German Car Zone

The CC may well be a 'CLS rip-off', but to me, I can't really see its CLS-ishness. The first thing I thought when I saw this car was 'what? that doesn't look like a CLS at all...'





It has a similar roofline, but I dont think it is that easy to notice. I don't like this whole 4-door coupe idea, and I dont think either of the cars manage to look like coupes, especially the CC. But they do look streamlinesd, and to me the CC is a streamlined Passat, not a CLS rip off.

I personally think the CC is a great looking car, and I don't think there is anything wrong with other companies adopting this '4-door coupe' approach. A new body style has been created by Mercedes to sit alongside saloons, coupes, convertibles, roadsters etc. So I think VW have done a good job

The roofline, the angle of the rear window and boot, are very similar in both cars.
The raising characterline is completely un-VWish, is executed in a 100% Mercedes way.
At the front, you notice the lines on the bumper are mimicking those on the recent MBs (not the CLS though).

The whole car is full of MBish design cues, does not even remotely look like a VW. That is what bothers so much me in this car: it is soo completely inspired by the CLS...

Any "four-door coupe" doesn't need to look like this.

For someone who isn't fond of German cars, Clarkson sure has owned a lot of them

Blasphemy!!

That's what I thought at first. But having seen it a few times, I can with pride declare my affection for it. VW have done a great job and the car does look sparkly. First four door coupe has has managed to successfully replicate the optical illusion created by the CLS.

But at the same time Clarkson is right in one way. The most sad aspect of the car is that it looks too much like a poor man's CLS. It's a shame because the car is highly attractive, it's just that physiological barrier preventing some from acknowledging it's existence. It's like walking to a supermarket and settling for their own brand of ketchup when the one you really want is Heinz but don't want to fork over an extra coin or two.

The only way the CC and CLS are similar is in the fact that they both try to be 4-door coupes. They are as similar as any two normal sedans would be to each other. MB should be congratulated for successfully reintroducing the idea of a sedan with a coupe like silhouette in modern times and CLS is still a great car. However, despite the VW badge, CC is better resolved visually (except for the taillights, where CLS wins). True, the CC doesn't look like a VW, but neither does it look like a MB. In fact, the CLS didn't look like a MB when it was introduced.