Volkswagen Routan

By Stephen Dobie

First official pictures

16 January 2008 16:03

Volkswagen’s push for more sales in the US will be reinforced with the new Routan minivan, due to be shown to its North American market at the Chicago Auto Show in February 2008.

The model is heavily based on the Chrysler Town and Country (the Grand Voyager to you and me) and will major on interior space. The car itself is over five metres long and accommodates seven. Expect it to feature Chrysler’s clever Swivel’n’Go seating arrangement that allows the rear passengers to all face each other.

The Routan will come off the same production line as the Town and Country at Chrysler’s Ontario factory, and inside the two will only be separable by VW’s promised ‘unique design touches’. Engines and specifications should be revealed nearer the Chicago show, though the Town and Country currently uses three V6s, in 3.3, 3,8 and 4.0-litre guises. We don't expect a diesel to be in the range, but we do expect customers to have to pay a premium over the equivalent Chrysler model.

Europe won’t be able to buy the new model, VW claiming that we are well catered for already with the Touran and Sharan people carriers, as well as the Tiguan and Touareg SUV’s.

This is probably for the best, with the whole ethos of the car aimed specifically at North America – who coincidentally named the Chrysler Town and Country as their International Car of the Year 2008. Volkswagen will hope to utilise this to help reach its overall goal of 800,000 yearly sales in the USA.

VW Passat CC at Detroit

By James Foxall

First official pictures

14 January 2008 03:26

The Volkswagen Passat CC might look like the bastard offspring of a shady encounter between a Phaeton and a CLS, but the German firm is hoping the new Passat spin-off will attract buyers after premium car style for a relatively affordable price.

When it hits UK showrooms in late summer 2008, expect the four-seat, four-door CC – it stands for Comfort Coupe – to have a sticker price starting at around £19,000. This will make it less than half the price of its most affordable rival, the Mercedes CLS.

Alert! Gratuitous motor show-off

Following a cheesy launch that included VW North America’s chief Stefan Jacoby extracting golf clubs from the boot with the help of a gratuitously pretty model, the car graced VW’s Detroit Motor Show stand in both grey and black. The shape, based on the regular Passat floorpan with which it shares its wheelbase, suits the bolder dark colour better.

Despite the high waistline and a new profile that’s 50mm lower than the regular Passat, there’s still more than enough headroom in the rear for a six-footer. And as Jacoby’s pantomime proved, the 31mm increase in length means the boot is still a decent size.

A Passat for all pockets

The Passat CC will come with a choice of three petrol and two diesel engines. They include a new 1.8-litre TSI developing 158bhp, a 2.0-litre TSI pumping out 197bhp and the top model, a hot four-wheel drive 3.6-litre R36 version. There will also be the pair of 2.0-litre diesel versions currently on offer in the regular Passat with 138 or 166bhp.

Designed to appeal to enthusiastic drivers, the CC comes with VW’s Dynamic Drive Control. This features three settings for comfort, normal or sport and modifies the behaviour of the dampers and the electro-mechanical steering according to the driver’s preferences.

They say: The Passat CC unifies sportscar dynamics and saloon comfort
We say: It doesn’t look that sporty but its price is certainly appealing
CAR verdict: 3/5

Volkswagen Passat CC

By Ben Pulman

First official pictures

13 January 2008 11:16

Welcome to the world’s second four-door coupe, the Passat CC. Following the lead of the Mercedes CLS, Volkswagen has redrawn the Passat to give us this swoopy mini-me Phaeton lookalike saloon. It's an attempt to stretch the Passat further upmarket - away from its humdrum fleet roots and nearer the hallowed doorway to the compact premium market.

It’s a Passat underneath, but being 31mm longer and 50mm lower makes it look very swish. All the body panels are new, the doors are frameless, there’s no more chromed grille, and the drag coefficient is a slippery 0.29 Cd. And we’ve only got to wait five months before the CC goes on sale in the UK: the USA and Japan won’t get the Passat CC until the fourth quarter of 2008.

Passat CC: tech fest

The CC is packed full of technology. ‘Mobility tyres’ have a specially flexible rubber designed to encapsulate any sharp object but still keep the tyre sealed. Lane Assist helps you stay in your lane, by nudging the wheel should you unintentionally cross the white line. There’s ACC automatic distance control, which also primes the brakes if it foresees an accident, and Park Assist already seen on the Touran. Press a button and then just accelerate and brake while the car steers for you.

Volkswagen claims the Passat CC is a sporty car, so all but the base petrol and diesel models get DDC (Dynamic Drive Control). DDC offers Normal, Comfort and Sport modes, allowing to you to tailor the car to your needs. And if you’re not feeling sporty enough then there’s always the power dome in the bonnet...

The Passat CC is a pure four-seater, but to make sure you don’t ever feel claustrophobic in the back you can have a sunfoof stetching from the A to B-pillar, while those up front get to play with Volkswagen’s new touchscren multimedia system, should they pay for it. There’s a rear parking camera, set within the VW logo, and a 535-litre boot.

Engines will range from a 138bhp diesel and 158bhp TSI, stretching up to a 296bhp 3.6-litre V6 with four-wheel drive as standard. Wheels will be 17-inch as standard, and expect a premium for the Passat CC to put it directly head-to-head with Merc, BMW and Audi on price.

They say: VW invents a new volume segment
We say: Don't fall for the spin - it's elegant, but hardly a groundbreaker
CAR verdict: 4/5