KEY POINTS:
It's not a CC as Peugeot bills it - a coupe-cabriolet with a folding hard-top roof. Indeed, with four doors it's not a coupe as most companies define the term.
Try to slot it into VW's line-up or find a place for it in the market as a
whole, and your brain will seize up.
So let's just drive the thing. Certainly it's a handsome beast, and about as sexy as a famously sensible brand can be.
That swooping roofline, the low, wide lines, the purposeful stance and those bladed wheels draw plentiful admiration and many comparisons to the much pricier Mercedes CLS.
This car is based on the Passat's platform and uses a similar wheelbase but a wider track. It looks sporty and the engine New Zealand gets confirms that impression.
The 220kW/350Nm 3.6-litre V6 is mated to a DSG double-clutch auto transmission and puts power down to all four wheels for a claimed zero to 100km/h time of 5.6 seconds. That's quite quick.
There's dynamic chassis control too; supplying granny-pleasing waftability in comfort mode and full auto.
Which will only please grannies, as the dynamic chassis control that alters damping delivers an overly floaty ride, and the associated reduction in steering assistance imparts a disconcerting deadness to the steering feel.
Opt for normal for a reasonable compromise or drop granny home and select sport. Actually, keep her aboard, she might enjoy the ride.
Sport feels good - tight, competent, delivering an easy predictability to both handling and steering without getting over harsh, or over sharp.
The understeer still surfaces earlier than I would like; this is an executive express after all, not a thinly disguised track weapon.
That means an aural note that aims to please, plenty of grip, and enough speed to get into trouble, packaged in a handsome car that's as enjoyable at the relatively sedate pace most owners will prefer.
Most owners will also approve of the smart cabin, with its brushed alloy accents, its air of typical VW restraint and the quality build that we expect from the carmaker.
There are enough toys to please the most boastful of executives - from cornering headlights, to a touch-screen display, to self-parking - a sure wow with the children.
There's even a useful boot and rear seat space but taller passengers must watch their heads when climbing aboard.
Where Passats are dull but worthy, the VW CC offers a whiff of sexy derring-do, without the compromises a harder-core car demands.
And although at $88,990 the price is fairy steep, it looks more reasonable when you consider the features list, and the fact the neighbours will equate your new coupe with the Mercedes CLS that costs a good 60 grand more.
Of course if you can afford a CLS you won't buy a Volkswagen.
And if you want a sexy car, you probably won't want the sensible aura the brand conveys.
But if you'd like a sensible car that doesn't look it, solid build quality and more tech than you'd expect at the price, then the CC could be right down your alley.
