Turning a Volkswagen Passat into a svelte and elegant coupé seems an odd thing to do. Almost from the moment it was born, the Passat has embraced its role as an all-purpose workhorse without apology. There’s nothing flash about a Passat, nothing glamorous: Passats don’t stir the soul or weaken the knees – they just get on with doing everyday tasks to the best of their usually considerable abilities. What on earth, then, possessed Volkswagen to slip it into a slinky evening gown and send it down the automotive catwalk?

The Mercedes CLS, that’s what. The inspired saloon repackaged as a coupé brought a swathe of new image-conscious buyers to the sober executive car market in 2004. Volkswagen, forever trying to break free of its homespun image, saw a great idea and, er, nicked it.

The new Passat CC is a realistic and certainly more affordable brand-builder than the company’s other attempt to go upmar-ket, the Phaeton. It’s here to show there’s more to the Passat than a big boot, strong residuals and the promise of going 10 times around the world without ever going wrong.

It looks fantastic, and I can’t remember when I last said that about a car with a VW badge on its grille. Its lines and proportions are not just well judged and fluently executed; there’s real eye-catching beauty here. Better still, Volkswagen has followed the lead of the Mercedes CLS and created an elegant car that retains its rear doors – and therefore a large chunk of the practicality of the saloon on which it is based. There’s even a vast boot.

Indeed you could argue that Volkswagen has done a better job than Mercedes: to my eyes not only is the Passat CC even better-looking than the CLS, but if you open up those rear doors and have a peek inside, you’ll discover it’s more spacious too. Be advised, however, that just as in the Merc, there are two, not three, seats back here.

The rest of the interior is perhaps too predictable, too old Passat. There are chrome bits here, brushed steel there, and if you spend the extra on the leather interior it can look quite classy, but there’s been no attempt by VW to transform the inside as it has the outside, which, after the promise of the exterior, is something of a letdown.

There’s much better news under the bonnet. Like the vast majority of buyers, I drove the 2 litre turbo diesel version and feared it might ruin the entire car. As anyone who has run a VW, Audi, Skoda or Seat that uses Volkswagen’s long-serving four-cylinder diesel motor will tell you, the economy is great, the power’s not bad, but the noise is a constant companion. In a car courting an image as sophisticated as this, that’s not good.

Just as well, then, that the Passat CC heralds the arrival of an all new TDI engine, as quiet and urbane as its predecessor was raucous and uncouth. Predictably it uses less fuel and emits lower levels of CO2 than its forerunner, but the real advantage is its conspicuously quiet operation.

Just don’t expect either it or the rest of the car’s driving experience to impress you as much as the handsome bodywork. With just 138bhp (although a 168bhp alternative is available), acceleration to 62mph is a tad tardy, and while it will maintain a cruise at any speed likely to leave you in possession of your driving licence, it’s less at home trying to pass traffic on country roads. It doesn’t take long to learn that the best way forward is simply to surrender all ideas of making quick progress, sit back and relax.

So if you’ve always lamented how far outside your budget a CLS falls, the Passat CC is available for almost exactly half the price. It won’t have the speed, the badge or the ride comfort, but it will have the looks and the space. Many people have needed Passats in their lives; but here, at last, is one they may want.

ALSO CONSIDER...

Alfa Romeo 159 1.9 JTDm

For Great looks inside and out; decent performance
Against Not enough room in the back; average ride quality

BMW 320d SE Coupé

For Unrivalled performance, emissions and economy
Against Not good-looking enough in this company

VW Passat CC GT

ENGINE 1968cc, four cylinders
POWER 138bhp @ 4200rpm
TORQUE 236lb ft @ 1750rpm
TRANSMISSION Six-speed manual
FUEL/CO2 48.7mpg / 153g/km
ACCELERATION 0-62mph: 9.8sec
TOP SPEED 132mph
PRICE £22,795
TAX BAND D (£125 a year)
VERDICT The workhorse has scrubbed up well
RELEASE DATE Available now