Volkswagen Passat Alltrack

...so they are coming out with a lifted Passat wagon, Outback style.

2.0 TDI 140hp, FWD or 4motion, manual or DSG
2.0 TDI 170hp, 4motion DSG only

1.8 TSI 160hp, FWD or 4motion, manual or DSG
2.0 TSI 210hp, 4motion DSG only

Too useful of a car to be sold in NA. Besides, we already have the Routan and Touareg here.

Fix the HPFP, intercooler icing, sunroof breaking, and any other lingering issues and I'd consider one.

I'd love to have a 4 Motion TDI, but would prefer an older one that anyone without a PhD can work on.

I voted for it but don't agree with the option, there is no more plastic on this car than there is on my wifes current Passat.

Is that full leather seating I see there? Without Dynamica "aka recycled plastic bottles" inserts?

scrappytdi said:

I voted for it but don't agree with the option, there is no more plastic on this car than there is on my wifes current Passat.

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That's what I was going to post. I agree, there is no plastic cladding.

Like it, but as above needs more plastic, unpainted bumpers etc like the original Allroad

Awfully close to 'Alltrac', Toyota's AWD trade name for a number of years.

Looks cool, though. Like the Outback, but without the butchy lesbian taste.

I can get one in 15 years...

It looks great! If they sold it here, I probably would have chosen it over the JSW.

Abacus said:

Fix the HPFP, intercooler icing, sunroof breaking, and any other lingering issues and I'd consider one.

I'd love to have a 4 Motion TDI, but would prefer an older one that anyone without a PhD can work on.

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Probably uses urea like the 2012 passat...

But wow... I want on, reminds me of the AWD Vovlo wagons, I like the dark(plastic) treatment on the bottom edge of the car.. same area that gets beat up on all cars, might as well forgo painting for a sharper longer lasting finish.

Abacus said:

Fix the HPFP, intercooler icing, sunroof breaking, and any other lingering issues and I'd consider one.

I'd love to have a 4 Motion TDI, but would prefer an older one that anyone without a PhD can work on.

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and another brilliant comment from the peanut brigade...where on this site does it indicate these problems on a PASSAT.....duh.....

After admiring the increased clearance and the awd, I'd kick it out of bed because it's an automatic.

apaustin said:

After admiring the increased clearance and the awd, I'd kick it out of bed because it's an automatic.

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The automatic is standard on the 170hp TDI, optional on the 140hp TDI.

As was mentioned above, it wont come here. That B7 wagon is mighty sexy looking though. Id rock a new all road like that though, especially a 4mo with a manual.

I wonder how good it sell over here. I mean, the Cross Polo/Golf+/Touran are niche models and not really made for offroad use but you still see them.

Schumey said:

I wonder how good it sell over here. I mean, the Cross Polo/Golf+/Touran are niche models and not really made for offroad use but you still see them.

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Neither are CRV/RAV4/Escape/Mariner/Tribute/Pilot/MDX/Equinox/Highlander/RX350/Outlander or any one of the other 11ty psuedo-SUVs we have all over the road here.

But the cross models are just a bit lifted and with more plastic trim

Schumey said:

I wonder how good it sell over here. I mean, the Cross Polo/Golf+/Touran are niche models and not really made for offroad use but you still see them.

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I think people also have an obsession with buying a car that can drive off road. I would say 95% of vehicles on the road will never see even a gravel road. And on a gravel road a 2wd vehicle does just fine (Mine does...that's why I need that skid plate!!). My point is that even most of the cars that are made for off road, or claim to be made for off road, will never see anything than pavement. I don't think there is an off road niche, at least in the USA, because so many cars now have the capability.

Nonetheless, I like how it looks for sure. It is volkswagen identifying what works for other manufacturers. If only they could sell the polo here!

SUVs are a frigging joke. It's like a have a Swiss Army knife that's only used to peel potatoes.

VW Passat Alltrack wagon for 2012

http://www.carsguide.com.au/news-and-reviews/car-news/vw_passat_alltrack_wagon_for_2012/



Will Subaru have an answer for this in NA.

(From VW of UK) http://www.volkswagen.co.uk/#/new/passat-alltrack-gp/

In a nutshell, it is a VW Passat Wagon with a raised ground clearance and 4motion to give better off-road ability. Yes, they will offer TDI engines: a 2.0-liter 140PS six-speed manual and a 2.0-liter 170PS six-speed DSG. (I would assume that the engines are exactly the same, and it'd be just chip-tuned higher when mated to DSG.) And yes, these diesel engines/transmissions will be mated with the 4motion final drive. If I'm not mistaken, this means that it will be VW's first manual 4motion TDI. (Correct me if I am wrong on this. I would definitely like to know.)

It just sucks that the likelihood of this car being retailed in the United States is slim. For that matter, the Passat Wagon is no longer offered in the US at all, because the sales of all wagons (not just VW wagons) has declined; people seem to prefer small SUVs nowadays due to declining fuel prices. Let's just hope fuel prices rise again so that VW brings back some excellent cars to its US lineup. (Okay, maybe not, most people don't like high fuel prices.) If this Alltrack were to be imported, though, it could compete with the Subaru Outback and the Volvo XC70. Notice that the model shown in the article has a left-hand-drive, despite the fact that it was revealed in Tokyo and published on UK domain (both UK and Japan use right-hand-drive), which convinces me it will at least be available on a pretty wide left-hand-drive market. It also has a Wolfsburg, Germany license plate, which is a pretty good indication where it will be manufactured.

FlyGuy2480 said:

If I'm not mistaken, this means that it will be VW's first manual 4motion TDI.

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Here's a selection of the manual 4motion TDI models currently for sale in Germany:

Golf 4motion 140hp TDI = manual ONLY
Golf wagon 4motion 105hp 1.6 TDI = manual ONLY
(There is no DSG Golf 4motion TDI)

Tiguan 4motion 140hp TDI: manual or DSG
Tiguan 4motion 170hp TDI: manual ONLY

Passat 4motion sedan/wagon 140hp TDI: manual or DSG
Passat 4motion sedan/wagon 170hp TDI: DSG only <- like the Alltrack

Sharan 4motion 140hp TDI: manual or DSG
Sharan 4motion 170hp TDI: manual or DSG

Caddy 4motion 110hp TDI: manual ONLY

Multivan (and the rest of the T5 van family):
4motion 140hp TDI: manual only
4motion 180hp BiTDI: manual or DSG

Amarok 4motion 122hp TDI: manual ONLY
Amarok 4motion 163hp BiTDI: manual ONLY
Amarok 4motion 180hp BiTDI: 8-speed auto ONLY

When I was in high school in the late 90s, one of my friends had an A4 Golf TDI 4motion.

German_1er_diesel said:

Here's a selection of the manual 4motion TDI models currently for sale in Germany:

Golf 4motion 140hp TDI = manual ONLY
Golf wagon 4motion 105hp 1.6 TDI = manual ONLY
(There is no DSG Golf 4motion TDI)

Tiguan 4motion 140hp TDI: manual or DSG
Tiguan 4motion 170hp TDI: manual ONLY

Passat 4motion sedan/wagon 140hp TDI: manual or DSG
Passat 4motion sedan/wagon 170hp TDI: DSG only <- like the Alltrack

Sharan 4motion 140hp TDI: manual or DSG
Sharan 4motion 170hp TDI: manual or DSG

Caddy 4motion 110hp TDI: manual ONLY

Multivan (and the rest of the T5 van family):
4motion 140hp TDI: manual only
4motion 180hp BiTDI: manual or DSG

Amarok 4motion 122hp TDI: manual ONLY
Amarok 4motion 163hp BiTDI: manual ONLY
Amarok 4motion 180hp BiTDI: 8-speed auto ONLY

When I was in high school in the late 90s, one of my friends had an A4 Golf TDI 4motion.

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Oh okay, I did not know that. Here in the US, all VW TDIs are front-wheel-drive (except for the 4motion Tuareg with its V10 and later V6 engines, but manual transmission is not an option). I was once told that it is not possible to mate the transversely-mounted I4 diesel transmission with the 4motion final drive because of how far the output shaft of the transmission is offset, but I guess that's completely wrong.

Thanks for letting me know.

By the way, just to be clear, do those 4motion vehicles have transversely mounted inline 4-cylinder diesel engines?

Sure, except for the Amarok which is not transverse-engine. All use 2.0L TDI engines, except the Golf Wagon, which gets the lower powered and priced 1.6 TDI.
Also consider: A3 TDI AWD and TT roadster/coupe TDI AWD are manual only, and Škoda has the Yeti, Superb and Octavia as AWD 2.0 TDI manual transmission versions. There are a lot more TDI AWD manual transmission vehicles in the Volkswagen portfolio than TDI AWD DSG ones.

If VWoA ever decided to take a leadership role instead of trying to copy the failures of GM, Chrysler, etc. they would have that market slot all to themselves - and I can imagine it would be a fairly strong niche seller.

If I were running VWoA (thankfully, I am not - I left the VW family when became apparent we would have to sell Westmoreland Rabbits) the lineup would be: Polo, Golf, Jetta, JSW, New whatever they call the US B platform (SCAREY TO THING OF THAT AGAIN!!!) with Euro Passat wagon and TDI cross - as the premium (NOT the bloody Phaeton - anyone wanting that should be in an A8!!!!!).

VW has no problem bringing in premium stuff from Europe - the fools are seriously considering a return of the Phaeton. I would just like them to pull their head out of their rectum and bring in something people (*such as myself) will actually buy.

Its not always about offroading. I would like the alltrack because I live in a rural area and sometimes it can be tricky getting in and out of my yard. I would not be buying it to go "muddin" but for the additional traction and ground clearance. But a Passat waggon would be bigger than a JSW but should still have good "road manners" as opposed to an SUV. I would also like to think that an TDI AWD Passat waggon would still get decent fuel economy.

Pat Dolan said:

If VWoA ever decided to take a leadership role instead of trying to copy the failures of GM, Chrysler, etc. they would have that market slot all to themselves - and I can imagine it would be a fairly strong niche seller.

If I were running VWoA (thankfully, I am not - I left the VW family when became apparent we would have to sell Westmoreland Rabbits) the lineup would be: Polo, Golf, Jetta, JSW, New whatever they call the US B platform (SCAREY TO THING OF THAT AGAIN!!!) with Euro Passat wagon and TDI cross - as the premium (NOT the bloody Phaeton - anyone wanting that should be in an A8!!!!!).

VW has no problem bringing in premium stuff from Europe - the fools are seriously considering a return of the Phaeton. I would just like them to pull their head out of their rectum and bring in something people (*such as myself) will actually buy.

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jrivers804 said:

Its not always about offroading. I would like the alltrack because I live in a rural area and sometimes it can be tricky getting in and out of my yard. I would not be buying it to go "muddin" but for the additional traction and ground clearance. But a Passat waggon would be bigger than a JSW but should still have good "road manners" as opposed to an SUV. I would also like to think that an TDI AWD Passat waggon would still get decent fuel economy.

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I totally agree on both those statements.

The reason why I like wagons is that they have the utility of SUVs and light pickup trucks, yet the efficiency and economy of a sedan. These extremities are even more emphasized when the wagon has a TDI engine and 4motion final drive. The US government should be giving out tax credits for this configuation.

The Passat Alltrack would be perfect for the 95% of 4WD drivers who need the 4WD for the occasional crossing of snowy mountain passes, gravel roads, or (like you said) to get in and out of your yard, but never do any demanding recreational offroading, eg. water forging, rock climbing, "mudding" (lol I like that word), etc. I will just keep my hopes high that VWoA will eventually get some common sense to retail what people in the US really need.