It’s the welcome return of an old friend this month and, despite the official launch being typically overshadowed – well this is 2021 – the Volkswagen Alltrack is making a serious comeback.

To be fair, the Passat Alltrack never really went away – it went into a three-year hiatus, during which time, Volkswagen made the call to withdraw the Passat sedan in favour of the demand for SUVs.
Not to fret however, the Passat Alltrack has become a permanent fixture in the Volkswagen catalogue, which is a significant commitment, given the segment is apparently a diminishing one.
However, it is not a diminishing sector as far as the European brands are concerned. Competition from Asia is light in terms of players, but from within Europe…well, that’s another matter.
In this sector, the Alltrack is a challenger – a solid challenger at that.
It starts with the classical station wagon – more correctly termed ‘variant’ – design; a well-proportioned, elegant fusion of cargo carrying practicality and the sleek sophistication of a sedan.
Being a Variant, the business end is at the back and here, Volkswagen’s designers have built a brilliant box which offers up 639 litres of very modular space which can easily increase to a massive 1769 litres by simply dropping the rear seats.
This leads us neatly into the refined cabin with its distinctive design, which has become even more distinctive without the Passat sedan to draw from.
A trainspotter might possibly draw design parallels with other models, notably Tiguan, but there is more individuality in the variant, which adds to the allure of the Alltrack.
The cabin features and the Alltrack’s single specification level suggest a halo product, which considering the Alltrack is the last Passat standing, is not entirely inaccurate.
What it does mean is there are a number of elements making up a nice list of surprise and delight features like the massaging seat function for the driver, the addition of electronic diff lock to back up the 4MOTION system, the parallel park assist, Nappa leather upholstery with heated electric front seats, easy open/close tailgate, and wireless App-Connect.
Volkswagen could have gone the other way and given the Passat something of a poverty pack to be getting on with, but clearly, the ‘Passat brand’ is to be remembered as one which stands for premium quality and the Alltrack certainly does that.   
This also explains the choice of engine. Surprisingly, this is not the victim of downsizing, but instead runs to a 2.0L turbocharged, four-cylinder petrol which generates 162kW.
An ideal choice for a touring machine, the turbo-petrol is smooth, quiet and refined. It delivers unruffled acceleration as needed and this is backed up with easily accessible and all-you-really-need 350Nm of subtle torque again, supplied as you need it.
So, the Alltrack is not a race car, but it wasn’t designed to be.
It does however, handle with family in mind and is very flat to corner, drives without droning, is light and spacious in the cabin and stylish from the contemporary car look at the front, right the way to the pre-eminent practicality at the back.   
Volkswagen calls the Passat Alltrack the adventurous all-rounder, and I couldn’t have described it any better.