Volkswagen Passat Alltrack – VW does an Audi Allroad

NOVEMBER 24, 2011 AT 11:28 AM BY DANNY TAN FILED UNDER CARS, INTERNATIONAL NEWS,VOLKSWAGEN

The upcoming Tokyo Motor Show will see Volkswagen give this Passat Alltrack a world debut. The Alltrack is basically a raised and tougher looking Passat wagon with VW’s 4Motion AWD system, pretty much the same recipe as Audi’s Allroad wagons. The Passat Alltrack is positioned between the standard Passat Variant and the Tiguan SUV.

VW’s rationale is that there are many who use their car as a towing vehicle, or in light off-road situations, who want a versatile, sporty and roomy passenger car with rugged qualities. The Alltrack is defined by new SUV style bumpers with wheel well and side sill flares.

Compared to the standard car, it has greater off-road ramp angle (12.8 degrees), approach angle (16 degrees) and departure angle (13.6 degrees). The 165 mm ground clearance has been raised by 30 mm.

Two TSI engines (160 PS/210 PS) and two TDI units (140 PS/170 PS) are available. The more powerful engine from each camp have standard 4Motion AWD and a dual clutch DSG.

Something new here is the ‘Off-Road Driving Programme’ from VW’s SUVs. It works up to 30 km/h and electronically tailors settings for the AWD hardware including the electronic differential, ABS, torque control, hill descent and, in DSG-equipped cars, gearbox shift points to provide easier and better off-road performance.