foot, four-inch guy back there and he only complained once.

And we haven’t even gotten to the best part – the manual transmission! We know sticks are on the way out. We know soon every (new) car on earth will sport a dual-clutch, flappy-paddle autobox and that Volkswagen’s own DSG is leading the robotic charge. But for many of us, it’s like playing drums without a high hat – what’s your left foot supposed to do? We argue that in terms of sheer driving pleasure, four limbs involved is better than three. And we found the CC Sport to be a delight to drive. Surprisingly so. We even liked the ride, which is a great balance between well-damped performance-oriented stiffness and pile-on-the-miles plush.

Combine the six-speed to Volkswagen’s tried and true 2.0-liter VVT direct injected turbo with its 200 horsepower and 207 lb-ft of torque and you not only get a bit of sportiness but plenty of real world usability. Getting on the freeway is a snap, getting up to freeway cruising speeds is even easier and according to the CC’s computer, 80 mph nets you 31 miles per gallon. That’s admirable for such a large machine.
True, more powerful CCs exist. You can opt for the 280 hp 3.6-liter FSI VR6, or even the 4Motion (VW-speak for all-wheel drive) VR6, but during our week with the four-banger model, we never once thought that we needed more power. Not only that, but a heavier engine would upset the excellent balance inherent to the CC Sport, netting you a little more straight line thrust at the expensive of the base car’s fine handling and a bit of fuel efficiency. Unless you live in a place where AWD is a must (Colorado, Vermont, Kabul), the front-driver CC just makes more sense.

Things we don’t like? Yes, a couple. Volkswagen has chosen to follow Audi’s lead and banish the manual handbrake in place of an electronic parking brake. Like the ever encroaching DSG, this very well may be the shape of things to come, but we don’t like it. First of all, what’s wrong with a handbrake? Second, the button to turn off the parking brake is on the extreme left side of the dashboard, where you’d find the ignition in a Porsche – nowhere near the stick. Unlike Audi’s method, which is in fact a little toggle switch you can pull up, the button on the CC is exactly that – just a button. It feels very artificial.
Additionally, the CC has a hill holder feature that engages whenever the nose is pointed up or down a degree or two. This means at the slightest incline, the parking brake is engaged and unless you account for it, you will stall the car during a normal take off. Yes, you can deactivate the hill holder, but you have to do it every time you fire up the engine. Which means you’ll forget and stall the car. That’s annoying. And standard.

All-in-all, however, we’d hardly change a thing. Especially when you consider the CC’s non-Passat competition, like the Honda Accord, Toyota Camry, Ford Fusion, Hyundai Sonata, Mazda6, Nissan Altima and Chevrolet Malibu. In fact, out of all those sedans, the only one this author feels competes with the CC in the looks department is the new super-sized Accord (and we know that’s a love-it-or-leave-it design). A few of them are as, or nearly as, sporty (again, the Accord, the Fusion and the Mazda6) but in terms of all around desirability when looks, interior comfort, performance, handling and price are taken into account, yours truly will take the CC Sport, thanks much. Nothing else in its segment really competes.

[Source:Autoblog]