VW introduced the Indians with its luxury offering, Passat, a few months back and it’s heartening to know that this premium package has been well received here. The Passat fundamentally competes against the likes of Nissan Teana, Skoda Superb and Toyota Camry to a certain extent. But apart from this, VW Passat also lures in the buyers who have cars like the Merc C-Class, BMW 3 Series or the Audi A4 in their minds and that’s primarily because the Passat offers better space and extremely good comfort levels while offering more or less everything that the near 35 lakh cars do. What gives the game away though is the fact that it looks a little inconspicuous, just like say the Superb and the Teana, while the others (read Camry, 3 Series and the A4) manage to look quite intimidating for sedans. Things are about to change drastically now.
There’s a new Superb which has been introduced and we shall be writing about that soon, but what captured our minds is the Passat CC and VW, we hope, launches this in India as well. The appearance has changed completely and now hovers at the ‘sporty’ side of the spectrum. It’s a four-door coupe that manages to look like a Merc CLS when viewed in profile. The CC in its name stands for Concept Coupe. You’d say that it looks familiar when looked at from the front and you will be granted that because the grille and headlamp design is taken from the VW Eos. The CC will be a shade larger than the standard Passat.
Inside, it’s the typical VW affair with much leather, fake wood and chrome. The Passat CC comes equipped with Dynamic Drive Control that adjusts the suspension settings and sharpens the power steering. Three modes: Normal, Sport and Comfort will be on the platter though such features might not make it here. It will be kitted out with usual array of techno stuff like parking sensors, electric seats etc.
There are quite a few engines that might be offered. A 1.8-litre, 160PS, 250Nm TSI engine that will send power via a six-speed manual transmission will help the CC reach 100kmph in under nine seconds while the top whack will be 220kmph. The 2.0-litre, 200PS, 280Nm motor can make use of a seven-speed, dual clutch DSG automatic. You get a decent dose of diesels too. A 2.0-litre TDI diesel engine can be offered with either 140PS/320Nm or 170PS/350Nm on tap. Both the diesel engines do the 100kmph mark in less than ten seconds while the top speed will be in the region of 220kmph. The Passat CC is expected to go on sale in the international market mid this year so when will it be launched here (if at all it comes to India) remains to be seen. Our plea – please launch it soon.
