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The 2009 Volkswagen Passat CC is the longer, lower, wider and rakishly-styled brother to Volkswagen’s revered Passat. For a weekend that started well–an extended tour through Ontario, Michigan and Ohio en route to some sports car racing–it was clear that the elegant Passat CC was the only thing going right.
Despite being on the phone for almost all of the four hours it took to reach the US border, this writer was able to find the ideal seating position via the power driver’s seat and adjustable steering column. The Passat CC has the typical, clean, clear and logical layout that one expects from Volkswagen.
Throughout the journey, we took advantage of the six-disc CD changer with MP3 capability, also augmented by the de rigeur MP3 player input. Initially, we were put off by the lack of Bluetooth connectivity and in-dash navigation, but soon remembered that this Passat CC Sportline was priced at $33,375 and at this price we could easily forgive their absence.
By way of things going wrong, we forfeited a full day of testing our race cars at the legendary Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course due to a rainstorm, followed by four grown men feverishly finishing our newest race car at the last minute. On this workday, the Passat CC served as the gopher vehicle, driving from one small central Ohio town to another, searching for car parts and sustenance for our intrepid crew. The Passat CC proved to be a capable handler with adequate power from Volkswagen’s ubiquitous 2.0T engine.
When we arrived at the track, our weekend’s fortunes began to turn. Immediately, it was obvious the Passat CC was the most eye-catching car in the paddock and was surrounded by a number of Volkswagen enthusiasts interested to learn about the car.
Our test car was equipped with Volkswagen’s Tiptronic six-speed automatic transmission and it’s perfectly acceptable for normal driving, but it was a disappointment any time the driving became more than spirited. The transmission was slow to respond, leading us to believe the six-speed manual equipped Passat CC is the car to covet, yet left us dreaming that Volkswagen’s spectacular DSG transmission would correctly complete this car.
