OKAY, so you love your trusty Volkswagen Passat but it’s starting to look a bit dull.
Cynics would say VW’s workhorse has always been a bit on the dull side when it comes to looks but even if it does lack sex appeal you wouldn’t kick it out of the garage.
No, Passat has always done what it says on the tin, provide solid, family transport and a big boot. And, of course, it is reliable although there have been tales of Passat’s going wrong more often than VW would like, even talk of its Czech cousin, the Skoda Superb, being more reliable.
So where do you turn for a bit more pizzaz? A Lexus maybe, or Alfa Romeo 159, they area good looking cars, or you could stick with VW and try the sexed up Passat CC.
What we have here is a posh Passat with coupe looks. They have even been clever enough to keep four doors so you have the best of both worlds. Inspirational? Yes, but me thinks the credit must go to Mercedes who came up with the idea of turning a mundane saloon into a four-seater, four door coupe and called it the CLS.
Wherever the inspiration came from it has been a staggering success. Whoever would have thought the Passat could be turned into something so stunningly beautiful by just shaving a couple of inches off the height and giving it a sloping back?
There is more to it than that. The CC is longer and wider, there are subtle changes to the front, frameless doors make it look good from the side while the sloping back and shorter overhang finish it off nicely.
Over the last 13 years lots have envied my various Passat test cars but no one has ever lauded its looks in the way admirers have drooled over the CC.
Pity then that the remarkable transformation of the Passat’s bodyline has not been mirrored in the cabin. Now my argument isn’t with the luxurious nature of the CC cabin but having seen what the stylists have achieved on the outside they could have done more inside.
FACTFILE: Passat CC TDI CR
Engine: 2-litre; 138hp
Performance: 0-62mph 9.8secs; 132mph
Economy: 50.4mpg combined
Emissions: 146g/km. VED £125
Insurance group 11
Price: £21,920
From behind the wheel this is pure Passat saloon with a few nobs on. That, of course, means you get all the quality VW has been serving up for decades apart from a surprising slip with rubbish plastic, masquerading as a silver strip, along the dash and around the centre console.
Try not to take too much notice of that and you will be happy with the luxurious surroundings.
With just two seats the back is a nice place to be and with eyes closed you can imagine being chauffeured to some swanky film premier.
Dream over and back behind the wheel, the driver will find this is no standard Passat. With the same success as the designers, the engineers have done a fine job tuning the CC chassis, lowering the suspension and sharpening the handling.
They have even thrown in the chassis control system from the Passat Sport which allows the driver to select the desired suspension stiffness.
Other top end toys have been included like lane assist and cruise control with the additional feature that keeps a set distance between you and the car in front. As a caravaner I particularly liked the rear view camera that can line up the tow bar and caravan hitch. No complaints with the 2-litre turbo diesel which, since VW switched to common rail, has become a smoother, more refined engine with oodles of overtaking punch and decent economy.
Passat CC was certainly worth the effort because it has very ably filled a gap between the saloon and the far more expensive luxury Phaeton