Volkswagen Passat Alltrack REVIEW | 2016 Price, Features and Specifications – The Passat Wagon With More
IT’S THE PASSAT WAGON WITH MORE, THE NEW 2016 PASSAT ALLTRACK. More ground clearance, more underbody protection, 4Motion AWD, five selectable driving modes, and, shared with the regular Passat Wagon, an immense 639 litre cargo area.
Priced from $49,290 and in only two model configurations (a Luxury Pack model for $3500 more), there is a lot here to interest Australian families with a love of the outdoors.
It also offers something a little out of the ordinary as well as a distinct leather-trimmed premium feel. This is a smart comfortable interior.
It’s not for clambering up a firetrail, but it will get you in and out to your favourite beach, and all around the farm. We drove it on a looping run out of Bathurst, taking in some long sections of rutted gravel, coarse backroads and a freeway run back through the city.
Vehicle style: Medium AWD Crossover Wagon
Price: $49,290 (plus on roads). Luxury Pack, add $3500.
Engine: 2.0 litre TDI turbo-diesel/140kW, 400Nm
Transmission/drivetrain: 6-spd DSG sports automatic; 4Motion AWD (with Haldex clutch coupling)
Fuel consumption claimed: 5.4 l/100km; tested: 8.7 l/100km
OVERVIEW
Where does the Passat Alltrack fit in? It’s not a conventional 4X4, nor is it quite an SUV, though that’s where it will compete.
It fits most neatly into that individual niche that Subaru has defined (and dominates) with its tough and capable Outback wagon.
The difference with the Passat Alltrack is that it adds a layer of dynamism – 400Nm is not to be sneezed at – as well as taut handling and responsiveness at the wheel.