If glamping was a vehicle, it would be the Passat Alltrack Premium wagon; with 4MOTION all-wheel-drive technology you have the grip and stability to take you just far enough off the beaten track to have some quality time with nature. While the drive to your destination will be just as relaxing thanks to the Adaptive Chassis Control that automatically respond to road conditions, absorbing the bumps in the road beautifully and delivering a lovely drive.
The Alltrack Premium comes with Mistral Vienna leather appointed seats, personally light-coloured leather is not my preference but this interior smelled really nice giving the Passat a high class feel. This was added to thanks to the heated and cooled front seats and the driver receiving a basic massage function with on/off control only. Both front seats have power adjustment for recline, forward/back, seat height front and rear, 2-way lumbar and two memory positions for the driver. I found the seats to be very comfortable even for longer road trips.
You get a high-class sound as well thanks to the Harman Kardon premium sound system, 10+1 speaker with subwoofer sound system with 700 W total power output and a digital 16-channel amplifier. Voice and gesture control is available and allows you to choose your favourite music and plan your route while keeping your eyes on the road. Media sources include AM/FM radio, which has patchy radio reception away from built up areas, Bluetooth and My Media. Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto come standard across the Passat wagon range and are projected via the 9.2” infotainment screen that also incorporates the Discover Pro Navigation System.
The driver is well catered for thanks to the Digital Cockpit Pro, high resolution 10.25″ digital instrument colour screen with customisable displays. There is also a lovely feeling steering wheel with perforated leather and I liked that the controls on the steering wheel were matt black, but there are no phone controls here. The voice control is operated by pressing the button on the steering wheel with the feminine looking silhouette on it. The voice control worked well for me to change the radio station and to enter a destination on the sat nav, but I had to do this in steps, rather than in one command. My phone contacts didn’t download so I was not able to make calls using the voice control.
Storage is plentiful in the Passat Alltrack and you can tell the designers have put some thought into it. The large drink bottle storage in front door cubby is felt lined to prevent rattles, while the felt lined glove box is cooled. Under arm rest is another felt lined cubby with one USB-C port. In front of arm rest there are two large cup holders that are lined with a removable rubber mat and one 12V outlet. At the very front of the centre console there is a rubber lined cubby for your phone with one USB-C port.
The rear seats have ample head and leg room for two adults and you can fold the centre seat down as an arm rest with three different sized rigid cup holders at the front it. There is also good-sized drink bottle storage in the door cubbies and these are felt lined as well to prevent rattles. Rear passengers get digital air temperature controls for the two central rear air vents, which have manual on/off speed control and direction control. If you have younger passengers, you can control the rear temperature from the front of the vehicle and lock the rear controls if required. Under the temperature controls there is one USB-C port and one 12V outlet.
The panoramic sunroof makes the whole cabin feel airy, which may help if passengers are prone to car sickness. There are also manual blinds on the rear windows and carpet mats on the floors but no mat over the transmission tunnel. For your younger passengers there are two ISOFIX/three rear tether child seat restraint points, but most likely only enough room for two seats.
Like other VW and Škoda wagons the boot of the Passat Alltrack is huge, officially 650 litres, and would easily swallow a pram and the weekly shop. The tailgate is power operated and opened/closed by pushing the VW emblem on the tailgate, from key fob, or from the button in the cabin. Inside the boot there are four hooks, four tie down points, one 12V outlet and a two-stage cargo cover that you can either push back half way or all the way. There is a manual release latch to fold down the rear seats, which have a 40:20:40 split folding mechanism, should you need to carry your skies. And under the boot floor is storage for the cargo net and full-size spare tyre.
The Passat Alltrack Premium wagon is powered by a 2.0 litre, turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine with 162kW of power and 350Nm of torque. This is paired with a 7-speed dual clutch automatic transmission that has flimsy wheel-mounted gear selectors for ‘manually’ change gears. There are six drive modes to select from being Eco, Comfort, Normal, Sport, Individual and Off-road. Under Individual mode you can adjust the Dynamic Chassis Control, Steering, Drive, Adaptive Cruise Control, Light Assistance and A/C to your personal preferences and save for future use. VW recommends the use of 95 RON fuel as a minimum and the official combined fuel consumption is 8.1L/100km and for my week driving the Alltrack I used 9.4L/100km.
All Passat wagons come with IQ. DRIVE, a suite of driver aids to make driving safer for you and your family. Active safety systems include Front Assist with Pedestrian Detection, Manoeuvre braking, front and rear, Side Assist, lane changing assistant, Rear Traffic Assist, Travel Assist, combining Adaptive Cruise Control with Adaptive Lane Guidance for semi-autonomous driving at low and high speeds. For convenience you also get auto lights and auto wipers and a 360o view rear view camera combined with a standard rear-view camera and 360o sensors.
Passive safety features include dual frontal, side chest and side head-protecting airbags (curtains) for both front and second row seats and a driver’s knee airbag. All models in the Passat range have a 5-star ANCAP safety rating (2015) and this is based on tests conducted by Euro NCAP.
All new Volkswagen vehicles come with a 5 Year Unlimited kilometre warranty and a 1-year membership to Volkswagen Roadside Assist. If you service your Volkswagen at an authorised Volkswagen Dealer, you can receive an additional 12 months Roadside Assistance. An upfront 5-Year Care Plan for the Passat Alltrack Premium that covers standard service costs can be purchased for non-commercial use vehicles for $ $2,800 (first service free), saving $619 – $940 off the Assured Service Pricing RRP. This Care Plan pricing is only valid for vehicles registered up until 30 September 2022.
Alltrack puts the adventure into the Passat and Premium adds a little bit of luxury for the occupants making the Passat Alltrack Premium wagon a great allrounder for work and family life. The Passat Alltrack Premium wagon starts at $58,790 plus on-road costs and as tested with Aquamarine Blue metallic paint ($800) the Alltrack I drove was $59,590 plus on-roads. Visit your preferred Volkswagen dealer for more information about this wagon that glamps.
| Pros | Cons |
| The high-class interior | Patchy radio reception away from urban areas |
| The comfortable ride | Flimsy, plastic wheel mounted gear selectors |
| The huge boot | No mat over the transmission tunnel |
Photographs by Driven Women Magazine.