Riders on bike brands such as Trek, Specialized, Giant, Felt and others rolled into Wiggins Sunday morning, concluding the three-day Pedal the Plains in northeastern Colorado.
My ride was the 2014 Volkswagen CC R-Line, a sleek, low-slung midsize sport sedan. It carried Jan and me to downtown Wiggins in time to see some of the early finishers in the bike festivities.
Fred Citta of Gering, Neb., on his Specialized Roubaix, covered the 66-mile route from Sterling to Wiggins in just over 4 hours. The weather was breezy and cooler on Sunday; he said he preferred to ride in the hotter 85 to 90-degree weather which the bicyclists experienced on Friday and Saturday.
Citta was among 1,000 riders from 26 states who participated in the three-day, 175-mile course. It began in Wiggins on Friday with stopover that night in Fort Morgan, then to Brush Saturday morning and on to Sterling, where the annual Sugar Beet Days drew large crowds to Logan County Courthouse Square.
The Volkswagen we were driving carries a price tag of $33,890, not bad for a well-equipped midsize model. Under its hood is a 200-horsepower, 2.0-liter 4-cylinder turbocharged engine and a 6-speed manual transmission. It is a smooth handler, of front-wheel-drive configuration. Engine refinement has overcome most turbo lag of the 4-cylinder.
The stylish CC originated six years ago as part of the VW Passat line. It is so coupelike that VW calls it a Comfort Coupe, from which the CC designation comes. It’s not a coupe, though, for it has four doors. Its overall height of only 55.8 inches is almost 3 inches lower than that of the Passat.
The CC is considered a separate model from the Passat. Though it retains the same platform, the Passat two years ago moved to a large architecture and is 3 inches longer in overall length than the CC.
A CC delight is its two-tone interior, highlighted by a desert beige finish, much brighter than the more-often-used dark interiors of German products. The contoured seats are cushioned very comfortably in leatherette.
The car’s center stack screen for navigation, audio and backup camera is far too small for comprehension-at-a-glance.
A sport bumper is part of the R-Line trim package, along with large lower air intake, projector-style foglights, side skirts, door sill logos and 18-inch alloy wheels.
The CC’s little turbocharged engine and manual transmission earned an EPA estimate of 32 miles per gallon in highway driving; premium fuel is recommended. I posted an overall average of 28.7 with it, benefited by a Friday night drive to the impressive, old Grant-Humphreys Mansion in Denver for a wedding ceremony for Kyle Lock and David Ruygrok, and the trip out northeast to view the Pedal the Plains finish.
Included in addition to the aforementioned amenities for the $33,000 CC are Bluetooth connectivity, bi-xenon headlights and LED daytime running lights, dual-zone climate control, heated front seats, cruise control, trip computer, automatic headlights and intermittent wipers with rain sense.
Few changes or upgrades will be made to the 2015 version of the VW CC.
Here are the ’14 Volkswagen CC R-Line specifications:
- Wheelbase 106.7 inches
- Length 188.9 inches
- Width 73 inches
- Height 55.8 inches
- Curb Weight 3,358 pounds
- Track 61.1 inches front, 61.4 rear
- Ground Clearance 5 inches
- Turn Circle 37.4 feet
- Drivetrain Front-wheel-drive
- Engine 2.0-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder
- Horsepower/Torque 200/207
- Transmission 6-speed manual
- Steering electromechanical power
- Fuel mileage estimate 21/32
- Fuel mileage average 28.7
- Fuel Tank 18.5 gallons
- Wheels 18-inch
- Cargo Volume 13.2 cubic feet
- Warranty 3 years/36,000 miles basic, 5/60,000 powertrain
Competitors Nissan Maxima, Toyota Avalon, Volvo S60, Ford Fusion, Chrysler 200
Assembly Plant Emden, Germany
Parts Content Germany 62%, U.S./Canadian 1%
Base Price of Lowest Model $31,795; Base Pice of Review Model $33,025; Destination Charge $865; Sticker Price $33,890.
