Volkswagen Passat Alltrack review

The Alltrack sits near the very top of the Passat range so isn’t exactly a bargain. That said, you do get an awful lot of equipment including four-wheel drive, three-zone climate control, the infotainment with sat-nav and Bluetooth connectivity, plus parking sensors at both ends.

That little lot may sound appealing, but it’s worth remembering that driving all four wheels does have a negative impact on running costs. Where a regular two-wheel drive Passat Estate with a 2.0-litre diesel emits as little as 120g/km of CO2, the Alltrack bumps this up to 133g/km. The BMW 3 Series Touring with the equivalent 320d engine puts out 132g/km, while the Alltrack’s fuel economy of 55.4mpg beats the Touring’s 47.9mpg by a hefty amount.

That said, the Alltrack’s emissions and economy are still better than many four-wheel drive SUVs. If you live somewhere remote and can do without the high driving position, an Alltrack might be one of the more sensible options out there, especially as VWs tend to hold their value better than other mainstream rivals.

Speaking of sensible, all Alltracks come with a raft of airbags including one for the driver’s knee, stability control, traction control, auto lights and wipers plus automatic emerghency braking. Automatic high beam for the lights, pedestrian detection and lane-keeping assistance are all on the options list, too.

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