Volkswagen Alltrack Concept at 2012 NYC Auto Show

[jamie@vwvortex]

Wagons always get enthusiasts and motoring journalists excited. Funny for some of us that grew up with family wagons with woody sides and couldn't imagine every owning one back then. Anyway, VWoA is dipping their toe in the water with a concept version of the European-only Passat Alltrack to gauge reaction here on this side of the pond. So let's break this down a bit and try and make some guesses as to what VWoA is potentially up to...

FULL STORY...

[TREGinginCO]

If VW had this car in the U.S....I wouldn't be looking to buy the all new Audi allroad when it arrives here in a couple of months.

[GLS99]

It'd be the closest competitor to the Subaru Outback, and I'm sure people who dig wagons and need AWD capabilities would cross-shop them, especially given the efficiency of the TDI engine versus the Outback.

Audi A4 Allroad and Volvo XC70 would cost at least 10k more than the Outback / Alltrack.

[renato]

Looks OK but really not my thing. I'd much rather have a sport version... gimme a Passat Wagon with the same specs as the Golf R. In fact, give me ANY Passat wagon with a 6-speed manual #vwignoringUSminoritymarket

[3rdtime]

Yes please.

[strictlyvanagons]

When the Subaru Outback diesel is finally brought to this country and the Mazda (Tiguan) sized DIESEL little SUV arrives here soon maybe VW will be shamed into bringing us a six speed DIESEL all wheel drive Passat-Tiguan. Better yet==== bring us a small engined TDI/electric/plug in hybrid. Why not offer a 300 or 400 hp hybrid for the stupid car buyers and a much less horsepower diesel/electric plug in for those who would trade 0-60 figures for 55 -110 mpg. VW SHOULD be the first manufacturer of cars that offers a 100mpg diesel/electric hybrid (3 cyl. TDI motor please VW)in a smallish super lightweight rugged body. Perhaps in a Jetta sized or less wagon with the capacity to carry the added weight of the hybrid components. VW could easily outpace and outclass the Prius line of economical hybids with their years of TDI evolution. I vote for VW bringing out the FIRST Tiguan,CRV,Outback etc. sized all wheel drive small SUV that the Tahoe owners are trading in in droves. VW===Bring us ECONOMICAL===50-100 plus mpg Prius fighters and bring us 40-80 plus mile per gallon SMALL CRV/Outback size 4WD diesel/electric POPULAR wagon/SUVS PLEASE!!!!!!!! WE KNOW YOU CAN DO THIS and we would prefer the VW brand be KING of the hill and the first with these products. I rest my case. VW should rule the WORLD in inovation and sales!!!!!!!

[02tdiblk]

YES please. TDI and some sort of all wheel drive. THANK YOU.. Now please bring it here!

[Sales@DBCPerformance]

If VW had this car in the U.S....I wouldn't be looking to buy the all new Audi allroad when it arrives here in a couple of months.

I am still on the fence with the Allroad!

[ClownCar]

I'll buy one. Gas or diesel. Take my money!!!

[simple]

Needs bigger tires. Same goes for the Audi Allroad coming out. Low profile tires should not be specified.

BTW, the concept car is beautiful.

[strictlyvanagons]

Vortex readers. For info and pictures of a YOUNG low mileage Subaru DIESEL motor being installed in a Vanagon go to smallcar.com in Washington state. Happy motoring!!!!

[vr6fanatic]

I would purchase one! How ever, This seems to be another forbidden fruit for the United States!!!


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[renglish]

if Subaru does bring their diesel to North America, I would most likely buy theirs for the AWD.
but if VW does AWD/4Motion and diesel in a Tiguan size SUV or Passat/Jetta/Golf Wagon, I will definitely stay in the family when we next buy a car.
Currently in a JSW TDI 6M and absolutely love driving it.

Please bring this, my boss even wants an Allroad, but won't pay Audi prices.

[ScottieDucati]

Yep, I'd trade my '09 Jetta TDi in on one of these in a heartbeat, but please provide a manual transmission option!!!

[R11S]

I've wished many times that the new German Passat Wagon would be sold here but so far not. We have on '07 Passat Wagon that now has >110K Miles...still a GREAT Car!!!

If I had to choose I'd rather not have All-Track versus what we have now. I'd want a Diesel and the big Open Sky Sunroof for sure!

We test drove a new JSW with Open Sky...nice car but our 5'11" Daughter didn't have enough leg room in back.

VW - you're new car dealer lot currently has nothing to interest me in trading in my '07 Passat Wagon. I'll keep right on driving it because it suits our car needs perfectly.

And yes, I've looked closely at the Subaru Outback as a replacement one day...

[groupracer]

F' again...


"Currently, there are no plans to bring this vehicle to market in the U.S., but the concept is set to gauge market reaction to a potential future model that is similarly sized and combines offroad ability with wagon versatility."

[Peter_Rabbit]

VW need only look at the subaru outback and the volvo xc70 to realize that there is a niche market in the USA.

Since I can't get a diesel passat wagon, I would consider the alltrak with diesel (and hopefully a manual transmission). VWoA should bring this stateside.

[abeR]

[AsianDude]

The exchange rate is not so bad anymore

[Buran]

Refuse to bring over German Passat wagon, refuse to build US Passat wagon.

BMW has said they're still going to support their wagon lovers.

No A3 hatch anymore. No A3 wagon.

VW has aimed straight at its toes and pulled the trigger.

My next wagon will probably be a BMW after 12 years of VW ownership.

Good job, VW.

[epic d]

I don't see this concept happening... I don't even see volkswagen selling many 4motion equipped cars in the us in the future... Other than the R32/Golf R niche, I think it's well known that Audi offers Quattro already and the enthusiasts seeking a more economical volkswagen won't want to pay more for awd.

[RG.Jeff]

[gti dreamn]

VWoA, just bring us the Passat Wagen, Alltrak or whatever you want to call it.

If you are too concerned about it not selling, bring it over in a limited run, like other "special" VWs.

If you are concerned about it digging into T'reg, Tiguan and JSW sales, see my comment above.

If Audi is concerned it will take away from their Avant sales, again, see my comment above the above comment.

Some of US still want a wagen to drive and maybe the JSW just doesn't do it and a $45k SUV doesn't answer the need either. The Alltrak fills this want.

Oh, can we have it with the 6-spd manual and the TDI? That's how I would want mine.

[chuque]

WTF? i am on my 2nd passat wagon....... guess i am heading for another MB next.

[3 dubber]

Build it, we will buy it!!
My 02 Passat (sport) wagon is still going strong but not forever. The Jetta Sportwagon is a bit of a downsize for me, this would be great.
But this is the Passat Alltrack they are offering in Europe. Which VW says it's too $$ to import to the US.
Read a rumor that a SUV was going to be built on the US Passat platform in Tenn which has plenty of capacity. A SUV would sell many more than a wagon, so why are they teasing with this?

[Junius Spencer]

I have an AWD Passat wagon. I want a new AWD Passat (or Jetta) wagon with a TDI. Where can I put down my deposit?

[feels_road]

I have an AWD Passat wagon. I want a new AWD Passat (or Jetta) wagon with a TDI. Where can I put down my deposit?

That's really a big problem for many of us: VW has neglected to offer something we can buy into, now that our cars are 7-12 years old. VW is forcing us to look elsewhere.

>>So we suppose it is possible that VWoA *could* build a Jetta Sportwagen Alltrack in the future. That would likely mean the successor to the current Sportwagen. <<

Jaime, and for the same reason, it can't happen: VW still needs the regular Golf/Jetta wagen for Europe.

The most reasonable decision for VW would be to build a US Passat-based crossover, that may look much like this concept, but a bit more towards SUV (e.g., less overhang). Why? Because in the US, people always prefer larger cars if they have a choice, and production price compared to a Jetta-based version would not be much higher, and yet much, much less than something imported from Europe.

Also, it would need the new 180-190hp 2.0TDI. And for all the Diesel fans out there, a MT option. The only Diesel I would buy with AT is the 3.0TDI, like in the Q5. Of course, I also prefer the longitudinal drive-train layout and Torsen-based AWD of the Q5 - just like my Passat.

In the end, I am again disappointed by how slowly VW reads the market, how slowly it reacts, and how late it puts something on the market. Why wasn't there a US Passat-based crossover designed with just minimal lag after the US Passat, and then built about 1/2 year later at Chattanooga? This should have long been ready to go. And where is the TDI Tiguan? How long does it take to find a tiny bit of space for a urea tank?

[VR6Now]

Well regardless of market reaction I don't believe we'll ever see this. VW loves to show us stuff they'll never bring unless people go utterly nuts about it and then it will be 4 years after the fact after all the excitement has died down. Still showing the Bullie concept but no product after how many years? Still teasing a Tiguan diesel after 4 years and we have still have a couple more to go at least.

I'd buy it but there will never be a chance to do so I'm not going to even ask VW to send it over. Instead of waiting for the inevitable VW rejection of the car for the US market as shown (TDI, 4motion, & DSG), lets just thank them for the distraction. It can join the Jetta Coupes, Amoroks, Bullies, and unicorns of myths and legends.

[Not2FastNot2Serious]

We are a long time VW family. Needed a wagon. Looked at JSW (too small) and Audi A4 Avant (too expensive). So we bought a 2012 Subaru Outback 2.5 Limited. Nice car, plenty of cargo space. But missing VW attributes like good handling, upscale interior, VW design language, many little details that make VWs so satisfying.

If only the Alltrack were available in the US.

[John Y]

Would love to see this in the US; would consider it in the future. In fact, I can "see it" at the dealer over here any day now...

[CorradoMagic]

I'd luv to have this.. price the right price.
AWD, Wagon, Diesel, a combo Audi doesnt currently offer.
I want the A3 tdi.. in quattro. I'm not buying a FWD Audi, ever.

That combo plus manual is the ultimate win.. & manuals are cheaper, that makes good sales sense

[dr. pimento]

Wagons always get enthusiasts and motoring journalists excited. Funny for some of us that grew up with family wagons with woody sides and couldn't imagine every owning one back then. Anyway, VWoA is dipping their toe in the water with a concept version of the European-only Passat Alltrack to gauge reaction here on this side of the pond. So let's break this down a bit and try and make some guesses as to what VWoA is potentially up to

blah, blah, blah. My family has owned VWs for almost 50 years and my Dad has always had a wagon (412, Dasher, Quantum, Passat). He currently has a 2008 Passat V6 4Motion (70K miles) and the JSW doesn't hold a candle to it.

We looked at the Volvo XC70 (too expensive and I think relaibility will suffer under Chinese ownership) and the Subaru Outback (think of a car with the technology of a fifteen-year-old VW). The V6 Passat sedan is very nice but without 4Motion it's no good to us...

I understand the wagon market has shrunk to almost nothing in the US --- but why show us a concept and actually tell us it will never be sold here.

Also, how does a concept vehicle offer options...it hasn't even been built yet let alone been set with any option packages...

[ValidUsername]

I think that thing looks pretty sweet, wouldn't be bad as a daily driver or something I'd feel comfortable with in any conditions

[Plasticar]

I already forwarded the article to my dealer contact, letting him know that if they ever actually do announce bringing this one, I'll rush right over with my deposit check.

I am personally on my 4th VW/Audi AWD wagon (B5.5 A4 Avant, B5.5 Passat wagon, original allroad, B6 A4 wagon). My wife is on her 2nd B5.5 Passat sedan, this one with quattro / 4mot. She bought hers off lease because she wanted to keep the AWD.

I am the fringe nutcase that desperately wants a AWD wagon (not SUV / CUV / truck), and would defect to anyone who would offer that with a diesel. Bring this, with the higher powered tdi. As much as I would be happy with a manual, I already know it would come with DSG or auto. I can live with that. Make it a single model to eliminate the permutations. Get behind tdi for REAL!

You mean to tell me VW couldn't sell at least as many of these as the Golf R? With a little ad support at least. Probably better to base it on the US Passat, adding the backend sheetmetal. I hear a rumor that the US Passat does have the floorpan allowances for AWD, should they want to incorporate it.

[zuma]

8 veedubs and 5 audis so far in my household.
Bring the alltrack in jetta or passat version please
Oh yes....diesel please!