2014 Fiat 500L: Stylish, Room For Five, Starts Below $20,000
Considering the Kia Soul, MINI Countryman, or Nissan Juke? You might want to hold out another few... Read More
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QUALITY | 7 out of 10
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tires hummed noisily over a highway in need of resurfacing and the suspension gave an occasional bass-note boom over larger road flaws
Autoblog
the car’s sloping rear roofline makes back seat headroom marginal for anyone over six feet tall
Winding Road
The low roofline makes ingress and egress tricky, too.
Car and Driver
The CC's beautifully sculpted bucket seats are some of the finest in this price range, nicely enveloping their occupants without getting pinchy.
Edmunds
headroom is tighter than Passat's, there are seats for just four instead of five and the trunk is smaller
USA Today
Front seats in the CC are in themselves very comfortable, but there's an odd low position to them; you might raise the seat height, but when you do, there's not a lot of headroom to work with. There's only space for two in back, with the middle rear seat eschewed for a comfy armrest and built-in cup holders. Headroom in back is tight for taller occupants. On the other hand, the trunk is huge, and the split-folding back seat folds forward flat, and easily.
Seating misgivings aside, the CC feels far more lavish and expensive than the base versions' price of well under $30,000 would indicate. Materials and trims feel luxury-car-caliber, there's evidence of a lot of thought put into cubbies and bins, and the interior is serene. The leather upholstery of upper trims is nice, but we also like the somewhat grippy cloth of the base models. The ride in the Passat CC is generally smooth, but it's better on the lower trims; the upgraded wheels and tires tax the chassis and result in road noise and sharp kicks transmitted to the cabin on less than ideal roads.
Conclusion
Seating is a bit odd, but in most respects the CC offers a luxury-car experience.
