Volkswagen to build a budget CLS? Whatever next!
We first heard of Wolfsburg’s plans to do a four-door ‘coupoon’ two years ago, and now these spy shots from California suggest the project is further advanced than we thought. This is the car that VW will position as a cheaper alternative to the Mercedes CLS and forthcoming Jaguar XF. Don’t confuse this car with the previous plan for a model to slot between Phaeton and Passat. Back in 2003, chairman Bernd Pischetsrieder ordered his r&d squad to develop the C1, a luxurious and sporty coupe/wagon crossbreed borrowing its rear-drive transaxle from the Maserati Quattroporte. That kite did not fly, however, and the C1 bit the bullet. The Passat Coupé is of a similar bent, but carries a smaller price tag. To read the full story, click ‘Next’.
It doesn’t look much like a coupe to me… isn’t this just a slightly bigger Passat four-door?
Sort of. The car which triggered the Passat Coupé in the first place was the Mercedes CLS. Half saloon, half coupe, the sexy E-class sibling had production planners from almost all manufacturers working overtime to catch up. After all, this was a new type of crossover vehicle which combines premium looks with premium technology and – hopefully – premium pricing. Problem is, VW’s version looks more like a saloon than a coupe. It’s claimed to be the world’s first five-door coupe, allowing more space for a highly practical interior. Take for instance the neatly integrated tailgate, a clever double-hinged device which opens in two steps. Push the concealed button once, and only the lower lid will lift. Push it twice, and the entire assembly complete with the rear window will swing skyward. As a result, this special Passat works equally well as a three-box notchback and as a part-time station wagon. Since it looks like an elegant low-roof sedan, it shouldn’t face an acceptance problem in the States where up-market hatchbacks are dead in the water. Under that disguise lies VW’s new front end, with double semi-circular headlights and so-called eyelash indicators. And the inside won’t feel like your cooking Passat, either; bespoke seats, additional equipment and top-grade materials mark the coupe out from the rep’s special, and owners can spec it up Phaeton standards if they wish.
So what’s in the engine house?
After early talk of basing the Passat Coupe car on Audi-spec longitudinal platform, with all the bigger engines and more premium feature this would allow, the car will in fact be based on VW’s inhouse PQ46 architecture. That means regular Passat hardware, in front- and all-wheel-drive form. Engines top out with the 280bhp VR6, although VW is talking of developing a turbocharged verison that could muster up to 400bhp. Of course, most Coupes will have smaller petrol and diesel engines. VW is still mum about the sales target for its new five-door coupoon, but if it doesn’t get too greedy on pricing, Wolfsburg’s new toy could hit the stillborn C1’s original 60,000-a-year target. What will it be called? The working name within VW is Passat Coupe, but our money would go on a new moniker, to distance it from the workaday saloon and estate.