VW PASSAT ESTATE GTE
Price/as tested £31,215/£34,795 Model Alltrack 2.0-litre TDI SCR 4MOTION Driver Andy Franklin Why it’s here Does a rugged estate make more sense than a default SUV?
Ionce drove an Audi A6 Allroad back from France where the snow was settling hard and thick on the autoroute. On more than one occasion it saved my embarrassment by avoiding crashes (and perhaps my life too). But eagle-eyed TG readers will know that this is not an A6 and it’s not an Allroad. It is in fact VW’s equivalent Passat Alltrack. But after experiencing near death in the Allroad, it was at that point I fell in love with of-road estates, so it’s safe to say that I was a little bit excited about my new lifer. A small patch of wee might have passed when I found out, but it’s nothing. Nothing.
We’ve opted for the Passat Estate Alltrack 2.0litre TDI SCR 4MOTION (that’s four-wheel drive to you and me), 6spd manual that kicks out 148bhp. This has an OTR price of £31,215, but this rose to £34,795 once we added on a rear-view camera, Dynamic Chassis Control (why this isn’t standard, I’m not sure either), winter pack and, most important of all, the towbar! Why? Because the Alltrack is The Caravan Club Towcar of the Year 2017. Not that I’m remotely interested in caravans, but I am interested in towing things, so expect a future report on this soon.
Initial thoughts on the Alltrack are it doesn’t look as mean and rugged as it does in the photos – those blasted photographers are always tricking us. It also feels quite slow and sluggish, but I guess that is the trade-of for economy and torque. If the Ateca drives like a Leon, then similarly you can say that the Passat drives like a Golf.
Most of all, I’m really impressed with the quality, especially on the inside. It has a sense of simplicity and style about it which feels a lot closer to how Audis are. So we’ll be making sure we test it against the real thing down the line.
At the time, we thought the red would suit this car, but already we are regretting not speccing the orange, much like how the original Allroad was available in yellow. Either way, I think we are going to enjoy running this car.