Southern View: August 16, 2016

26
Tuesday August 16 2016
Driven
SOUTHERN VIEW
Tackle the skifield road in an Alltrack
• By Ross Kiddie
STAR MEDIA, the company
which I am employed by,
embraces advertising creativity.
We strive for layout and design
which captures reader and viewer
interest. That being the case, I
was mystified when Volkswagen
New Zealand’s recent television
advertising campaign was
withdrawn when some viewers
complained to the Broadcasting
Standards Authority.
The commercial surrounded
Volkswagen’s Passat Alltrack, and
was a light-hearted take involving
a person falling over backwards
on a slippery boat launching
ramp. That ad often had me
smiling when I was preparing
dinner and watching the news. I
was disappointed – world gone
mad – I thought.
That aside, the Alltrack is an
interesting variation on the popular
mid-size wagon and as its
name suggests it has four-wheeldrive
and suspension raised
27mm from the standard Passat.
Volkswagen is no stranger to
this concept, they have long had
models which have just that little
bit extra in terms of ability. The
Alltrack is a cross between an
everyday vehicle and one which
will take you off-road, not so
much in the serious stuff, but it
will get you out of a sticky, low
grip situation, hence the advertisement.
And on that subject, it
also gets a 2.2-tonne tow rating,
so hauling that large boat is a
real probability.
Under the bonnet sits a 2-litre,
turbocharged diesel engine. The
four-cylinder, twin camshaft unit
is rated with 150kW and 400Nm,
the latter punching out its power
all of the way from 1900rpm
to 3300rpm; consequently, it is
a strong, energetic unit which
works through a dual clutch,
direct shift gearbox.
The six-speeder allows the
engine to work freely, between
the two, drive is unimpeded,
the mid-range diesel surge is
evident. Unladen, the Passat
Alltrack will scamper to
100km/h from a standstill in
8sec, and will launch to 120km/h
from 80km/h in 5sec, the turbo
boost offering vivid acceleration.
And that is the beauty with
the big four-cylinder diesels,
there is a lot of grunt on offer,
and it’s no wonder Volkswagen
are confident of high tow
capacity.
Perhaps the most exciting figures
are those of its fuel usage.
Volkswagen claim a 5.2-litre per
100km/h (54mpg) combined
cycle average, that sits well with
VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT ALLTRACK: Grip for slippery surfaces.
the 6.6l/100km (43mpg) figure
showing constantly on the dash
panel readout. At 100km/h the
engine sips fuel at the rate of an
amazing 4l/100km (70mpg) with
the engine turning over slowly at
just 1700rpm.
These results are extraordinary
for a big vehicle and certainly
serve to prove how effective diesel
engine manufacturers have
become in terms of efficiency.
I took the test car on the twists
and turns of the Port Hills. It
was only a few weeks ago that I
evaluated the standard Passat,
and was keen to find out if the
extra ride height affected the
Alltrack’s handling ability. I can
report there’s is little noticeable
difference, grip is well promoted
through Continental sport tyres
(245/45 x 18in), while steerage
and body balance are accurate
and controlled respectively.
Of course the suspension
is fully independent and
there is a lot of travel within
those elements; that being the
case, bumps and ruts are well
absorbed and ride comfort has
been given high priority.
I didn’t take the Alltrack offroad
as such, but I did take it
through a short cross-country
track in an endeavour to get
some photos. The suspension
absorbs the uneven surfaces
beautifully, and wheel-to-ground
contact is manufactured so that
• Price – VW Passat Alltrack,
$57,990
• Dimensions – Length,
4777mm; width, 1832mm;
height, 1506mm
• Configuration – Fourcylinder,
four-wheel-drive,
1968cc, 140kW, 400Nm,
six-speed automatic.
• Performance –
0-100km/h, 8sec
• Fuel usage – 5.2l/100km
utmost traction is gleaned.
I can see the Alltrack being
used as winter sport recreational
transport such as tackling the
skifield access road. It’s a vehicle
that does all the things a typical
sport utility vehicle is capable of,
yet it is packaged in a more traditional
style.
The entire in-cabin area is
manufactured for comfort and is
decked out with all the features
you’d expect from a $57,990 car.
I’ve long embraced the
traditional station wagon,
especially those from Europe.
The Alltrack takes that concept
one step forward and I’m pleased
that it has such a strong foothold
globally (no pun intended). I’ll
be watching with interest how
well it is received here.
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