CALLING A SPADE A SEDAN; We like the Passat CC even more than the other Passat sedan.

Byline: NATALIE NEFF

There are legends in the marketing world, wizards capable of making consumers believe, among other things, that eating nothing but pork fat can make you skinny and that a four-door car can be called a coupe.

We can't speak to the efficacies of an all-lard diet, but we do know this: If it has four doors, if these doors open conventionally and if, once open, those doors reveal at least four full seats, it's a sedan. Period.

That said, the Volkswagen Passat Comfort Coupe, or CC, is one fine sedan, in looks and in action.

The urge to call the Passat CC and cars of its ilk coupes is understandable. In profile, the VW strikes a coupelike silhouette, with a two-inch-lower overall height (at 56.0 inches) compared with its standard Passat stablemate. Its fastbacklike roofline, which gently slopes to the trailing edge of its rear decklid, might pass for any bona fide two-door's, be it an Infiniti G37, an Aston Martin DB9 or even the VW Group's own Audi TT.

It even has a more hunkered-down stance, with a 0.6-inch-lower ride height than the regular Passat. It's slightly longer, too, making it look extra-lithe and lean-even, dare we say it, sporty. It doesn't hurt, either, that it is 1.4 inches wider, with more pronounced wheel flares and go-fast creases highlighting each flank.

Uncoupelike are the accommodations, which, even in the back seats, feel spacious. Only the tallest folks will feel cheated in the headroom department; with the front ...