Why have a toothpick on a knife? After rumbling around in your jacket pocket for months, would you dare stick it your mouth to poke out the pie gristle? And a corkscrew. If you can afford wine with a cork (as opposed to screw-tops) then the most favoured tool in your cutlery drawer will certainly not be a pocket knife.
Thankfully the blade for stripping wire and the screwdriver are much more useful. And so too is the Alltrack. For instance, the can holders in the central arm-rest have fold-away, spring loaded catches to hold tapered cups. Not a vital motoring aid in the great scheme of things, but smacks of Volkswagen’s attention to detail.
Similarly, the roller luggage blind in the boot can tension itself halfway across the space so it’s easy to put stuff in and cover it up again without having to stretch the full length of the load bay to reach the handle, dirtying the knees of your good suit trousers in the process.
And then there is the load floor, underneath which is a full size spare wheel, a much more preferable option to those useless, unreliable, shaving foam, cost saving excuses for so-called emergency puncture repairs. Punctures are one thing, but sidewall damage quite another. As for the loadfloor covering it is hinged so that it can be folded up and back for access to the underfloor compartment, and it stays there. It doesn’t decide to flop over and trap your fingers when footering about underneath.
As for what the car is supposed to do, it accomplishes all of its required people carrying business with room for five in an entirely comfortable manner while the furnishings are pleasing and comprehensive.
If there is one thing I don’t like, it’s the automatic gearbox. Slow? I can imagine pipe smokers thinking it’s the bees knees, but for normal people it has too much of a mind of its own. When pulling up at junctions and roundabouts, don’t make any sudden decisions. Best to stop and wait while the cogs catch up.
If you pull up and then suddenly change your mind and go for the gas when you spot a gap in the traffic – don’t. The 6 spd DSG gearbox (standard in the 2 litre 168 bhp car, but the 138 bhp version has the option of a 6 speed manual) will decide when forward momentum is required, not the driver.
You can almost hear the cogs churning inside saying: “I’ll go when I’m ready,” while the driver’s internal cogs are already thinking: “Oh shit, the gap has gone.”
Another thing you learn quickly, is to switch the ‘A’ button off for the automatic Stop/Start mode. This being the Bluemotion Technology version of the 2 litre diesel Alltrack it has a battery regeneration system plus the Stop/Start mode to help save fuel and reduce emissions. It also has a ‘coasting function’ whereby the engine disengages from the gearbox as the driver comes off the accelerator to further reduce fuel consumption. And with all this electronickery going on I couldn’t help wondering if this was the reason the otherwise excellent DSG ‘box was so hesitant at times.
Anyway, combined with the slow-thinking gearbox, this adds another uncertainty to the process of quick getaways and once I was caught out with an unquick getaway in front of oncoming traffic. Just as I had slowed down for the roundabout the signal-less approaching car turned off leaving a space, so I went for the gas, just as the engine shut down, and another car was coming.
Well, this caused all sorts of electronic consternation as the engine had to start up again and then the gearbox had to have another re-think about what the idiot with the steering wheel wanted to do next. I can only imagine the lady in the rear vision mirror was mouthing ‘male drivers’ and not ‘mother—-ers’ as she gesticulated politely!
Now, I’ve made that sound bad, but consider it more of a warning than a reason not to buy the automatic. If you’re one of those satisfied, contented people coasting through life with dentures and nothing more edibly challenging than marshmallows, and who merely want a relaxed and comfortable form of progress, then the Passat will deliver. On the whole the DSG auto box is pretty efficient, but even when switched to the ‘S’ mode, it’s never going to tingle your tootsies.
Otherwise there is little to fault, although there is one other major attraction. It’s got VW’s 4Motion all wheel drive system. With winter fast approaching, this has to be a consideration for those whose lifestyle demands that wintry progress be accomplished without any fuss or drama.
I stupidly drove on to some wet grass to take photographs of the car and as I stepped out, my feet sunk in to the sodden turf. Realisation dawned quite quickly as I looked at the Passat’s 18 inch wheels. They were sinking too. Jump back in car, engage all wheel drive, and after some initial slip and panic, and some light right foot, the car drove out. If it had been two wheel drive, forget it, but as a simple, illustration of just how easy it is to get stuck it was very timely.
There is another reason for liking the 4WD version. It sits higher off the road. That means getting out and in is much easier, especially for those of us who require a squirt of WD40 on their knees and ankles first thing every morning.
So I liked the Passat Alltrack, really liked it, and although it sounds like an old man’s car, it really must be a serious contender in the family car sector.
So would I have one. Yep, I would, but I would go for the manual, even with the smaller engine!