I have 2017 alltrack, the most powerful and full package one, and I must say that this is the best car considering everything. We have 4 seasons in Latvia. it’s so much fun to drive it in winter. I have zero problemes going in to deep uncleand roads when everybody else is struggling. and the power of this car is just.... no words.. absoloutley love and next one will definetly be just like mine, but latest edition.
We currently have a B8 132TSI Comfortline Passat and have loved it for 5 years now. Not sure this is a big step forward but glad to see they're adopting the 2.0 EA888 instead of the 1.8 and decent gearboxes. I've driven ours Sydney-Adelaide with very few stops and got out fresh as a daisy. Drove a NC MX5 8 hours last weekend and still feeling it... Passat are a lovely car, sadly my wife's gaze is on an A3 at the moment... showed her this video to enforce how fantastic her car is.. not sure it worked.
After just finding the channel, I have to say the quality of the calm, clear, intelligent & detailed commentary put forward by Tom, is excellent! Best car reviews I've watched for a long time, & very useful for vehicle purchase considerations. Thanks!
Literally just ordered this exact car /colour combo and I’m so happy that it’s going to be here in just 5 weeks time! Can’t wait to enjoy this car and thanks for the great review. Jasper
I’ve been weighing up an Alltrack Premium and 206 Passat Wagon. Previously owned a 140TDI Alltrack and loved it. I know these are different cars but difficult to choose between the two.
Like you JB, we've a 2010 TDI Highline, still going strong @ 270,000km, but also have that same engine in an A3 Sportback that's done 330,000. We really like the economy, longevity & torque characteristics of the VW diesel, so to change to a petrol for us is a big step. Frequently do 1800km roadtrips. I like the spec of the vehicle Tom has reviewed...Mistral Grey leather to me makes the interior look light and airy. I like that the seats get cooling too, neither feature is on the R wagon.😬 But Tom's review of the R wagon he says that it's handling is superior, and 50 odd kw more power is always nice to have, which can make for an engaging drive.☺ So we really like the Audi S3 too. But I really like the cooling in the seats and that colour leather in the Alltrack... decisions??
I thought I would add, I picked up the Touring (outback) and while agree with the engagement of the drivetrain it’s is still a superb rendition of the boxer and CVT, I took my family of 5 on a 1000km road trip with a full boot and it absolutely soared along the Bruce overtaking very confidently and mostly driving itself with lane centring and adaptive cruise set 5kmh above the limit. It was vary enjoyable.
Considering this instead of the Outback but undecided. Still needs rear heated seats, more small storage, more charging ports and better off-road like the outback.
I want that exact spec; im waiting for these blue press cars to be auctioned to the VW dealers now! About a 5 month wait to get same config built to order otherwise.
Great review, as ususal. I am in the market for a new car at the moment and all your content is very helpful. Thank you - (Btw, you drove passed my house, next time stop by, coffee's on me :) )
I was tossing up a Tiguan Highline Allspace or Passat Premium Alltrack. In dont need the silly 3rd row or weight so this car in the spec showed seems perfect
Hey Tom, im in the market for something like this and dont want to be just another suv on the road lol, now the Subaru Outback has the XT model which one would you go for ? is the dsg better than the cvt in your opinion ? , id be buying either for long turn in regards to a baby on the way.
Your review has bumped this right up my list, Tom, thanks. Do I recall you mentioning this (or perhaps it was in the base model review) that the engine revs high @ highway cruising speeds, however?
Might be the 206 R Line - it has a 6 speed and I also remember a reviewer commenting something by about high revs at highway speeds (so put them together and we have a logical explanation)
@@andrewd7586 It's great. it's a fair bit more 'performance' oriented than the passat before it. It's no WRX by any means, but the AWD, the adaptive suspension, 19" wheels, firmer seats etc. all lead you toward wanting to drive it. The passat was great for just lazing along. Build wise it's fantastic, i was a little nervous but the interior build is honestly better than the VW in a few ways, even though they share a lot of parts. less rattles, feels more solid. The extra ground clearance is great, just that little bit means i've never actually scraped the front or rear on the scout, did so on occasion with steep driveways with the passat.
@@andrewd7586 one thing for the downside... the DSG isn't as smooth as the dry clutch in the passat. it likes to be driven harder, it's actually smoother when you drive it harder. once you're out of first/second gear it's amazing like any DSG.
Interesting to hear the facelifted Alltrack comes with the same power output of 162 kW of the pre-facelift version, whereas it's bumped up to 200 kW in EU spec. Especially so hearing the Superb Scout does get the updated 200 kW TSI.
I'm looking for a station wagon AWD that can handle light/medium offroad conditions. The only problem is that I'd be scared of getting this interior dirty while camping! Too bad they discontinued the golf alltrack
Still got my 176 bi-tdi R line wagon and waiting for the new one. If VW don’t bring it in then it might be time for change. Had Passat wagons since 2002 and brilliant all rounders…but I’m not sure this is such a leap forward from my 2018 to justify
Great review! Any idea why the 162TSI "Elegance" models come with a 6-spd DSG in Aus? All the rest including the Alltrack and the 140TSI come with the 7-spd. It just looks like the non-alltrack 162TSI has the 6-spd for some reason.
Why? Maybe some people still enjoy driving a car with a real engine? You know, some soul. Just because EVs happen to work for you, doesn’t make them the best choice for everyone else. Probably the most annoying thing about many EV converts is they are like vegans; they just can’t see any other point of view as valid.
Nah - I reckon you're still OK to buy non-EV for a while yet. I suspect a lot of families will opt to have a city car (EV) and a bigger (petrol) vehicle for road trips. I've got a Tesla and it is fine for road trips along the main arteries - but I wouldn't take it camping anywhere remote.
Great review. Was that a space saver in the boot, due to the amp? The Sunroof blind looks transparent like our current Golf, pretty useless on a warm to hot day in keeping the heat and sun off you. Possibly why you were wearing a hat? The diesel Passat we also have has been great, I find it hard to justify an extra 4l/100km of premium juice.
Really? I had a 140TDI Alltrack for a few years and yes it was a solid package but the performance of the engine was a little flat, and the need to buy AdBlue every couple of months annoyed me. I always thought it would be a better package with the turbo petrol engine and will seriously consider it for my next car.
I think the overall finish is better in the Alltrack. To me the XT outback just felt it lacked the quality. Also the 7 speed auto felt more pleasurable to drive that the CVT.
We have one of these (MY21 Alltrack Premium), and the lack of personalisation and memory for driving aid settings makes it a single driver vehicle, or you have to be prepared to go through a lot of setting changes between drivers to take advantage of AID, air conditioning and audio systems. It’s not as great a vehicle as it could have been, and we won’t be keeping it for as long as we hoped. At less than 1800km on the odometer we’re seriously regretting trading in our Tiguan on it, as the Tiguan was equipped with the more functional MIB2. The Alltrack is definitely a comfort downgrade compared to a 2017 Tiguan R-Line.
That’d be very nice - but it won’t happen unfortunately. No way they’d homologate it for a tiny market like Australia - we’re basically limited to the subset of engines allowable in Europe, with small changes here and there.
@@chasingcars Yeah, fair enough. I’m looking to replace my RS3 with this or R-Line Passat in 2 years time. Not as fun as RS3 but gotta be a good family man when required :D. Great review btw.
Nice one Tom. It's not an inexpensive car but cost less than I expected tbh. Would prefer 18" rubber on a family car tho. Great colour and love the white interior, makes the cabin look huge. Yes it gets dirty and yes I have a cloth for that cuz I'm not a pig. "Dear Subaru, See that turbine thingamydooverwhatsit on the exhaust? Do that!"
Just looking at the VW configurator.. Only comes in base White or Grey, Black and this Aquamarine exception to the boring. Strange that they've dropped the diesel considering the Tiguan still has it. Maybe 'dieslegate' has them getting out of oil burners altogether?
I have 2017 alltrack, the most powerful and full package one, and I must say that this is the best car considering everything. We have 4 seasons in Latvia. it’s so much fun to drive it in winter. I have zero problemes going in to deep uncleand roads when everybody else is struggling. and the power of this car is just.... no words.. absoloutley love and next one will definetly be just like mine, but latest edition.
Wagons like these should be selling more than SUVs. It's way more practical and roomy
I want a damn manual turbo wagon that isnt a Subaru and in the US there are non since VW quit selling us their good stuff.
@@betweenthebennyandme buy from overseas and ship it if you damn want it
@@betweenthebennyandme Why do you want a manual in this type of vehicle? A pain to drive around the metro areas.
We currently have a B8 132TSI Comfortline Passat and have loved it for 5 years now. Not sure this is a big step forward but glad to see they're adopting the 2.0 EA888 instead of the 1.8 and decent gearboxes. I've driven ours Sydney-Adelaide with very few stops and got out fresh as a daisy. Drove a NC MX5 8 hours last weekend and still feeling it... Passat are a lovely car, sadly my wife's gaze is on an A3 at the moment... showed her this video to enforce how fantastic her car is.. not sure it worked.
After just finding the channel, I have to say the quality of the calm, clear, intelligent & detailed commentary put forward by Tom, is excellent! Best car reviews I've watched for a long time, & very useful for vehicle purchase considerations. Thanks!
was studying but saw new video from chasing cars and that too tom baker had to watch it forst
Literally just ordered this exact car /colour combo and I’m so happy that it’s going to be here in just 5 weeks time! Can’t wait to enjoy this car and thanks for the great review. Jasper
Gorgeous spec on that one.
And nice review Tom.
Thanks! Yeah, big fan of the Aquamarine Blue / Mistral Grey combination.
I’ve been weighing up an Alltrack Premium and 206 Passat Wagon. Previously owned a 140TDI Alltrack and loved it. I know these are different cars but difficult to choose between the two.
Like you JB, we've a 2010 TDI Highline, still going strong @ 270,000km, but also have that same engine in an A3 Sportback that's done 330,000. We really like the economy, longevity & torque characteristics of the VW diesel, so to change to a petrol for us is a big step. Frequently do 1800km roadtrips.
I like the spec of the vehicle Tom has reviewed...Mistral Grey leather to me makes the interior look light and airy. I like that the seats get cooling too, neither feature is on the R wagon.😬
But Tom's review of the R wagon he says that it's handling is superior, and 50 odd kw more power is always nice to have, which can make for an engaging drive.☺
So we really like the Audi S3 too.
But I really like the cooling in the seats and that colour leather in the Alltrack... decisions??
I thought I would add, I picked up the Touring (outback) and while agree with the engagement of the drivetrain it’s is still a superb rendition of the boxer and CVT, I took my family of 5 on a 1000km road trip with a full boot and it absolutely soared along the Bruce overtaking very confidently and mostly driving itself with lane centring and adaptive cruise set 5kmh above the limit. It was vary enjoyable.
Another great review from CHASING CARS top reviewer. You get better every time Tom.
Great review!
PS. Thanks for your DSG comments. 100% agree.
Full size spare wheel in fact. That's impressive.
Indeed. Very good for a car like this.
Considering this instead of the Outback but undecided. Still needs rear heated seats, more small storage, more charging ports and better off-road like the outback.
I want that exact spec; im waiting for these blue press cars to be auctioned to the VW dealers now! About a 5 month wait to get same config built to order otherwise.
Super gemacht… Best Grüße aus Germany👍
Great review, as ususal. I am in the market for a new car at the moment and all your content is very helpful. Thank you - (Btw, you drove passed my house, next time stop by, coffee's on me :) )
Top review Tom,; it's a great all rounder.
Love the colour inside with the blue paint stunning look.
I was tossing up a Tiguan Highline Allspace or Passat Premium Alltrack. In dont need the silly 3rd row or weight so this car in the spec showed seems perfect
I’ll have mine as tested thanks.
TSI is easily tuning enging. For 2.0TSI even on Stage1 chip tuning you can receive 310hp and 450NM or close to those parameters
Great review Tom Thx mate
Rejoice! A VW without boring black seats. Our specs in Aus are lamentably very dull.
Hey Tom, im in the market for something like this and dont want to be just another suv on the road lol, now the Subaru Outback has the XT model which one would you go for ? is the dsg better than the cvt in your opinion ? , id be buying either for long turn in regards to a baby on the way.
Nice car! I would definitely buy this over an SUV. Too bad the US no longer gets this model.
Yup
Thx Tom great review
Your review has bumped this right up my list, Tom, thanks.
Do I recall you mentioning this (or perhaps it was in the base model review) that the engine revs high @ highway cruising speeds, however?
Might be the 206 R Line - it has a 6 speed and I also remember a reviewer commenting something by about high revs at highway speeds (so put them together and we have a logical explanation)
@@djjezza - that was it! You're right - it was the 206 R Line & it's gear box. Many thanks, appreciated.
I enjoyed watching the Video Review
I love that colour!😍🤤 I’m surprised the Skoda Scout equivalent has a 200kw engine. I wonder why the VW only has the 162kw? Good review Tom.👍🏼
It’s a good question. Either way, the Scout is now virtually sold out and Skoda tell us it’s not being restocked.
That made me grab the scout instead of waiting for the new alltrack. I had a Passat beforehand.
@@Sedge86 How do like the Scout? I was seriously thinking of getting one myself but my Superb wagon is just so bloody good!🤤😎
@@andrewd7586 It's great. it's a fair bit more 'performance' oriented than the passat before it. It's no WRX by any means, but the AWD, the adaptive suspension, 19" wheels, firmer seats etc. all lead you toward wanting to drive it. The passat was great for just lazing along. Build wise it's fantastic, i was a little nervous but the interior build is honestly better than the VW in a few ways, even though they share a lot of parts. less rattles, feels more solid. The extra ground clearance is great, just that little bit means i've never actually scraped the front or rear on the scout, did so on occasion with steep driveways with the passat.
@@andrewd7586 one thing for the downside... the DSG isn't as smooth as the dry clutch in the passat. it likes to be driven harder, it's actually smoother when you drive it harder. once you're out of first/second gear it's amazing like any DSG.
Interesting to hear the facelifted Alltrack comes with the same power output of 162 kW of the pre-facelift version, whereas it's bumped up to 200 kW in EU spec. Especially so hearing the Superb Scout does get the updated 200 kW TSI.
Maybe Camry is better
@@dragospahontu I presume that was a cheeky comment. Camry wagon days are long gone.
@@johngibson9463 but the new Camry is so premium. The materials are amazing.
I'm looking for a station wagon AWD that can handle light/medium offroad conditions. The only problem is that I'd be scared of getting this interior dirty while camping! Too bad they discontinued the golf alltrack
Please bring us the VW Arteon shooting brake
Still got my 176 bi-tdi R line wagon and waiting for the new one. If VW don’t bring it in then it might be time for change. Had Passat wagons since 2002 and brilliant all rounders…but I’m not sure this is such a leap forward from my 2018 to justify
1. Mercedes Benz
2. Volkswagen
3. Audi
4. BMW
BMW is top
Gutted my car allowance (company car) didn't stretch far enough for this. Base model alltrack coming next week but still should be nice.
At least it’s the same performance and a very nice spec as well, enjoy
Wagons are so cool.
How would you compare it to the superb sportline?
I wish we got the diesel engine here in Australia.
Had huge problems with the suspension which causes false warnings in driving on dirt roads.
Great review! Any idea why the 162TSI "Elegance" models come with a 6-spd DSG in Aus? All the rest including the Alltrack and the 140TSI come with the 7-spd. It just looks like the non-alltrack 162TSI has the 6-spd for some reason.
Finally! When's the sonata coming out?
When Hyundai drops the embargo on reviews of that car!
Hi, congratulations for a new member of your team. She looks very pretty, don't hide her too much.
It's now cheaper than Skoda Superb 162tsi... Which one is the value brand again?
The superb is $55K drive away. That is less than $65K last time I checked.
This car would look epic with $10k worth of mountain bikes on the roof 🚲🚲
Tom, which one is quieter inside on course country roads, this one or the Subaru Outback XT Touring?
Does 64k include the reviewer? Only that would make it good deal.
Still waiting for a review for the 140TSI Passat.
Mercedes C class is on another level
Would rather go with the Skoda Superb Scout, looks better and better value
There are 34 200TSI Scouts in stock - and then that’s it. Skoda have confirmed they aren’t being restocked.
Would buy tomorrow if it were an EV. My current Passat has been fantastic. Need your head read buying a premium non-EV this year.
Why? Maybe some people still enjoy driving a car with a real engine? You know, some soul. Just because EVs happen to work for you, doesn’t make them the best choice for everyone else. Probably the most annoying thing about many EV converts is they are like vegans; they just can’t see any other point of view as valid.
Nah - I reckon you're still OK to buy non-EV for a while yet. I suspect a lot of families will opt to have a city car (EV) and a bigger (petrol) vehicle for road trips. I've got a Tesla and it is fine for road trips along the main arteries - but I wouldn't take it camping anywhere remote.
So you say.
Great review Tom! We are looking at one of these vs a Volvo V60CC. Not sure if I missed this info - does the car have a heads up display?
No HUD here but the Volvo has one.
@@chasingcars thanks Tom. Of the two cars which would you lean towards?
This one or the Peugeot 508 Tom ?
spare wheel - is it an alloy as exterior wheels or basic steel version...?
Is it full time AWD or active AWD?
Got one 4 weeks ago, the entertainment system has its moments and does not produce sound every few days, waiting on a software update from VW
Keep us in the loop. After running one for a month or so we haven’t experienced that.
Crazy no wireless charging
Why do you need an all track in oz?
Great review. Was that a space saver in the boot, due to the amp? The Sunroof blind looks transparent like our current Golf, pretty useless on a warm to hot day in keeping the heat and sun off you. Possibly why you were wearing a hat? The diesel Passat we also have has been great, I find it hard to justify an extra 4l/100km of premium juice.
Its a full size spare
Really? I had a 140TDI Alltrack for a few years and yes it was a solid package but the performance of the engine was a little flat, and the need to buy AdBlue every couple of months annoyed me. I always thought it would be a better package with the turbo petrol engine and will seriously consider it for my next car.
@@JB-qw2jk no AdBlue required with mine.
Now you've driven both Tom, would you go the Skoda Superb Scout or this Premium Alltrack as a family wagon.
Scout - but keep in mind there aren’t many left and they aren’t sending any more for Australia, so you’d have to be quick
@@chasingcars Or may just look at the Superb 206 Sportline wagon as an alternative.
Why no wireless charging? Makes the wireless Apple Carplay and Android Auto pointless!
Which one would you buy compared to Subaru outback
Right now? Alltrack. If Subaru brings the turbo to Australia it would make things more interesting.
@@chasingcars would you recommend the xt outback over the alltrack now?
I think the overall finish is better in the Alltrack. To me the XT outback just felt it lacked the quality. Also the 7 speed auto felt more pleasurable to drive that the CVT.
No wood trim? 🥺
You can get wood in Europe but not here, sadly. Still, at least the brushed aluminium is better than piano black!
Brushed aluminium is far better.
@@chasingcars I know. Its called silver birch - but costs 620€ extra
What about lights
You use them to see in the dark.
We have one of these (MY21 Alltrack Premium), and the lack of personalisation and memory for driving aid settings makes it a single driver vehicle, or you have to be prepared to go through a lot of setting changes between drivers to take advantage of AID, air conditioning and audio systems. It’s not as great a vehicle as it could have been, and we won’t be keeping it for as long as we hoped.
At less than 1800km on the odometer we’re seriously regretting trading in our Tiguan on it, as the Tiguan was equipped with the more functional MIB2. The Alltrack is definitely a comfort downgrade compared to a 2017 Tiguan R-Line.
Just like Superb is done but Superb is chiper.
True, the cars are closely related but Superb has softer suspension and is even larger.
Can VW just put the 3.6 VR6 in this car. Or at least as an option. I will be all over it.
That’d be very nice - but it won’t happen unfortunately. No way they’d homologate it for a tiny market like Australia - we’re basically limited to the subset of engines allowable in Europe, with small changes here and there.
@@chasingcars Yeah, fair enough. I’m looking to replace my RS3 with this or R-Line Passat in 2 years time. Not as fun as RS3 but gotta be a good family man when required :D. Great review btw.
The EA888 engine can be remapped very easily to produce 240kw and almost 500NM.
Hmmmm of all Tom's reviews this was as boring as a Passat.
Desperate move for the dying Passat Good luck VW
You’ve lost me. How is a regular midlife facelift process desperate in any way? The Passat isn’t going anywhere, it’s a big seller in Europe.
@@chasingcars What a display of arrogance I forgot you're a diehard VW fanboy Unsubscribed
@@limpunsing224 Only one of the past two comments was arrogant, and it wasn't his...
@@michaelrgardner Oh damn A spokeman for the VW A$$ licker
@@limpunsing224 commodore or ford falcon !!! Which one?
Nice one Tom. It's not an inexpensive car but cost less than I expected tbh. Would prefer 18" rubber on a family car tho.
Great colour and love the white interior, makes the cabin look huge. Yes it gets dirty and yes I have a cloth for that cuz I'm not a pig.
"Dear Subaru, See that turbine thingamydooverwhatsit on the exhaust? Do that!"
Just looking at the VW configurator.. Only comes in base White or Grey, Black and this Aquamarine exception to the boring.
Strange that they've dropped the diesel considering the Tiguan still has it.
Maybe 'dieslegate' has them getting out of oil burners altogether?