Faults:
The only complaint I have so far does not really have to do with the car itself, but the crummy and overpriced tires VW chose to stick on the car at the factory. The Continental ContiProContact with "ContiSeal" tires are a neat idea (self-sealing tires that don't tend to lose pressure due to small punctures, and this feature actually works rather well), but they suddenly become horrendously noisy at around 20,000 miles when there is still plenty of tread left.
Life, however, is too short and too long to live with crappy tires, and life is also too short and too long to waste time trying to blame Volkswagen for something like tires that they did not manufacture themselves, so one simply moves on and buys different tires. I replaced the ContiSeal tires with Michelin Pilot Super Sports, and now the car feels exactly the way it should, with slightly snappier handling and the silent and composed ride this car was designed to provide.
Otherwise, with the car itself, I have had zero issues so far.
I have NOT experienced any oil consumption, even with some hard driving. It must be noted for anyone driving any Volkswagen or Audi product (or really, ANY car), that proper synthetic oil services with quality original equipment oil filters need to be performed on time, and that alone will prolong the life of just about everything under the hood with which engine oil is involved.
If you go to a cheapie quick lube place with one of these cars, they will use oil filters that fit the car, but do not have the correct check valves or pressure regulators in them, then the timing chain tensioner will not pressurize correctly and will suddenly fail one day, making the timing chain jump. This is a design weakness of these engines, however it is a preventable problem if you simply do proper maintenance with either a Volkswagen/Audi dealer or an independent shop that keeps OE oil filters (brands should be Genuine VW/Audi, or Mann, or Hengst, or Mahle) and 5W-40 synthetic oil around. I use the Mann oil filter on mine (they are the supplier for VW), and Liqui-Moly full synthetic 5W-40 oil. I change my oil every 5,000 miles, but 7,500 would be acceptable. Going the full 10,000 the computer resets to is crazy, in my opinion.
General Comments:
All of that being said about the mechanical needs of this car, I will say that I adore this thing. It is wonderful and beautiful and sexy in every way. People turn and look at it as I drive by. People ask about it everywhere I go. Mine is black with a two-tone beige and black interior, and everyone marvels at the interior once they're done admiring the slick exterior. It was sitting in front of my office next to a white Maserati Quattroporte one day, and I had at least ten people ask about my CC, and they only noticed the Maserati when I pointed it out. Of course, these cars are in entirely different leagues, but it's interesting that so many people found my car more eye-catching.
I have the R-Line trim level with the 18-inch "Mallory" wheels. Almost all of the toys I could want are present, although I do miss the auto-dimming and power-folding exterior mirrors I had on my 2008 Audi A4. The newer CC makes up for this with things like Bluetooth, built-in navigation, rearview camera (I don't know how I would live without this in an earlier CC with the admittedly present blind spots), and not carrying the sticker and maintenance price of the Audi.
The tasteful LED exterior lighting is one of this car's party pieces. My friends all call this my "space car" when they see it at night.
The comfort of this car is fantastic. It is the most comfortable car I have ever owned, with large, perfectly shaped seats for any length of driving, a surprising amount of headroom, and loads more leg and shoulder space than other cars I have owned. Four passengers travel beautifully in this car, and five is not a problem.
Performance is ample from the 2.0T engine, and the DSG works well. There is a momentary hesitation off the line with the DSG while the clutches knacker about, but I am told the APR tune takes care of this while increasing engine output greatly with just a software tune.
The CC is not a GTI in terms of outright sportiness, but it strikes a wonderful balance if you want something a little more grown-up, but still sporty and fun. One word of warning though: this car is quite sizable. Parking the CC can be a chore because it is wide and sits somewhat low. The rearview camera makes backing into spots very easy, but otherwise it can be a bit of a handful. The door sills are also quite wide, so even though the door openings are generous, you do have to be somewhat limber to get in and out of this car easily.
On the highway the CC feels like a cocoon. The driving position is perfect, the controls are excellent, and the handling is spot-on and actually feels very well balanced for a front-wheel-drive car. I dare say the CC feels less front-wheel-drivey than the A4 did, and it was a Quattro!
I highly recommend this car, but know that you will have to spend the money on synthetic oil changes, premium fuel, and the DSG transmission service every 40,000 miles (that should not be more than about $400, no matter where you have it done). Compared to a lot of other cars though, I will happily live with these items, since this is such a high-quality vehicle that is actually quite easy to service.
30th May 2021, 00:34
I’m not sure how the CC is less boring than other mainstream sedans, with a four-cylinder engine and automatic slush box. Yourself said that it was neither very sporty, nor comfortable.
I suppose if one wanted to pay more for a Passat in order to buy an unpopular car, just to avoid seeing someone else driving what they are, this would fit the bill.
If one could set aside the iconoclasm, a 2015 Accord or Mazda 6 would each offer a better drive, for a similar price.