Towcar of the Year 2007 - The winner

We put 50 cars through their paces to find a worthy champion - this Passat Estate is a truly great all-rounder

Volkswagen Passat Estate 2.0 TDI Sport 4Motion
List price    £22,757
Target Price    £21,323
Kerbweight    1609kg
Max towing weight    2000kg
Towball limit    85kg

Every one of our five category winners is worthy of a place on your drive, but the Volkswagen Passat 2.0 TDI Sport 4Motion Estate had that little bit extra needed to win overall.

With power going to each of its four wheels, the VW was confidence-inspiring as the conditions got wetter. Other estate cars fried their clutches on the damp 1-in-6 slope, but the Passat simply climbed the hill. No histrionics, no fuss.

The button handbrake is a brilliant feature. At the start of the week's testing, some judges thought it was a solution to a problem that didn't exist. After all, how hard is it to pull on a lever? However, after five days of rolling back while almost yanking handbrakes off, the ease of pushing a button really started to appeal. Creep forward and the brake releases automatically.

Well set-up suspension and four-wheel drive helped the Passat sail through the lane-change test. It felt unfazed and comfortable at speeds that left many rivals struggling.

Yet being able to tow well is no good if there isn't enough room inside for the family and their luggage. The VW found room for all but one of 15 items of luggage in our test, when other estates struggled. The power socket in the boot, the full-size spare wheel and the ease with which towing mirrors could be fitted further contributed to its excellent score.

One of the things that make this award different from other towcar tests is the importance placed on driving the cars without a trailer. After all, whatever your hobby, you're likely to spend far more time driving without a trailer than you will towing. Again, the Passat performed superbly, with rewarding handling, a comfortable ride and decent pace from the 2.0-litre diesel engine.

We've also considered factors such value for money, resale values and safety under the catch-all heading of 'buying and owning'. Once more, the Passat came up trumps. Although not cheap at £20,000, it's competitively priced against the VW's rivals, few of which have four-wheel drive. The 4Motion should retain 47% of its value after three years, meaning you'll get back more of what you originally spent than with most family estates. As for safety, you can't get better than a five-star rating for occupant protection from crash-test expert, Euro NCAP.

If we had to nit-pick, four-wheel drive does put a dent in the fuel economy, yet we think it's a price worth paying for the 4Motion's all-weather excellence.

For value, towing ability, safety and practicality, the Passat is a worthy overall winner of the Towcar Awards, 2007.

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