Volkswagen Passat Alltrack : 2012

Passat Alltrack has higher ground clearance and new off-road design.

2012 Volkswagen Passat Alltrack.

Over the past four decades, well over 15 million Passat cars have been built. Along with its favourable all-round qualities, the success of the bestseller – which is sold on all of the world’s continents – can be attributed to the Passat’s wide and diverse range of versions.

Now, Volkswagen is extending the model series with another specialist: the Passat Alltrack.

This new version is offered in an estate car configuration, and it closes the gap between the conventional Passat Estate and SUVs such as the Tiguan.

The rationale here: many car drivers who use their car as a towing vehicle, or in light off-road situations, want a versatile, sporty and very roomy passenger car that has rugged qualities. Volkswagen developed the Passat Alltrack for this clientele.

In comparison with the familiar Passat Estate, the new model is defined by new bumpers in SUV style – with wheel well and side sill flares. Its greater off-road ramp angle, approach angle, departure angle and higher ground clearance all make the Passat Alltrack an excellent SUV alternative for driving on unpaved track.

Two turbocharged direct injection petrol engines (TSI) with 118 kW / 160 PS and 155 kW / 210 PS and two turbodiesels (TDI) – also with direct injection – with 103 kW / 140 PS and 125 kW / 170 PS are available in the Passat Alltrack.

The two most powerful Alltrack versions, the 170 PS TDI and the 210 PS TSI, have standard 4MOTION all-wheel drive and a dual clutch transmission (DSG). For the Passat Alltrack with a 140 PS TDI, Volkswagen will offer all-wheel drive as an option.

Just how efficiently the engines of the Passat Alltrack operate together with the intelligently controlled 4MOTION all-wheel drive system is illustrated by the two TDI engines: the 140 PS version has a low combined fuel consumption of 5.7 l/100 km (equivalent to 150 g/km CO2), while fuel consumption for the 170 PS version is 5.8 l/100 km (152 g/km CO2).

The Alltrack will debut in a world premiere at the Tokyo Motor Show (December 3 to 11); market launch for the new versatile Alltrack begins in early 2012.