Category: Volkswagen

On the outside it’s Sunday-suit smart; on the inside no-fuss functional, and as far as performance is concerned, the new VW Passat Alltrack is an Opera House-style pleasure. Based on the practical Passat wagon, the Passat Alltrack is back adding a fresh face to the eighth generation of the VW mid-size passenger vehicle. It has its own range of standard features and the ability to go that much farther off the bitumen. This is due mainly to the new generation 4Motion all-wheel drive system, plus a feature that allows drivers… Read more

With hatchback, wagon, cabriolet, GTI and R ranges, with all their variants, the Golf is the everyman of the Volkswagen world. Now the Alltrack has been added to a seemingly ever-growing family of the best seller. With the latest VW 4Motion all-wheel drive system and a new generation Haldex coupling the Alltrack can take the small wagon on unsealed roads where two-wheel drives are not encouraged to venture. Even so, with the addition of a new 1.8-litre TSI turbocharged petrol engine coupled to a six-speed DSG automatic transmission, the Alltrack… Read more

The eighth generation of the Volkswagen Passat mid-sized sedan and wagon, coded as the B8 series, arrived in Australia late in 2015. We have just spent a couple of weeks living with a Passat 132TSI station wagon in Comfortline format, and have come away impressed with its practicality and ease of use. New Passat uses the Volkswagen MQB platform which we have already experienced in several others in the latest VW range. The platform reduces weight and permits for a large number of vehicles to be built at the same… Read more

With new, more aggressive styling, a new finely-tuned performance 1.8-litre four-cylinder 141 kW TSI engine, mated with either a six-speed manual or seven-speed DSG automatic, the new VW Polo GTI returns to the compact hot hatch segment with new-found flair. It’s as if the Volkswagen Polo GTI has gained enough self-confidence to step out of the shadow of its bigger brother – the iconic Golf GTI – and into the glow of its own making. Polo GTI comes with a grab bag of driver assistance and convenience systems. High-end automobile… Read more

The biggest news about the latest Volkswagen Caddy is that the glovebox now has a lid – previously it was just a gaping hole in the dashboard. Which sounds like a strange way to open a story, but it illustrates the new direction in which VW is aiming the Caddy. That is, moving it mildly upmarket. The complete driving area of the Caddy has been given a working over to make it less van like and more in the manner of a car. Good idea, we’ve never understood why van… Read more