Mother Proof's view

Try as I might to eke out a moment of peace in my busy, chaotic life, there always seems to be something getting in my way. That’s why I was dazzled by the serenity I felt when I sank into the comfy seats of the 2009 Volkswagen CC Luxury. The CC stands for comfort coupe, which is a great way to describe its simple, clutter-free style that helped quiet my mind. You could say the CC gave me a Zen moment, and for that I’ll be forever grateful.

From the outside, the CC is incredibly smooth-looking – think stilettos and a black mini dress. This car turns heads and even gets people to point; that’s something I usually discourage my kids from doing, but in this case I told them it was a compliment. I started feeling guilty for being in sweats with no makeup when I was driving the CC.

While the CC is sporty, it isn’t intimidating to drive. Its V-6 engine didn’t feel as though it was chomping at the bit – so to speak – but the CC is able to put out some serious power when required. The CC gets an EPA-estimated 17/25 mpg city/highway. Its steering felt heavy at first – kind of like driving a car without power steering – but I warmed to it. The gas and brake pedals were also solid and a little stiff, perhaps a result of the CC’s sporty nature.

Combine that punchy power with VW’s 4Motion all-wheel drive, and the CC proves you can look sporty and sexy and still plow through the snow like it’s nobody’s business. Too cool!

Exterior

To all who are stuck in the ego-enhanced rut that says a family sedan can’t be sporty, you need to look at the Volkswagen CC. It’s noticeably less boxy than other VW models, and it has four doors and a super-sized trunk with enough space to carry the cage for the new bunny we bought while testing the CC.

While I was driving the CC, I noticed several people checking out the car. I could even read one driver’s lips as he asked his passenger, “Is that a Volkswagen?” It sure is, my friends. The CC looks impressive with its sharp crease along the car’s body and its 18-inch alloy wheels that feature self-sealing tires.

I have a certain fondness for fog lamps, I don’t know why, but I love them. The VW CC has some snazzy-looking fog lamps that blend well with the car’s face. It also has bi-xenon high-intensity-discharge headlights that swivel as you turn the car, which enhances your view of the road. This is another favorite feature of mine because I hate driving in the dark.

My boys didn’t have any problems getting in and out of the car or opening and closing the car doors.

The CC’s sporty styling did have a downside: The rear window was so small that I had some visibility issues. I was able to manage, but backing up the car was a little exciting (not in a good way).

SENSE AND STYLE

Family Friendly (Not Really, Fair, Great, Excellent): Great

Fun-Factor (None, Some, Good Times, Groove On): Groove On

Interior

Not only is the CC interior’s clean look reminiscent of a work of modern art, this little number is loaded, too. I mean loaded with great features – the kind you’ll actually use.

You might expect a car with a little luxury to have a fully automatic and adjustable driver’s seat; the CC has an eight-way power-adjustable driver’s seat with lumbar support (my test car had an optional 12-way power-adjustable seat). The shocker is that the passenger seat is just as adjustable. This rarely happens. All too often when my hubby and I are driving around, I’m going on about how comfortable my driver’s seat is only to discover he doesn’t have the same level of comfort on his side. So sad, poor hubby – but not in the CC.

The instrument panel has all of the standard gauges, plus a digital screen in the center that displays your choice of information – from your speed to your current satellite radio station – so you don’t have to turn your head to view your vitals. Technology is a wonderful thing!

This ease of use carries over to the CC’s audio and navigation system. Large buttons and fonts make it easy to use the touch-screen to make your selections. Switching from one type of media to another, say radio to navigation, is also a cinch, with clearly marked buttons on either side of the touch-screen. VW gets my Mommy Seal of Approval for making these systems easy to use and read, which allowed me to focus on the road.

The center console is thoughtfully designed, with a cubby that perfectly fits my BlackBerry; it even angled the phone toward me so I could read the caller ID and watch for the flashing red light. I also got a kick out of two other hidden storage areas, one to the left of the steering wheel and one below the zoned climate-control system, which I used to hold my sunglasses.

In the second row, I wasn’t quite as thrilled with the CC. Getting my sons’ booster seats situated took some patience and elbow grease. The rear bucket seats have a deep depression in the center of the seat, which made it difficult for the boosters to sit flat against the seat bottom. The storage area between the two rear seats is elevated, creating an additional lip that cramped the booster seats. It’s a tight fit in the backseat, which means it’d be difficult to fit a rear-facing infant-safety seat back there, too. Once I got my boys’ booster seats situated, they were able to buckle their seat belts by themselves.

While the backseat storage made it difficult to get the booster seats into the car, I did like its cupholders, as well as the cubby with a sliding lid to cover any messes. There’s also a power rear sunshade that can be activated from the front seat, and backseat passengers have their own vents, too.

My family couldn’t resist turning the volume way up and making good use of the Dynaudio 10-speaker sound system. It sounded great. Who could deny the kids a little boogie time to rev them up for a long day at school? Not I.

IT’S THE LITTLE THINGS THAT COUNT

Storage Compartments (Puny, Fair, Ample, Galore): Ample

Cargo/Trunk Space (Puny, Fair, Ample, Galore): Ample

Safety

As a parent, the Volkswagen CC has some safety features that really caught my eye, including power windows with pinch protection to keep little fingers safe. I’m also impressed that the CC has available rear side-impact airbags in addition to its standard front, side-impact and side curtain airbags.

The CC’s headlights are programmable; they automatically turn on or off, but you can set the level of ambient light needed for them to do so. As someone who doesn’t like driving at night, I’d probably like my headlights to pop on sooner than the average driver.

The CC also comes with antilock brakes, stability control, traction control and a four-year/50,000-mile roadside assistance warranty.

FAMILY LIFESTAGE

In Diapers: The deep bucket seats in the second row make it tough to fit just about any child-safety seat in the CC.

In School: The CC is a good fit for school-age kids even though you’ll struggle to get the booster seats installed.

Teens: Teens will adore this car because of its good looks.