Six years after the Volkswagen CC's sporty 'coupe' shape first debuted, and two years after a minor facelift and removing 'Passat' from its name, the Volkswagen CC remains a striking car.  The low slung roof and high belt line give the car a look reminiscent of the Mercedes CLS and other four door coupes at a fraction of the cost, especially in R-Line trim.  These looks do come at a cost though.

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The most noticeable side-effect of the CC's looks is the lack of visibility.  Standing at roughly 6'3", I hardly consider myself abnormally tall, but in the CC I sure felt it.  The drivers seat didn't quite go low enough for my tastes, hindering my ability to look out the driver and passenger side windows.  The large B-pillar also proved to be a hinderance at intersections greater than 90 degrees, requiring additional checks before pulling into or across traffic.  Those interested in reversing should strongly consider the optional rear view camera.

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Inside the CC is a very nice place to be, with its classy black perforated leatherette seats with contrasting white stitching, and sporty aluminum interior trim.  The gauges and MMI screen are incredibly easy to read at a glance and the steering wheel controls are extremely intuitive.  Volkswagen's RNS-E provides ample space to display navigation info, although I do wish that individual streets were available from a wider zoom, much like you are able to do with Audi's navigation system.  My only real complaint is the glove-box mounted iPhone cable.  While it works wonders to prevent distracted driving, the compartment that the cable is located in within the glove box is simply not large enough to hold my iPhone. I'm certain that this problem will be encountered by Android-based phone users as well, as oftentimes their phones are larger than the offerings from Apple.  Passengers noted the comfortable seats and analog clock as their favorite parts of the journey, but did note that rear headroom was scarce.

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The R-Line package gives the exterior of the CC an appearance much sportier than stock, with its revised bumpers and side skirts, 18" Mallory wheels, and R-Line badging.  The ride is enhanced too, with a Sport suspension using MacPherson Struts up front and an independent four-link suspension out back.  While there is no power increase with the CC R-Line, the sportier suspension and appearance package give the name some substance and certainly justifies the mere $1300 difference in price over the base model.

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So what's it like to drive?  Well as a complete package, the CC R-Line is really quite good.  The Sport suspension allows for spirited driving on windy rural backroads, while being forgiving on longer highway cruises.  Steering is weighted nicely, with a tight feel on the twisty bits and requiring low effort in parking lots and other low speed situations.  As long as you keep things in front of you, visibility is superb.  Volkswagen's 2.0L TSI is eager to respond to anything your right foot commands and the DSG transmission with steering wheel-mounted paddles follows suit with quick downshifts when required.  During my time with the CC R-Line I saw just over 29mpg, which is pretty good for the mixture of highway and stop-and-go driving that I put it through.

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The price of our Reflex Silver tester came out to just over $35,000 and I think that with its combination of looks, performance and features, the Volkswagen CC R-Line is a great value.  Just make sure you get one with a reverse camera.

2014 Volkswagen CC R-Line-
MSRP as tested$35,025
0-60mph6.7 sec
Quarter Mile15.1 sec @93.2mph
Fuel Consumption22 City / 31 HWY
29.2 Observed