WHAT’S in a name? Quite a lot it would seem - especially for Volkswagen.
For the biggest change to the new, 2012 version of the German company’s premium, four-door convertible is that it is, apparently, no longer a Passat, but merely the Volkswagen CC.
Volkswagen is up-front about the fact that, apart from the name, little has changed for this latest model, which is revealed for the first time this week ahead of its unveiling at the Los Angeles Auto Show on November 16.
“If it looks familiar, don’t be surprised,” says the company, citing over 270,000 worldwide sales as evidence that little needed to be done to improve on the original.
So changes are limited to a redesigned radiator grille flanked by new bi-xenon headlights and topped with a re-profiled bonnet. The front bumper gets an extra air intake and silver-coloured ‘winglets’ framing the fog lights.
The frameless doors are carried over from the previous model, but the sills are more sculpted while, at the back, the rear bumper has been completely redesigned and the new tail and numberplate lights use LEDs.
The UK engine range will comprise 1.8-litre TSI 160 PS or two-litre TSI 210 PS petrol units and a 2.0 TDI common rail diesel with either 140 or 170 PS. All models with 170 PS or more also now get a standard XDS differential, an electronic cross-axle traction control system for improved traction and handling.
American buyers will be able to get their hands on the new CC from early next year but potential punters in the UK will have to wait a little longer, with first deliveries due in March.