Volkswagen brings back the stylish CC (for Comfort Coupe), offering so many trim varieties in 2012 that you’ll need more than the fingers on one hand to count them all. In addition to the variety of trims on the menu, VW claims that the 2012 CC is the most beautiful car that it makes. In fact, VW thinks you’ll be so compelled by the stylish good looks of this 4-door, 4-seater sedan that you might forget to admire the guts and glory found under its hood. The Sport, R-Line, Luxury (Lux), Luxury Plus and Luxury Limited trims offer a standard turbocharged 2.0-liter TSI DOHC inline 4-cylinder engine with FSI direct injection designed to improve fuel economy. The I4 engine delivers 200 hp and 207 lb-ft of torque. Front-wheel-drive trims come with a standard manual 6-speed in the Sport and R-Line, while the three Lux trims provide a 6-speed DSC automatic with Tiptronic and Sport modes. The Sport and R-Line also share fuel economy estimates of 21 mpg city/31 highway and a 0-60 time, according to VW, of 6.9 seconds. The Lux trims, however, get slightly worse performance with a 7.4-second 0-60 time and fuel economy of 19/29.

While all CC trims ride on a sport suspension with independent MacPherson struts in the front and an independent 4-link suspension in the rear, the high-end 4Motion Executive trim increases power, with a larger engine and standard all-wheel drive. The 3.6-liter V6 in the 4Motion delivers 280 hp and 265 lb-ft of torque, combined with a standard 6-speed automatic. Unfortunately, the 4Motion has no available manual transmission, and the automatic has been criticized for a slight delay in power delivery. And while the 4Motion’s 0-60 time improves (6.2 seconds, according to VW), its fuel economy does not (17/25). Drivers should also bear in mind that all of the CC trims prefer to sip Premium fuel.

The Sport trim starts the CC lineup. Riding on standard 17-inch wheels (larger sizes are an available option), it includes power side mirrors with integrated turn signals, automatic rain-sensing windshield wipers and automatic headlights with the “Coming Home” feature, allowing drivers to choose to leave the headlights on longer for better visibility when leaving the car. Inside features include a manual Climatic single-zone climate control and Bluetooth for hands-free phone use. 12-way power-adjustable front seats supply 4-way power lumbar adjustment, and all seating is covered in soft V-Tex leatherette. A touchscreen Premium VIII sound system includes HD radio, 8 speakers, an MP3 and WMA-compatible 6-CD changer, SD memory card reader, an auxiliary audio jack for portable music players (as well as an MDI with an iPod cable) and Sirius Satellite radio with a 3-month trial subscription.

The R-Line trim changes the exterior appearance slightly. Larger, 18-inch Mallory wheels, darkened taillights, door-sill plates and unique badging distinguish the trim. The R-Line also features lowered, extended sport bumpers (with integrated front foglights) and side skirts.

Although the Lux trim includes foglights introduced with the R-Line trim, a step up to the Lux primarily adds to the features found in the Sport trim. In addition to heated windshield washer nozzles on the exterior, inside the Lux upgrades the climate control to a dual-zone automatic Climatronic system. The interior trim is no longer the metallic-look matte chrome of the Sport trim, but rather full-brushed aluminum. The Lux also introduces a standard RNS 315 navigation system with a 5-inch color touchscreen and SD memory card reader.

In addition, the Lux can be tweaked with even more technology and additional features, resulting in the Lux Plus. Ambient interior lights, sun visors with the HomeLink garage door opener, a power tilt sunroof and real-wood interior trim come standard in the Lux Plus. The navigation system is upgraded to the RNS 510 with a larger (6.5-inch) screen, 30GB hard drive and 3-month trial subscription to Sirius Traffic. A rear-view camera also hides beneath the VW badge in the rear.

The Lux Limited adds two features to the Lux Plus. The wheels get an upgrade to 18-inch Interlagos alloy, and the halogen headlights are replaced by bi-Xenon high-intensity headlights with a directionally adjustable, adaptive front lighting system, rotating the headlight beams in the direction of a turn for improved visibility.

Finally, the 4Motion Executive trim adds not only the V6 engine, but also standard all-wheel drive, a standard 6-speed automatic transmission and Tiptronic paddle shifters on the leather-wrapped steering wheel. The leather seats add a 3-position memory function for the side-view mirrors and driver’s seat, while comfort is enhanced with a power rear sunshade. Technology upgrades include a premium color multi-function trip computer and the Park Distance Control (PDC), activated by shifting into reverse. The PDC emits a series of beeping sounds as the driver backs closer to an object behind the CC. Finally, the 4Motion receives an audio package all its own: a Dynaudio premium system with 10 speakers and a 600-watt amplifier.

Comfort and style are preeminent in the CC’s interior, with well-padded surfaces, high-quality materials and supportive seats with plenty of legroom in the front and rear, and good headroom in the front. However, the CC has received some criticism for what makes it a coupe—the steeply sloping rear roofline—which limits headroom in the back for taller passengers, and can partially obstruct rear visibility for drivers. Additionally, while the traditionally squished center rear seat has been eliminated in favor of a covered center storage bin and fold-down armrest, the lack of that center seat may also eliminate some family-oriented buyers, who sometimes do need to cram that extra person in the back.

While the CC is more about style and comfort than hauling people, it is also more about style and comfort than hauling cargo. The trunk offers 13 cubic feet of storage, considered to be on the small side for the class. While the CC does provide a 60/40 split in the rear seats, as well as a rear-seat pass-through for longer items, some consider the trunk opening small and note that the hinge shape encroaches on the actual available space.

All of the 2012 Volkswagen CC trims offer the same standard safety features, including self-sealing tires and tire pressure monitoring, as well as 6 airbags. The antilock brakes not only come with electronic brakeforce distribution and hydraulic brake assist, but also a brake disc wipe feature to help keep the brakes dry in bad weather. Electronic stability control, anti-slip regulation, electronic differential lock and engine braking assist all help the driver to maintain control of the CC. And if a crash does occur, the standard Intelligent Crash Response system will automatically unlock the doors, turn on the hazard lights and cut off the power to the fuel pump. Neither the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) nor the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has yet tested the 2012 CC. In fact, the NHTSA rated the 2011 CC only in the rollover category, with 4 out of 5 stars for both the FWD and AWD versions. The IIHS rated the CC (for 2009-2011) for front and side impact crashes, assigning the highest rating of “Good” for those tests.