Facelifted Volkswagen Passat CC

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This is the new Volkswagen Passat CC. The four-door coupe version of VW’s regular Mondeo-sized family car, has been updated with a new look and even more safety equipment, making it more of a cut-price Mercedes CLS rival than ever.

Making its debut at the Los Angeles Motor Show later this month, sales will start in the UK in January 2012 and although prices haven’t been confirmed, expect the range to start at around £24,000.

At the front, the updated Passat CC gets bi-xenon headlights complete with LED daytime running lights, while there’s also a more upmarket chrome grille and a smarter lower bumper.

More heavily scalloped sides are another change, while at the rear the Passat CC’s lights have been swapped to new LEDs. There’s also a larger bumper too. Inside, there’s a new Phaeton-style analogue clock on the dashboard and optional brown trim.

New features aimed at improving safety include fatigue detection – which warns the driver if he or she is nodding off at the wheel – active head restraints, a blind spot warning system and a system that keeps the Passat CC in its lane on the motorway.

Other gadgets include automatic adjustment for the headlight beams and a system that recognises road signs and displays them on the dashboard. Special seats are available with a massage function too.  Buyers can also specify ‘easy open’ which pops the boot if the owner waves his leg under the rear bumper.

The engine line-up is unchanged, and consists of a 158bhp 1.8-litre TSI turbocharged petrol, a 138bhp and 168bhp 2.0-litre turbodiesel, a 207bhp 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol and a flagship 296bhp 3.6-litre V6 with four-wheel drive.