2012 Volkswagen CC Overview Change Vehicle

This 2012 Volkswagen CC review explains changes for the model year, provides a summary of the 2012 CC, and includes Volkswagen CC safety, reliability, and fuel economy ratings.

The Volkswagen CC is essentially a gussied up, four-passenger, previous-generation Passat, equipped with plenty of styling and comfort enhancements to merit our approval. It was at the forefront of the “four-door coupe” movement that has gotten so popular as of late, and it’s no wonder that the sleek, stylish CC is still a head turner.

Few changes are made to the Volkswagen CC for 2012, the model’s fourth year on the market. An analog clock is added to the dashboard and some trim levels get additional interior wood trim. Otherwise, the CC carries on unchanged.

Six trim levels are available for the 2012 Volkswagen CC. That’s a lot, but the equipment lists are just as specific; there aren’t any complicated option lists to consider when buying one of these stylish cars.

The base CC is the 2.0T Sport, which is furnished with 17-inch alloy wheels, leather-like upholstery, automatic climate control, heated mirrors and seats, power front seats, and an eight-speaker stereo with Bluetooth, an auxiliary input and iPod jack, and HD and satellite radio. Building on Sport trim, the 2.0T R-Line adds 18-inch rims, a racy exterior ground effects package, fog lamps, and darkened taillamps.

If you’re looking for a little more luxury, try the 2.0T Lux trim. You get different 18-inch wheels from the R-Line, plus fog lamps, dual-zone climate control, a navigation system, and brushed aluminum trim to brighten up the interior. The 2.0T Lux Plus is, as its name implies, even more luxurious, adding a better navigation system with a rearview camera, a panoramic sunroof, a digital jukebox, and wood dashboard trim in place of the brushed aluminum. Finally, the 2.0T Lux Limited includes all that plus swiveling Xenon headlamps.

The top-of-the-line Volkswagen CC is the VR6 4Motion Executive. In addition to the Lux Limited’s extensive equipment list, it also adds all-wheel drive, the power of a V6 engine, parking sensors, a 10-speaker audio system, a power rear sunshade, and leather upholstery.

An infinitely lively 200-horsepower, turbocharged 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine powers the 2012 Volkswagen CC 2.0T. A six-speed manual transmission is standard on the Sport and R-Line trim levels; a dual-clutch automated manual that Volkswagen calls Direct Shift Gearbox (DSG), which from the driver’s seat operates like an automatic transmission, can be had for an additional cost on the Sport and R-Line. The DSG is standard on the Lux trim level. The EPA fuel economy rating for the manual model is 21 mpg in the city and 31 mpg on the highway. Getting the DSG raises the city number to 22 mpg while matching the highway number. Premium fuel is required.

Meanwhile, the VR6 4Motion Executive gets a 280-horsepower, 3.6-liter V6 bolted to a DSG and driving all four of the CC’s wheels. Its EPA rating is 17 mpg in the city and 25 mpg on the open road. As with the turbocharged four-cylinder, the V6 engine requires premium fuel.

An army of airbags protects the 2012 CC’s passengers: dual front, dual front side, and dual side curtain. Antilock brakes with electronic brake-force distribution and brake assist, traction control, and stability control are also standard, as is hill-hold assist, which helps keep the car stationary when you’re on a hill and switching your foot from the brake to the gas pedal.

At the time of this writing, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has not conducted crash testing on the 2012 Volkswagen CC, but did give the sleek sedan a 4-Star rating for its ability to resist rolling over in certain types of crashes. That means consumers must take CC crashworthiness cues from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), which has conferred upon the CC its prestigious Top Safety Pick designation for the 2012 model year.

As for the CC’s ability to deliver dependable transportation, the folks over at Consumer Reports give the CC an average rating for predicted reliability while J.D. Power and Associates predicts that the CC will return slightly above average dependability over time.

Not only is the Volkswagen based upon the German-bred Passat that originally launched in the U.S. back in 2006, but it’s also a four-passenger vehicle that the EPA rates as a compact and not a midsize car. Even if you wanted to squeeze a fifth occupant into the back seat, you can’t because there’s no middle seating position, and no seatbelt.

While the V6 engine in the top trim level might sound appealing, you won’t need the extra power it produces because the 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine found under the hood of most CC models feels quite powerful even if its specifications lead you to believe otherwise. Granted, 200 horsepower and 207 lb-ft of torque don’t sound like much in terms of oomph, but the great thing about VW’s fuel-efficient turbo four is that the power is spread across a broad rev range.

In the CC’s case, the torque, which is what you feel as you accelerate more than you do horsepower, is peaking continuously from 1,700 rpm all the way to 5,000 rpm. Just as the torque begins tapering off, the horsepower kicks in, peaking from 5,100 rpm to 6,000 rpm. The result? The CC delivers effortless acceleration, especially at altitude, where turbocharged engines are less susceptible to the detrimental effects of a thinner atmosphere.

We’re a bit distraught that Volkswagen has begun dumbing down many of their Teutonically stellar vehicles, making them bigger, cheaper, and more nondescript. So it’s with great glee that we can report that the CC is just as sophisticated and appealing as before, retaining its desirable German feel combined with attractive design. We usually knock a carmaker for not making big changes to a vehicle as the years progress – the CC enters its fourth year pretty much as it was introduced – but this is one time when we’ll keep our mouths shut and fingers crossed.

By Liz Kim and Christian Wardlaw