Volkswagen Passat CC
Wednesday April 09, 2008
VW have released the specifications of their interpretation of the 4 door "coupé" theme, the new Passat CC range. Of course, there is no such thing as a four door coupé, let's get that out of the way immediately. It's a sleeker, sassier version of the Passat saloon, but is also very much a saloon.
In morphing the Passat into the Passat CC, VW have stretched the floorpan (by all of 2 mm in the wheelbase, now 2711 mm), added 34 mm of additional length to bring it to 4799 mm, widened the body by 35 mm and lowered it by 55 mm overall. Using the 1.8 TSI engined variant as a basis for comparison, the normal Passat 4 door saloon has a drag coefficient of 0.29 and a frontal area of 2.26 m2, giving a CdA of 0.655 m2. The Passat CC has a slightly higher coefficient of drag, at 0.30, but manages to have less frontal area, at 2.24 m2. The CdA of the Passat CC 1.8 TSI thus works out to be 0.672 m2, which is not bad at all considering the larger overall size of the car itself.
Initially, Volkswagen is offering three engine variants, comprising of 2 direct injection petrol engines and one common rail diesel. The petrol versions are the afore-mentioned 1.8 TSI, with a 1.8 litre twincharger (super- and turbocharging), and a normally aspirated 3.6 V6, as found in the new Volkswagen Passat R36 and Volkswagen Passant Variant R36 models.
The front-drive Passat CC 1.8 TSI produces 160 PS (118 kW) at 5000 rpm and 250 Nm of torque from 1500-4200 rpm. With the only currently available transmission option for this engine, a six speed manual gearbox, this engine propels the 1430 kg Passat CC 1.87 TSI from 0 to 100 km/h in a claimed 8.6 seconds, and on to a top speed of 222 km/h. CO2 emissions are 180 g/km.
The next petrol engine in the lineup is the naturally aspirated 3.6 litre V6 found in the Passat CC 3.6 FSI. The very undersquare (89.0 mm bore and 96.4 mm stroke) engine produces 300 PS (221 kW) at 6600 rpm and 350 Nm of torque in a band between 2400 and 5300 rpm. Power is fed to all four wheels via a six speed DSG gearbox. The Volkswagen Passat CC 3.6 FSI is claimed to hit 100 km/h from a standing start in just 5.6 seconds despite a kerb weight of 1632 kg, and will top out at a limited 250 km/h. CO2 emissions are 242 g/km.
The last model in the range is the Passat CC 2.0 TDI. VW's venerable 1968 cc oil burner is the least powerful of the bunch, with a maximum power output of 140 PS (103 kW), but it nearly matches the largest model's torque, with 320 Nm from 1750 rpm to 2500 rpm. Mated to a six speed gearbox, this model will hit 100 km/h from rest in 9.8 seconds and manage a top whack 213 km/h. As you'd expect, CO2 emissions are lower than on the petrol variants, with VW claiming 153 g/km. The Passat CC 2.0 TDI is 36 kg heavier than the 1.8 TSI, at 1466 kg at the kerb.
In morphing the Passat into the Passat CC, VW have stretched the floorpan (by all of 2 mm in the wheelbase, now 2711 mm), added 34 mm of additional length to bring it to 4799 mm, widened the body by 35 mm and lowered it by 55 mm overall. Using the 1.8 TSI engined variant as a basis for comparison, the normal Passat 4 door saloon has a drag coefficient of 0.29 and a frontal area of 2.26 m2, giving a CdA of 0.655 m2. The Passat CC has a slightly higher coefficient of drag, at 0.30, but manages to have less frontal area, at 2.24 m2. The CdA of the Passat CC 1.8 TSI thus works out to be 0.672 m2, which is not bad at all considering the larger overall size of the car itself.
Initially, Volkswagen is offering three engine variants, comprising of 2 direct injection petrol engines and one common rail diesel. The petrol versions are the afore-mentioned 1.8 TSI, with a 1.8 litre twincharger (super- and turbocharging), and a normally aspirated 3.6 V6, as found in the new Volkswagen Passat R36 and Volkswagen Passant Variant R36 models.
The front-drive Passat CC 1.8 TSI produces 160 PS (118 kW) at 5000 rpm and 250 Nm of torque from 1500-4200 rpm. With the only currently available transmission option for this engine, a six speed manual gearbox, this engine propels the 1430 kg Passat CC 1.87 TSI from 0 to 100 km/h in a claimed 8.6 seconds, and on to a top speed of 222 km/h. CO2 emissions are 180 g/km.
The next petrol engine in the lineup is the naturally aspirated 3.6 litre V6 found in the Passat CC 3.6 FSI. The very undersquare (89.0 mm bore and 96.4 mm stroke) engine produces 300 PS (221 kW) at 6600 rpm and 350 Nm of torque in a band between 2400 and 5300 rpm. Power is fed to all four wheels via a six speed DSG gearbox. The Volkswagen Passat CC 3.6 FSI is claimed to hit 100 km/h from a standing start in just 5.6 seconds despite a kerb weight of 1632 kg, and will top out at a limited 250 km/h. CO2 emissions are 242 g/km.
The last model in the range is the Passat CC 2.0 TDI. VW's venerable 1968 cc oil burner is the least powerful of the bunch, with a maximum power output of 140 PS (103 kW), but it nearly matches the largest model's torque, with 320 Nm from 1750 rpm to 2500 rpm. Mated to a six speed gearbox, this model will hit 100 km/h from rest in 9.8 seconds and manage a top whack 213 km/h. As you'd expect, CO2 emissions are lower than on the petrol variants, with VW claiming 153 g/km. The Passat CC 2.0 TDI is 36 kg heavier than the 1.8 TSI, at 1466 kg at the kerb.
