Used Volkswagen CC cars for sale

The initial 2008 engine line-up included a 158 bhp 1.8-litre TSI petrol and a 138 bhp 2.0-litre TDI diesel engine. Near the end of that same year, a 197 bhp 2.0-litre TSI petrol engine joined the range. VW introduced more units over the years, but by 2017, they trimmed down the engine choices to a 1.4 TSI petrol and a pair of 2.0-litre diesel units tuned to 148 bhp and 181 bhp. The engines were made available with both manual and automatic transmissions and a front-wheel drivetrain. There is also a rare 3.6-litre V6 engine option that came with VW's 4MOTION 4-wheel-drive system.

The Volkswagen CC offers good performance, with a smooth gearbox and excellent refinement. However, it doesn't deliver the sports sedan driving experience as its exterior suggests. Its sports suspension system, which comes standard in all trims, makes the ride comfortable and agile on motorways. The CC's handling is even better with GT trims and above, as they get multi-mode adaptive dampers. This equipment kit allows you to switch between VW's Normal, Comfort and Sport driving modes.

Although the VW CC shares the same underpinnings as the Passat, there are many significant differences between these 2 models. The Passat aimed to challenge mid-size family saloons, such as the Camry or Accord. To detach the premium styled coupe from its mainstream cousin, Volkswagen deliberately dropped the Passat badge from the CC's name. Besides sportier styling, the VW CC also came with XDS differential, sports suspension, electronic traction control and more sports features.

The Volkswagen CC was available as a 4-seater until April 2010, when VW finally introduced a 3-seat folding rear bench seat, turning the CC into a 5-seater. With the upgraded 5-seater, there's ample rear legroom for passenger comfort. Taller passengers might find the headroom a little tight in the back, but front passengers have plenty of space. Not many people will enjoy sitting in the middle seat on longer journeys, but this is true with pretty much every car anyway.

The VW CC has a 532-litre boot capacity when the rear seats are all upright and measured to the ceiling level. Folding down the back seats increases the cargo room to 802 litres, which is relatively sufficient but still far from being the best in class. You can opt for an automatic powered tailgate that makes loading easier simply by waving your foot under the rear bumper.

There has never been another car model that directly rivalled the Volkswagen CC. However, the CC intended to penetrate the compact luxury saloon segment and rival leaders, like the Audi A4. While the class-leading Mercedes CLS has a similar luxury appearance as the VW CC, it's much larger and more expensive. The Audi A5 Sportback is another close rival, but it also costs more and is less practical.

The Euro NCAP never tested the VW CC, but it has crash-tested the Passat, its platform-sharing cousin. The Passat was awarded a maximum 5-star rating on every safety test. The VW CC would likely achieve the same rating as the Passat given its wide range of safety tech features, such as driver fatigue detection, active head restraints, lane-keeping assist and a blind-spot warning system. You can also find VW CC's fit with optional safety kits, like a traffic-sign recognition system.